Arrested Development (2 Viewers)

[LanieParker]

Okay you guys helped me out once before when I was in a buying debacle and so here I am again to ask for your help.

I've been debating for sometime (due to the many here who have posted about how great this show is) whether or not to buy this show. I have not seen any of the episodes, but the previews I saw on tv looked really good and it seemed like a show I would enjoy.

Good blind buy? If I get this one I am passing up on Jem season 3 for now.

THANKS!

 

[MattGentry]

Definitely pick this one up. Quite possbily one of the funniest shows I've seen in a long while...

 

[MattGSmith]

Yes definitely a great blind buy. It is GENIUS!!

 

[Steve_Knutzen]

The BEST show on television in years. Most definitely worth a blind buy.

 

[Marty M]

I will probably purchase this DVD set. I really like this show, but didn't get a chance to see all the episodes since it was airing opposite The Sopranos for most of the season. Unfortuneatly, I don't think this series will air enough episodes to go into syndication.

 

[Kevin Porter]

AD is by far not only the best show of the 03-04 season but the best half hour comedy since glory days of Seinfeld and Sports Night In fact, SN and AD won the same "Future Classic Award" at the TV Land awards. And SN was cancelled one year later. I think it has one the finest ensemble cast ever assembled for a television show since The West Wing. But the writing is literally unparalleled to anything you've ever seen. It's such a relief to the same tired, low-brow, telegraphed, hackneyed gags seen on sitcoms for about the past 7 years. I too was skeptical about the show. I saw one episode and while I was amused, I wasn't completely captivated by it. But as I watched and watched, it became funnier and funnier. As you go on through the series, you see that the 9 main characters are way too good and dimensional to be crammed into a single 22 minute episode. Truly the best show I've seen in years.
Only if you don't buy the DVDs and tune into The Sopranos on Sunday nights instead. I'm telling you, if you have even the slightest interest in the show and the cash to spare, pick this set up. I highly, highly doubt you'll be disappointed. I don't think I've ever read the opinion of anyone online who did not like the show. Okay, there was this one guy but that's only because the handheld cameras made him nauseous. People are calling this the next Seinfeld. Find out why on October 19th for the low price of $40 (You'll probably be able to find it for $32 easily)[/PROMO]

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

Definitely recommended. It's impossible to describe. Pure genius. If you have any interest in sharp, witty, original comedy, don't even consider not buying it.

 

[Michael_EC]

It's a very funny show, but why buy it blind? Fox is airing it in repeats on Sunday nights. Why not try a couple episodes? You'll miss a few of the jokes that have been running through the season, but you'll get a good idea whether the show is to your tastes.

 

[Marty M]

Of course this series is worth purchasing. I just placed a pre-order for it today.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

I would say watch a rerun first (but I would say that for any show). It's a good show, often very funny, but I think it's a tiny bit overhyped -- in essence, it's a very good sitcom about a crazy family, but not as revolutionary or new as it's made out to be. But it's definitely worth buying if you like it, and the price is right (under $40 for a whole season with lots of special features).

If you liked "NewsRadio," you'll like this, because they are similar shows: dry sense of humor, great ensemble cast, and the formula of a relatively sane guy surrounded by lunatics. I think "NewsRadio" was a better show, and indeed one of the best sitcoms of the era, but AD is the best show of this type since "NewsRadio".

 

[LanieParker]

Thanks for responding. Gives me alot to think about. I have a feeling this may be one of the three purchases I will be making come October.

 

[Sven Lorenz]

It's a lot of fun but very, very overhyped.

It's more a farce than a sitcom and has very cartoonish characters, which makes it hard to relate to any of them.

It occasionally has some brilliant ideas but it isn't constantly funny like Scrubs, for example.

So I would try to watch a few episodes before buying it blind.

Chances are you'll either like it very much or completely hate it.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

I love the show but beware, it is not your typical Friends or Everyone Loves Raymond type of show that the masses like. It is a show that is very intelligent and you actually have to watch and listen. I think that may turn people off. It is not the kinda show that you listen to why reading or doing the crossword puzzle. It demands your attention. It may not be some people type of favored humor either. I would say it is a bit more in line with British humor than say American humor but that's my observation.
I think people are accustomed to an audience and laugh track not to mention characters that everyone likes. That is not this show.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

Well, the American public embraced "Seinfeld," which did have a live audience but which had characters who were probably less likable than the Arrested Development gang (whereas Seinfeld had a rule that no character could ever learn a lesson, many Arrested Development episodes end with a moment where a character triumphs, or says something nice, e.g. the "Best Man For the Gob" episode with the little moment of connection between Michael and Gob).

I think the reason AD hasn't caught on is that the characters' lives are a bit too remote from the average viewer. Most hit sitcoms are about "normal" people and situations: four friends in New York, six friends in New York, a nuclear power plant worker and his family in the suburbs, a bunch of losers in a bar (Cheers is another show where the characters were pretty abrasive). Arrested Development is about a rich, idle family that lost everything. It doesn't have that "average person" appeal that a hit sitcom needs. That's why Fox is now trying to promote Jason Bateman as the star, not to change the show, but to emphasize that there's a normal guy in there that viewers can relate to. (It doesn't help that it's often written about as some avant-garde show that only the elite can get, when basically except for the hand-held camerawork, it's a traditional wacky-ensemble sitcom in the "NewsRadio" mold.)

 

[Kevin Porter]

But most everytime it's undercut by comedy again. Like Gob punching Michael when he was under the impression his wife was in love with him. I think the writers are aware of the sitcom cliche. The network gave them a note saying that they wanted a show in which "Michael taught his son a nice lesson" And from that we get Pier Pressure. "And that's why you always leave a note"

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

That's traditional sitcom writing, though: a warm or heartfelt moment is always followed by a comedy moment. It's called a "treacle-cutter." (You know, how on Family Ties every serious moment between Alex and his dad is followed by a big laugh line where Alex talks about money or Reagan or something.) It doesn't invalidate the nice moment, it just saves the scene from becoming too sentimental. But Seinfeld broke with sitcom tradition in that it never had the nice moments; nobody ever connected, learned a lesson, etc.

 

[LarryDavenport]

While you are waiting for AD, you might check out Lateline with Al Franken, which came out yetsreday. I was surprised I hadn't read it was coming out.

 

[Ravi K]

Great show. I will make this purchase a priority.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Not quite sure if that's the reason why a majority of people don't watch it. It could be the timeslot but not sure if it is because the characters are rich. Hard to put a finger on why this is not a Big hit. Hopefully the DVD release will bring in more viewers.

 

[Ravi K]

How often do comedies without laugh tracks become hits here in the US?