Arrested Development

Name: Arrested Development
Genre: Comedy
Released: November 2, 2003
Rating: 78

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 90 Critic Reviews

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Universal acclaim based on 17 Ratings

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9.4

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9.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 17 Ratings

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Arrested Development: Season 5

Now Playing: Arrested Development: Season 5

Series Details & Credits

FOX | Netflix | Release Date: November 2, 2003

Summary: The Emmy Award-winning comedy series ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT revolves around MICHAEL BLUTH (Jason Bateman), the “normal” one in a family of crazies, who is forced to stay in Orange County and run the family real estate business after his father, GEORGE BLUTH SR. (Jeffrey Tambor), is sent to prison for shifty accounting practices. While GeorgeThe Emmy Award-winning comedy series ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT revolves around MICHAEL BLUTH (Jason Bateman), the “normal” one in a family of crazies, who is forced to stay in Orange County and run the family real estate business after his father, GEORGE BLUTH SR. (Jeffrey Tambor), is sent to prison for shifty accounting practices. While George Sr. spent the last year in the slammer discovering his newfound Judaism and recording inspirational tapes, Michael spent it picking up the pieces and trying to teach his offbeat family how to live without an endless expense account. All the while, Michael has also been trying to do right by his 14-year-old son, GEORGE MICHAEL (Michael Cera), an earnest kid who works diligently at the family’s frozen banana stand.
The Bluths are led by manipulative matriarch LUCILLE BLUTH (Jessica Walter), a socialite who is as icy as her martinis. Then there’s the oldest son, GOB (Will Arnett), a womanizer and struggling magician (sorry, “illusionist”) whose biggest trick will be to make a real job appear. The youngest brother is BUSTER (Tony Hale), a neurotic professional grad student and glorified mama’s boy (he spent 11 months in the womb).
The Bluth siblings are rounded out by cause-obsessed sister LINDSAY (Portia de Rossi), who is married to the hapless TOBIAS (David Cross), a doctor-turned-actor who might get more work if he wasn’t a self-proclaimed “never-nude.” Lindsay and Tobias are the ultra-permissive parents of MAEBY (Alia Shawkat), a 14-year-old who loves finding unique ways to rebel against their overindulgence.
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Genre(s): Comedy

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

James Poniewozik

Jul 1, 2013

Season 2 Review: In looks and structure, Arrested Development is like a 30-min. drama, just a hilarious one. In most network sitcoms nowadays, the wisecracking characters are aware that they're being funny. The oblivious Bluths are funny despite themselves. Read full review

100

Tim Goodman

May 26, 2013

Season 1 Review: There are moments in Arrested Development, Fox's new sitcom, that are pants-wettingly funny. There are jokes and scenarios that bend you over in gleeful agony. All of a sudden, with this last new fall series offering -- hope having been beaten out of all of us -- we get one of the most hysterically ridiculous half hours on television. Read full review

Tim Goodman

May 28, 2013

Season 4 Review: The Rashomon-style storytelling takes a bit to get used to, and the sometimes feverish flow of the jokes (which fans may remember from the hall-of-fame first three seasons) struggle to unleash themselves in the first couple of episodes, but then it snowballs into seven-and-a-half hours of hilarity just waiting for a movie to follow it up. Read full review

Robert Lloyd

May 28, 2013

Season 4 Review: The show improves as it gathers context, and before long you stop thinking about what makes this Arrested Development different from all other Arrested Developments. Read full review

Nick McCarthy

May 30, 2013

Season 4 Review: The cultural references feel a bit dated (the bubble-bursting housing-market collapse, Herman Cain proxy Herbert Love, The Blind Side, and The Social Network among them), and there's too much miscalculated racial humor and preoccupation with sex offender-related jokes, but there's still a plethora of fresh homonym-friendly wordplay, surprising parallels, and witty allusions to delight and preoccupy us until the series pulls off its next magic trick. Read full review

Rob Owen

May 28, 2013

Season 4 Review: It gets off to a slow start and then takes a while for the whole enterprise to get up to speed. At about the third episode, enough of a foundation has been set that the jokes start to come more easily and more quickly. Read full review

Darren Franich

Mar 15, 2019

Season 5.5 Review: This release marks a low point for the once-great series, recycling gags, reheating limp characters, swirling complicated narrative strands without the old snappy grace. Read full review

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Seasons & Episodes

78

Series Overview
Season 5.5

60
- Season 5.5 Overview
  Air Date: March 15, 2019
- No episode information is currently available for this season
Season 5

67
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: May 29, 2018
Season 4

72
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: May 26, 2013
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: September 19, 2005
Season 2

88
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: November 7, 2004
Season 1

89
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: November 2, 2003