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Arrested Development (1 Viewer)

Jaime_Weinman

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
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786

Most of the other long-running comedies on Fox don't use laugh tracks (The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle, King of the Hill, Family Guy, Bernie Mac Show). I really don't think Arrested Development is hurt by its lack of a laugh track; the danger of not having a laugh track is that people won't know it's supposed to be a comedy, but Arrested Development is always determinedly wacky and leaves no doubt that it's a comedy. Whatever's keeping it from being a hit (and even in the time slot after The Simpsons, it doesn't do great), I doubt it's the laugh track thing.
 

Marty M

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Sadly, I think this is true. Just look at the difference in the humor in the movie M*A*S*H and the series that followed.
 

Jaime_Weinman

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Messages
786

But then, of course, we have to account for the success of "Seinfeld," which was much darker and nastier than "Arrested Development" and got more popular as it got darker. The creator of "Arrested Development" has pointed out that the show is basically about a bunch of selfish people who find that, now that they're poor, they have to depend more on each other and come closer together as a family. That's a much nicer, less dark theme than "Seinfeld," where everybody was just plain selfish all the time.

I still think that the problem is that the characters, except for Michael, don't have the average-guy appeal of Jerry Seinfeld or Homer Simpson or Ralph Kramden. And even Michael comes off as a bit too much of a wet blanket to be really appealing to a large audience.
 

R. Kay

Second Unit
Joined
May 11, 1999
Messages
308
Seinfeld got a bit 'darker' (I use that term loosely) over the years, but it became very popular before their selfishness was extremely apparent.
 

Jaime_Weinman

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Messages
786
Thanks for the review, Gord; October 19 is a busy DVD day, but this is one of the essential purchases from that day's crop. Just curious: how does the show look in widescreen, compared to the fullscreen version we see on TV (those of us without HDTV, anyway)? I don't think I've ever seen a sitcom re-purposed for widescreen on DVD, though there are probably others I'm forgetting.
 

MatthewLouwrens

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2003
Messages
3,034
Really? Reading that review, I thought you were a bit ho-hum, I've-seen-better about it.

(Laughs silently to himself, amused at his own little joke.)

That is one of the most enthusiastic reviews I have ever read. Just reading it, it's like you just can't contain your excitement about the show. It was a fun read.
 

Gord Lacey

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Jan 3, 2001
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Jaime, it looks great in widescreen. They show some fullscreen clips during one of the featurettes and I crinkled up my nose. They're getting a very nice picture out of the HD cameras they're using. I was only bothered by one or two scenes, both of them low-light, where there was a bit of noise in the picture.

Gord
 

Brad Porter

Screenwriter
Joined
Jun 8, 1999
Messages
1,757
FX will be showing an Arrested Development marathon next Saturday (the 9th), that is scheduled for 8 hours. I don't recall if the season was 16 episodes in length, so I can't say if this is a complete reairing of the season, but here's your chance to try it before you buy it.

Brad
 

Steve_Knutzen

Screenwriter
Joined
Feb 17, 2002
Messages
1,315
Great to hear you enjoyed the set Gord. I've been looking forward to this release more than anything else the past months...even Star Wars!:D

Brad, there were 22 season one episodes so it looks like the marathon will be omitting six.
 

Ray H

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Jun 13, 2002
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So...what's up with the cover art? The original one was brilliant (IMHO). Then I recently stumbled upon a pic of Jason Bateman face cover. Why did they have to change it?! :frowning:
 

Jaime_Weinman

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Messages
786

It's part of Fox's new strategy for promoting the show, which is to emphasize Bateman as the lead of the show, to signal to audiences that at the center of the show is a normal guy who they can relate to.
 

Robert Ringwald

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 16, 2001
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2,641
For 25 dollars the hype is hard to avoid. I'll be picking this one up.

I saw 1-2 episodes and was entertainined. I'm sure a full season will get me even more interested. At least FOX seems to be sticking to this one for the moment. I'll probably be tuning in on sunday nights if I can.
 

Dane Marvin

Screenwriter
Joined
Jul 21, 2003
Messages
1,490
If Fox can't make a hit out of this show, then Fox does not have the ability to have a hit show that is:

A.) Not a reality show
B.) Not The Simpsons
or
C.) Not an NFL Football game
 

Michael_EC

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Apr 18, 2003
Messages
57
Fox does well with the teen soaps also.

Hopefully the Emmy attention and the new wave of positive reviews stemming from the DVD release bring Arrested Development the audience it needs to continue.
 

Jesse Blacklow

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2002
Messages
2,048
Just pre-ordered with the first season of "The O.C." over at Amazon. Both should get here in time for their 2nd seasons.
 

Brad Porter

Screenwriter
Joined
Jun 8, 1999
Messages
1,757
According to my updated TiVo schedule, FX has decided to run a Fear Factor marathon tomorrow instead. They've scheduled 10 episodes of Arrested Development for next Saturday (the 16th).



So in summary, six fewer episodes, one week later, pre-empted by vapid people eating horse rectums.
thumbsdown.gif




And Fox wonders why they can't draw an audience to this show.



Brad
 

Steve_Knutzen

Screenwriter
Joined
Feb 17, 2002
Messages
1,315
This set is great. Like Gord said, the show looks great in widescreen. Watched the extended pilot and some o fthe other features so far. The commentary track on "Beef Consomme" was hillarious. Wish there were more than two cast commentaries.
 

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