It's not easy being a struggling, half-hour sitcom, but an Emmy usually makes up for it. Arrested Development -- the comedy series produced and even narrated by erstwhile Opie Cunningham Ron Howard -- won five Emmys in 2004, including the Outstanding Comedy Series statue. The quirky series certainly deserved it. In the 21-episode Season 1 set we're introduced to the Bluths, an affluent family that has grown accustomed to a high-class lifestyle, thanks to father George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) and the family-owned business of frozen-banana stands and development properties. At his retirement party, George is arrested for shifty accounting practices and thrown in jail. The Bluth family account is frozen, leading to near panic from the rest of the family, who have never worked a day in their lives. The cast includes: Jessica Walter as the money-hungry matriarch Lucille; Will Arnett as the eldest son, Gob (pronounced "Jobe"), a happily blackballed magician and womanizer with a knack for failure; Tony Hale as youngest son Buster, who suffers from panic attacks and has an unused degree in cartography because "everything has already been mapped"; Portia de Rossi as sister Lindsay, a dilettante socialite with a penchant for throwing fundraisers; David Cross as her husband, Tobias Funke, a disgraced psychiatrist turned aspiring actor; and their daughter, Maeby (Alia Shawkat). It is the middle son, Michael (Jason Bateman), who is the only Bluth responsible enough to take on the task of trying to put the company back together. The season unfolds with Michael's effort to make the Bluth Company honest again, while the rest of the family tries to sabotage the process. The dialogue is witty, and without a laugh track the crackling writing really shines through, often requiring multiple viewings to catch every nuance. Recurring guest stars, including Liza Minnelli as Lucille and Henry Winkler as Bluth lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn, add to the comedy, as does Howard with his sly narration. Fans of typical sitcom fare may find Arrested Development odd at first, but the top-notch cast, scripts, and intertwining plots make it worthy of a closer look. Christina Urban
- UPC: 024[zasłonięte]146957
- Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
- Region Code: 1
- Presentation: Wide Screen
- Language: English
- Editions: Repackaged
- Time: 8:32:00
- Sales Rank: 266
This set contains DVDs which may be available separately:
- Arrested Development: Pilot
- Arrested Development: Top Banana
- Arrested Development: Bringing Up Buster
- Arrested Development: Key Decisions
- Arrested Development: Visiting Ours
- Arrested Development: Charity Drive
- Arrested Development: My Mother, the Car
- Arrested Development: In God We Trust
- Arrested Development: Storming the Castle
- Arrested Development: Pier Pressure
- Arrested Development: Public Relations
- Arrested Development: Marta Complex
- Arrested Development: Beef Consomme
- Arrested Development: Shock and Aww
- Arrested Development: Staff Infection
- Arrested Development: Missing Kitty
- Arrested Development: Altar Egos
- Arrested Development: Justice is Blind
- Arrested Development: Best Man for the Gob
- Arrested Development: Whistler's Mother
- Arrested Development: Not Without My Daughter
- Arrested Development: Let Them Eat Cake
Features:
Closed Caption; All 22 Season One episodes - plus never-aired extended pilot; Audio commentaries on selected episodes; "Breaking Ground: Behind the Scenes of 'Arrested Development'" featurette; Ron Howard's inside look at "Arrested Development"; Deleted/extended scenes; The Museum of Television & Radio cast panel discussion; Original songs by David Schwartz; TV Land featurettes
