Is Arrested Development a Classic?



When Arrested Development first aired, a lot of people missed it, myself included. But because of a very dedicated fanbase, and the love of critics, it was kept relevant for many years after. Although originally considered an instant classic, the fourth and fifth seasons complicate that legacy, and raise the question of whether or not a show’s divisive return can influence the way people look at the whole series.

0:00 – Intro
10:41 – Pilot and Season 1
30:02 – The Critical Response
34:05 – Season 2 and 3
53:22 – They’ve Made a Huge Mistake
1:00:45 – The Hype Period
1:04:52 – Back From Whence It Came
1:11:04 – Season 4
1:20:52 – The Blowback and the Comeback
1:35:04 – Season 5
1:44:53 – Is There Anything Left in the Banana Stand?
1:49:06 – Remembering Arrested Development

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36 thoughts on “Is Arrested Development a Classic?”

  1. I really would love to see you do a community retrospective after watching this one! Another sitcom with a case of its cult status and hunger for more being continued with diminishing returns. Although not quite as bad as arrested developments case imo.

    Great job on the vid, I'm gonna have some mayonegg!

    Reply
  2. I've given this show so many chances over the years. I watched the premier and most of the fist season, I caught up with DVDs based on friends recommendations, I even watched it again with the new Netflix season and I can honestly say I don't see the hype and praise. I think there are maybe 20 good episodes total over the entire shows run and reboot but that it mostly is forgettable and unfunny material that didn't feel so much as original as just humor I've seen before played more straight.

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  3. I was actually thinking about you doing a video on Arrested Development and how could one write a summary of such a convoluted show. But it was great in the end so good job! There are lots more shows that I'm eagerly waiting for, especially Community but that might have to wait until the movie comes out.

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  4. Careful there. It would be their family's business especially their children who will need talks. To say it's none of anyone's business doesn't make sense if you want support and understanding from people. I'm not saying conform to other people's paradigms of reality, I'm saying think before you tantrum your way into isolation or alienation. It's too dangerous out there to go it alone…

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  5. I used to love this show, right before the Netflix renewal came out when I first discovered it. I thought it was so clever and unique and different, which it truly was at the time. It still has some of the best humor put to film in a show! But then the Netflix seasons came out (couldn’t tell you if I ever finished the last one) and it just cemented that while great, it wasn’t timeless in the way that it could be brought out now.

    Then Schitt’s Creek came out and I realized that it’s what I wanted from this show in terms of watching a fish out of water comedy as this rich family adjusts to “normal” life. Some time before that I watched Community and realized that’s what I wanted in terms of characters who adjust, adapt, and change while still being thoroughly unpleasant people.

    It was a great and momentous stepping stone into modern TV that was before it’s time, and I’m sure neither of those shows would exist without it, but it’s definitely been beaten and proven that it works best in the context of when it aired on TV.

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  6. It's the best example of a show that wouldn't be made nowadays, but would've absolutely murdered every over show if it had come out when streaming started. It's frustrating, but at least we have some goddamn gold to look back on.

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  7. Its funny but for many years of my life I was a stalwart Arrested Development fan. The season 4 original release was painful but a nostalgic love gave me the benefit of the doubt. Season 5 was hot trash in my opinion and even rewatching classic AD doesn't really hold up anymore for me.

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  8. Lucille Bluth is one of the best characters ever. I STILL quote her.
    Arrested Development was a great show even in the weaker last seasons. I truly miss it.

    Reply

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