Gob is probably one of the best casting ever done in television

It's a shame there's only 3 seasons of this show

i think what was great about lucilles reaction to gene parmagian was her character was never impressed with anything/ anyone in her family said or did but she was always delighted by the most simple of disguises and appearances by martin mull, you could see the disbelief on other bluth family members faces when she exhbited such happiness in front of them almost as if they were saying " all the things i try and do and THIS is the person you approve of?"

Ron Howard Voice: "And José remembered that If at first you don't succeed at uploading a video you could try again and again"

i didnt realize how many successful careers were launched by this show

The taboos and controversies of the first 3 seasons are part of what made them great. George Michael's incest subplot is so unique and bizarre, it makes the show feel different from anything else.

Drew Gooden made a video about arrested development, and he said that AD was almost “made to be binged” because of the recurring jokes and the pace of the show. It was so ahead of its time

Jessica Walter always seemed like such a nice, funny person.

I love how Lucille only shows true joy when Gene Parmesan surprises her with his "disguises".😂

I remember everyone being excited for season 4, mildly disappointed by it, and not noticing or caring that season 5 even happened

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.

the Jessica Walters recording is heartbreaking

Jason Bateman has had kind of a crazy career arc. He was a child star in the 80s (Hogan Family, Teen Wolf, etc.) sort of disappeared in the 90s, then made Arrested Development in 2003, which was the first time (at least that I remember) that he really showed off his comedy chops. I remember the first time I heard about AD, & thought, "Jason Bateman plays the lead? And it's a comedy show?" 🤔 After Arrested Development, however, it seemed like everyone realized how funny he was, and he ended up in what seemed like EVERY SINGLE big budget comedy movie from 2004 to about 2015. He then became a very successful dramatic actor/director as well. Def one of the best child actor success stories and someone I always enjoy seeing regardless of the role he's playing. Great video as always, Jose.

The limited appearances of Anyang and Marta showing how little the show cares about characters outside the bluth family in the same way the bluth family themselves do is a really interesting point, never saw it like that but i really like that point

Man, this makes me miss Jessica Walters even more. She was such a talent on this show, a stand out among many strong performances. Thank you for the rundown, Jose!

For me personally, the original 3 seasons were funnier to me than any other sitcom I've watched. Just so amazingly funny. I cared far less for 4 and 5, but they certainly had their high points. No better example than the following dialogue from the first episode of season 5 between George Michael and Maeby. Few things have made me laugh harder: Maeby: "I mean, what did Gangie always say? 'Forget, but never forgive.'" George Michael: "You think she meant to say it that way?" Maeby: "Yeah." George Michael: "Do you think 'A friend in need is no friend indeed' was also on purpose? Or what about 'They should take all the rapists and all the murderers and put them all together on an island...'" Maeby: "'...and all the murderers can be raped, and all the rapists can be murdered...'" Both together: "'...until you only have either two rapists left or you're down to...'" [Maeby:] "'...one murderer...'" [Geroge Michael:] "'...one raped murderer...'" [Both:] "'...but who cares about him?'" Maeby: "Oh, was it 'one raped murderer'?" George Michael: "I've heard her say it both ways. I mean, in all likelihood, the guy would be raped." --- What blows me away the most is that fact that they were both able to get through all that with a straight face. And then George Michael, with basically no pause, continues right on with the serious matter they'd been talking about with no change in tone - as if that long and ridiculous thing they just said was an actual "saying" and perfectly normal. I laughed so, so hard. And as a nice finishing touch, later in that episode (or subsequent episode?) we're dropped into a scene, and Lucille is just finishing up saying something to someone. All we hear is the end of it: "...but who cares about him?" Loved that.

I think Gene is so delightful because of Jessica's way of reacting to Martin Mull, which is pure joy and delight. She deserved so much better. After listening to the way everyone just betrays her in that interview, it would not shock me if they tried to make a show again without her. They didn't seem to care too much about her as they did saving face...

Man props to Alia for standing up for Jessica in a room full of men trying to brush over the issue. Even in 2023 it can be hard to do that even if the men aren’t as well known/powerful. And I’m proud of Jessica for trying to stand up for herself and how she felt, it would be very painful to be treated like that by someone and have them be able to get away with it because of their gender and the weight his name carries.

Jessica Walter was such a lovely person and an icon in her roles. She will be remembered fondly and her passing is felt. Watching the new season of Archer, you just feel that she is missing, but they gave her an amazing send-off together with her late husband

just a clarification on the use of the term retarded in the show. At the time of the show 'mental retardation' was the official medical term for what has been known as 'intellectual disability' since 2010. So for the time the season was airing they were using the correct medical term but as time went on the term was dropped and it's use in the show became an unfortunate aspect of it being from the time it came out. Remember sometimes a piece of media can be fair for its time but time will always move forward while the media remains static. Always take into account when something came out. Edit: Also the whole thing was a jab at the Fox executives who demanded a special guest star for the third season so they got a big name actress and had her play a 'special' character.

Arrested development is one of those shows where just trying to talk about it with someone who has seen it leads to us laughing at just mentioning the idea of one of the jokes. The fact that almost every clip you played was hilarious even on its own without the rest of the episode is a testament of that. one of the funniest shows ever.

Damn dude you can really hear Jessica's pain 😭

The Jessica Walter interview broke my heart. She will be dearly missed and fondly remembered

David Cross was truly genius in this show

Huh I always read the "mister manager" thing as him not wanting George Michael to say mister manager specifically because it's infantilizing. An adult just says manager, mister manager sounds like something a child would call a manager.

It's definitly among the best written comedies I've ever seen. It will remain a classic in my book

I find a lot of the show Community in Arrested Developpement. Both were innovative takes on the sitcom format, successful but never quite over the edge, tossed through different platforms while trying to avoid cancelation... though one of them *is* getting its movie after all

This is another version of the video that fixes an audio issue. Again, very sorry for this mix-up.

Amazing video that does a great service to the incomporable Jessica Walter. I also really enjoyed this refreshing analysis on AD not as a show that struggled to find success despite its cult status, but as an example of the messy ways revivals and reboots can complicate the legacy of a beloved work of art. Great job Jose, you really blued yourself with this one!

I love Lucilles reaction to gene Parmigian! One of my favorite running jokes in the show

José this is the third time you’ve shown Arrested Development to the class

"We're brothers, Mom, and we kinda like each other." "I'm your older brother. I'll never be impressed by you." As an older brother, this show gets it.

I’ve always loathed the way Tambor says “absolutely” when Walter mentions needing to let go of how hurt she was at being yelled at. He doesn’t say sorry, or commend her, or even say “Thank you”. He just says “absolutely”, like he’s not the guy she’s currently crying about. I hated it then, I hate it now. And fuck the other cast members (other than Shawkat, because of course all the other men rally behind Tambor) for their complicity. I never watched Season 5 because this interview soured me on AD. This is a really great video which I’ll finish In just a moment, but man, I forgot just how pissed off the NYT made me.

1:01 > realise how similar José’s voice actually is to Ron Howard’s 4:03 > realise I might actually be too high for this right now

This video is going to mature so well. Jessica Walters is a legend. And Michael Cera in 30-40 years time will be comsidered one of the greats. Already in his 2nd wave with Twin Peaks and Barbie.... cant wait to see what he does next

I think there’s a lot to like about seasons 4 and 5, but the first three seasons are basically a flawless and cohesive whole. That we got to see more of these characters in any capacity will always be a bonus IMO

I didn't know about the situation of Jessica Walter being yelled at and it was heartbreaking. :( The recording of her being emotional but trying to be forgiving absolutely made me feel so sad...

Mrs Featherbottom is my favorite random "character" on this amazing show

It broke my heart to hear Alia Shawkat being the only one to stick up for Jessica Walters. I definitely don't think it's a coincidence that it took the only other woman in that interview to say anything. And it only makes Jason Bateman's apology seem that much more pigheaded. Like, your way of making amends is to clarify you decry abuse "from any gender"? This was not from any gender! This was another example of a woman being abused by a man, and the man getting away with it, as more men talk over her to try and protect said man. Acknowledging the misogyny inherent in this dynamic is the least he could've done, considering he was culpable in it.

Thank you for including that clip Jessica Walters. Hearing her voice is so much more powerful than reading her words alone. God, the shit she must have put up with while the rest of the men watched along

It's so hard to pick a favourite character from this show... They all have such amazing lines, scenes and traits that they all deliver continuously over the three gold standard seasons

I loved the original cut of season 4. I liked about it was how they played off Michael Cera and Jesse Eisenberg’s resemblance to each other for Fake Block

your channel is so underrated. your scrubs and that 70s show retrospectives are so well done, and i was very excited to see this on my recommended!! well done

Incredible retrospective, my only disappointment in this video is that you didn't mention the prolific build up to the "pop pop in the attic" joke lol

Only now am I realizing that Arrested Development is the sitcom prototype of Succession.

Thank you, for both the time you invested in this, and in your repeated re-uploads to address minor sound issues -- I love your work, and this one is among your best!

Jessica Walter's comedic timing is unprecedented

I actually really liked Season 4 a lot in its original format and thought it lost some of its charm with the remix (though most of my friends disagree with me). The “remix” also removed one of my absolute favorite jokes from the entire series, where Ron Howard the narrator calls Ron Howard the character a jerk.

Wow, I had honestly completely forgotten they made a fifth season. Oops. Fantastic video as always!

I always thought the joke was that “mister manager” sounds nerdy-and even childish. Don’t see it as Michael attempting to arrest his kid’s development.

I think it has to actually end to make it to that classic status. It constantly being in this holding pattern of "Well, it's gonna get a movie, it's gonna get another series" etc etc, doesn't allow it to stand as a complete work. It is, however, highly influential and I think it would be safe to call it iconic. It's really emblematic of the 00s. We'll see where it stands a decade from now when Y2K nostalgia cedes to 2010s nostalgia.

Larry the Surrogate was hilarious despite the limited use of the character

José: I’ve made a huge mistake

The first three seasons of arrested development are absolute gold

Well done on a very long and thorough video essay, José! My reaction to this has been interesting. I was one of the late comers to this show who absolutely fell in love with it. When Season 4 came out, I actually really liked it! It reminded me of how we all go through life, only knowing our own perspective, but with the added bonus of eventually following other people and seeing how their stories came about. I wasn't much of a fan of the 5th Season, though, and for the most part, thought that the AD heyday was those first three Seasons. I haven't thought much more about it in these latter years, and haven't thought about going back to re-watch them. But then I heard that plunky intro when you recapped the first Season, and I literally got excited. I guess there's a soft spot in my heart for this show, after all!

I had just finished season 1 when you uploaded this and was on the fence about continuing the show, but I genuinely like your analysis' of other sitcoms I watched so I decided to stick it through to the end before finally watching this~ I'm glad I did because I ended up really liking the first three seasons, finding season 4 interesting but kind of drawn out (I didn't know about the original cut either so that was neat) and liked the actual conclusion of the show overall :D Your section about season 4 made me sort of re-analyze my own opinion on it and appreciate it more even if I thought it was the weakest season so that was real cool

Thanks for uploading for the third time. The show will always be a classic, but the behind the scenes drama is a little hard to get behind, especially Jessica Walter claiming that Jeffrey Tambor repeatedly verbally abused her on the set, with the majority of the cast taking Tambor's side.

I had forgotten almost all of the jokes you clipped from seasons 1-2, but every one made me laugh.

I’ve been rewatching this series lately. First video watched from you, this is a really solid take! Thank you :)

The casting of this show has always interested me. They were mostly all unknown when this cult-classic, underperforming show debuted. But when they left, they were all massive successes. Will Arnett's voice can be heard in countless shows, Michael Cera became Scott Pilgram, David Cross is still getting consistent roles, and that's just to name a few. I found that many of these actors, despite having little experience on screen, worked incredibly to bring the show to life. Tony Hale in particular played Buster brilliantly. With every scene he was in, he put the character into every movement. He talked with his hands and made extreme expressions and somehow manages to walk in a way that screams 'sheltered mumma's boy'. His physical acting was so brilliant that I'm amazed this was his first real role.

i’ve watched every one of your retrospectives even though i haven’t seen most of the shows. i would absolutely love to see your take on bojack horseman. it’s such a wonderful and heavily packed show and there’s so much to say about it!

First off, great video. Secondly, it's interesting to me that as I saw your recap of season five, I kept debating in my head whether I ever actually WATCHED season five, or not, as not much was ringing any sort of bell. Eventually, I remembered that I had, in fact, watched it. Anyhow, again, great video.

Fantastic video essay, this is the first video of yours I have seen and definitely subscribing and watching your others.

I love this show. So happy you chose to cover it

In a show of funny actors, Jessica Walter and Alia Shawkat really stood out. Walter deserves all of the adoration she gained from the role of Lucille. Still, everyone knew exactly how to play their characters and the depth of in-jokes and blink-and-you'll-miss-it gags in the series make it legendary for its comedy. As a piece of commentary and writing, it strikes me as very dated and depressing. The real world gives us enough horrible people who can't change, so seeing the show progressively make its characters more realistically unsympathetic makes the show feel more cynical and dark after the third season in a way that doesn't feel satisfying. And the show was the 2000s in some of its blind spots, like the unironically transphobic plot line featured in "Sad Sack", the gay jokes around Tobias, and some of the racial humor not hitting the best target. It's a hell of a clever, funny show and its cast was superb, but it beat itself down artistically by trying to revive itself and it has dated flaws.

Great video, really in-depth. I still see people quote Arrested Development all the time, and I think seasons 4 and 5 actually bring a lot to the table. I think it's a classic and will remain so for a long time.

(commenting before watching) Season 4 is underrated imo, it has some classic bits comparable to the original show, I do think the characterizations and events in it make more sense than audiences thought they did (particularly if you view the characters as dynamic rather than crystallized personalities who have to always stay exactly the same) and i personally think the original cut is funnier and flows better than the remixed version that goes in chronological order. season 5 is a no from me though lol

Love this show so much, as much as it stumbles at times. Very good retrospective, I can imagine just how much effort must've went into accounting for all of the intricacies of the show.

Great video! Despite their last two season, Arrested Development will always be cemented on my mind as one of the best written sitcoms I've ever watched (with it's faults and all). Thank you for bringing all of this information into one video, it was incredibly interesting!

Good job Jose, I’m still loving the married with children retrospective. Frazier; a show I never watched, was a great one too. The Fresh Prince one you did is a classic as well. Thanks for the work you put into your vid’s man.

this sounds incredible, wasnt here for the original upload but its relaxing me its so good

would I call this show a classic that will still be good in 10 or 20 years ... ? I don't know the answer to that, but what I can say is that I've seen it multiple times and it always made me laugh out loud, and that watching this video made me want to go back and watch it again.

Jessica Walter played the best character on the show it does work as a classic but it does kinda remind me of a softer version of Shameless

I only watched arrested development because it was in the time slot before scrubs, and it was easier for me to set the video recording when I left for work and watch it the next day. I got stuck waiting for my housemate to finish watching arrested development the next day because he’d decided to watch the line up I’d taped. I’m so grateful he did, I’ve watched the first 3 seasons so many times.

The seaward goes! “I’ll leave when I’m ready”

The only reason Heroes isn’t a classic is because that writer’s strike ended production and I will die on this hill 😤

I love the show. But I wonder if a lack of audience familiarity with some of the references could hurt it’s status long term. The Henry Winkler and Scott Baio jokes work based on a prior knowledge of Happy Days. The Matlock jokes are funny because Ron Howard was on the Andy Griffith show. The Iraq references are 20 years old at this point. This doesn’t diminish the quality, but could make it harder for a new generation to get into it.

I said it on the previous upload - this show is one I’ve totally ignored over the years while I’ve been busy with other shows etc. but everyone I know who watches it absolutely loves it!!

Great retrospective. Don't know how I wasn't subscribed. You have a great perspective

Nearly blue myself when I first saw this. [Thought I'd comment for the algorithms.]

My love for Gene Parmesan scenes and the doctor who sucked... UNMATCHED.

Amazing video loved every second of it, Arrested development might be my favourite comedy however not for its jokes and gags but for its uniqueness…

I know it’s not really a sitcom, but I’d be curious for your thoughts on Psych

Honestly, I really liked the original cut of S4. It really tried something, even if it didn't fully pull it off. The recut felt underwhelming by comparison, and I did find myself missing some of the cut jokes. Never did finish S5, though. That New York Times interview really killed whatever enthusiasm I had left, and I said I'd get to it eventually, but just...never have. The idea that they could even try making more without Jessica Walter just makes me feel very tired, so I sure hope they don't.

such wonderful chemistry with the cast, they capture the individual dysfunctions as well as the dysfunctions between each other. Ron Howard's narration put it over the top. EdiT: at 39:05, the last sentence of that paragraph makes me think the author truly appreciates the joke

This channel is definitely reaching classic status, imo. RIP Jessica Walter ❤

Hey, I think this is the first time ive seen your videos. I liked it, I'm going to watch your 70s show video now.

Oh, man. This was such a trip down memory lane for me. And then the second half was all new to me, as I don't watch netflix and never saw the revival. It sounds like the original cut of s4 would be right up my alley, though. Mr. Jose, keep up the great work!

As someone who grew up in Southern California the hermano thing is particularly ridiculous cause Spanish is everywhere, school flyers have Spanish translations on the other side, nutritional labels have both English and Spanish, subtitles and commercials in Spanish are far from uncommon I can remember Spanish classes as far back as flash cards in kindergarten It’s nuts that Michael, supposedly the smart one in a family of lifelong Californians, has somehow never heard the word hermano before

Surprised at another upload but still this is a great video on the history of this show.

This and the My Name is Earls video earned my sub. Great content dude, I can imagine how long it takes to make one of these.

well paced. I've only caught a few episodes but you gave good overviews and i feel i understand the family better.

Getting isla fisher to play fake Bryce Dallas Howard is one of my favorite jokes of season 4

Arrested Development is the Velvet Underground of the television industry.

Great video, man! Keep up the great content. We appreciate your insights and thoughts on all these shows. Thank you.

Thank you so much for this. The tip on where to find the original season 4 order and structure is that I needed. I thought it was lost to time.

I like to imagine Giancarlo Espisito as a George Bluth type. A man who believes he is the master of his domain; but is as clueless as it gets. "A husband and wife cannot be committed for the same crime" he said with confident stoicism. "That's not how it works" his son reveals. His stoic straight-face ever so slightly slips, "...really"

Watching this video for the 3rd time lol

Good shit. I guess this retrospective makes me wonder just what exactly led "critics" and "the public" to respond to the show so differently from each other, at least for the original run of the first three seasons. Thanks for your hard work Jose.

This show came out when I was in the thick of my time in University in Toronto, the perfect DVD to throw on while skipping class, nursing a pub night hangover. I was hyped for the much anticipate fourth season. But right from the jump, it felt entirely off. I didn't even make it through the season, despite having watched the first 3 countless times. I haven't gone back to it since. Unfortunately, it left a "Game of thrones" taste in my mouth. This retrospective was lovely though. Thanks Jose for letting me dip my toes back into nostalgia without getting too wet.