Arrested Development facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arrested Development |
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Mitchell Hurwitz |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Ron Howard |
| Composer(s) | David Schwartz |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 84 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes (seasons 1–3) 23–48 minutes (seasons 4–5) |
| Production company(s) |
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| Distributor | 20th Television Netflix (seasons 4–5) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox (seasons 1–3) Netflix (seasons 4–5) |
| Picture format | 720p (16:9 HDTV) (seasons 1–3) 1080p (16:9 HDTV) (season 4) 4K (16:9 UHDTV) (season 5) |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original release | Original series: November 2, 2003 –
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Arrested Development is a funny American TV show called a sitcom. Mitchell Hurwitz created the series. It first aired on Fox for three seasons, from November 2, 2003, to February 10, 2006. Later, two more seasons were released on Netflix, from May 26, 2013, to March 15, 2019.
The show is about the Bluths, a family that used to be very rich but lost their money. They are a bit strange and often cause trouble for each other. Arrested Development tells its story in a continuous way, like a long movie. It uses a handheld camera style, like a documentary. It also has a voice-over narrator, old photos, and real historical videos. The show is known for its many running gags (jokes that appear again and again) and catchphrases (popular sayings).
Ron Howard was an executive producer and the narrator. In later seasons, he even appeared in the show as a funny version of himself. The story takes place in Newport Beach, California. Most of the filming happened in Culver City and Marina del Rey.
Arrested Development was loved by TV critics. It won six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Many people became big fans, creating a "cult following." Magazines like Rolling Stone and Time have called it one of the best TV shows ever. It also influenced other comedy shows that use a single camera, like 30 Rock and Community.
Even though critics loved it, Arrested Development did not have many viewers on Fox. Because of this, Fox canceled the show in 2006. In 2011, Netflix decided to make new episodes. These new episodes were released in May 2013. Netflix then ordered a fifth season. The first part came out on May 29, 2018, and the second part on March 15, 2019.
Contents
How the Show Was Made
Creating the Idea
The idea for Arrested Development started in the summer of 2002. Ron Howard wanted to make a funny TV show that looked like a reality TV show. It would use handheld cameras, but have a very funny script that was written and practiced many times. Howard met with David Nevins and Mitchell Hurwitz.
Because of some big news about companies losing money, Hurwitz suggested a story. It would be about a rich family who suddenly becomes poor. Howard and his company, Imagine, liked this idea. They hired Hurwitz to write the show. The idea was presented to TV channels in late 2002. Fox and NBC both wanted the show, but Fox won.
Over the next few months, Hurwitz created the characters and the story. The script for the first episode, called the pilot, was finished in January 2003. It was filmed in March 2003. Fox decided to add the show to its fall TV schedule that May.
Choosing the Actors
Alia Shawkat was the first actor chosen for the show. Michael Cera, Tony Hale, and Jessica Walter sent in audition videos. They were then flown in to try out for Fox. Jason Bateman and Portia de Rossi also auditioned and were chosen right away.
The character of Gob was the hardest to cast. When Will Arnett auditioned, he played Gob as someone who thought he was the favorite son, even though everyone else knew he wasn't. He was chosen immediately because his acting was so unique. The characters of Tobias and George Sr. were supposed to be small roles at first. But David Cross and Jeffrey Tambor played them so well that they were given bigger parts.
Ron Howard narrated the first pilot episode. His voice fit the show so perfectly that they decided to keep him as the narrator. Howard also helped choose the actress for "Lucille 2." The producers wanted Liza Minnelli, but thought she was too famous. Ron Howard asked her himself because they were old friends, and she said yes. She had even been his babysitter when she was younger!
How the Show Looked
Arrested Development used special ways of filming that were not common for American sitcoms at the time. It was filmed in real places, not just on a studio set. It used high-definition video with many cameras. This made it look like a documentary or a reality TV show. It was different from typical comedies that have a fixed set, a live audience, and a laugh track.
The show often uses "cutaway gags." These are short, funny scenes that interrupt the main story. They can be things like security camera videos, family photos, website screenshots, or old film clips. The narrator, Ron Howard, helps connect all the different story parts in each episode. He also makes funny comments about the characters.
Arrested Development also had many "in-jokes." These were jokes that referred to earlier parts of the show. This made it fun for viewers who watched every episode.
Canceled and Brought Back
In 2006, during the show's third season, Fox canceled Arrested Development. There were rumors that another TV channel, Showtime, might pick it up. But the creator, Hurwitz, decided not to move the show. He felt he had told the story he wanted to tell. He also thought the actors were ready to move on. He was more worried about the show's quality getting worse than disappointing fans by not making more episodes. He said he would be open to continuing the show in a different way, not as a weekly series.
On October 2, 2011, the actors from Arrested Development met for a special event in New York. At this event, Hurwitz announced that he planned to make a shorter fourth season. This would lead up to a movie version of the show.
Six years after Fox canceled the series, filming for a fourth season began on August 7, 2012. Fifteen episodes of this new season were all released at once on Netflix on May 26, 2013. The first eight episodes of the fifth season came out on Netflix on May 29, 2018. The last eight episodes premiered on March 15, 2019.
Main Characters
The story of Arrested Development is all about the Bluth family. They used to be very rich. Even after losing their money, they try to live fancy lives.
The main character is Michael Bluth (played by Jason Bateman). He is the most normal one in the family. Michael tries to do what is right and keep his family together. But his family members are often focused on money, are selfish, and try to trick each other. Michael is a single dad whose wife passed away. His teenage son, George Michael (Michael Cera), is also a good person. He tries hard to meet his dad's expectations. George Michael has a secret crush on his cousin Maeby.
Michael's father, George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), is the head of the family. He was a real estate developer who got into trouble and was arrested in the first episode. George Sr. tries to control his family even from jail. He also tries to avoid getting caught for his actions. His wife, and Michael's mother, Lucille (Jessica Walter), is very controlling and loves money. She is also very critical of everyone in her family. She has the strongest hold on her youngest son, Byron "Buster" Bluth (Tony Hale). Buster is a grown-up "mother's boy" who gets very nervous easily.
Michael's older brother is George Oscar Bluth II (Will Arnett), known as "Gob." He is an unsuccessful magician. His business ideas and personal plans usually fail quickly. Gob often competes with Michael and picks on Buster. Michael's twin sister Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) is spoiled and loves attention. She often pretends to care about social causes just to look good. She is married to Tobias Fünke (David Cross), who used to be a doctor but now wants to be an actor. Their daughter is Mae "Maeby" Fünke (Alia Shawkat). She is a rebellious teenager who likes to defy her parents. She also tries to get attention and power, and has a complicated relationship with George Michael.
Other Characters
Many other characters appear often in the show.
- Jeffrey Tambor also plays Oscar Bluth, George Sr.'s identical twin brother. Oscar is a relaxed former hippie who wants Lucille's attention.
- Henry Winkler plays Barry Zuckerkorn, the family's lawyer. He often makes the family's legal problems worse instead of better. He is later replaced by Bob Loblaw (Scott Baio).
- Liza Minnelli plays Lucille Austero, also known as "Lucille 2." She is Lucille's best friend and main social rival. She also has a romantic interest in Buster and later Gob.
- Justin Grant Wade plays Steve Holt, a high school student and football star. He is later found out to be Gob's son.
- Carl Weathers plays a funny version of himself as Tobias's acting coach.
- John Beard plays a fictional news anchor who reports on the family's silly actions.
- Mae Whitman plays Ann Veal, George-Michael's serious Christian girlfriend. Michael often forgets or says bad things about her.
- Patricia Velasquez plays Marta Estrella, Gob's girlfriend. Michael also likes her, which causes problems between the brothers.
- Steve Ryan plays J. Walter Weatherman, a man with one arm. He used to work for George Sr. In flashbacks, George Sr. would hire him to teach the Bluth children lessons by faking accidents where he would "lose" his arm.
- Charlize Theron plays Rita Leeds, a British woman who becomes Michael's girlfriend.
- Judy Greer plays Kitty Sanchez, George Bluth Senior's assistant and partner in his schemes.
- Ed Begley, Jr. plays Stan Sitwell, the owner of a company that competes with the Bluth Company.
- Christine Taylor plays Sally Sitwell, Stan Sitwell's daughter and a love interest for Michael.
- Justin Lee plays Annyeong, the adopted Korean son of Lucille and George Sr.
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Maggie Lizer, a lawyer who often lies and has a relationship with Michael.
- Rob Corddry plays Moses Taylor, the star of a fake TV show called Wrench!.
- Ben Stiller plays Tony Wonder, a magician and Gob's main rival. He is famous for baking himself into a loaf of bread.
- Amy Poehler plays Gob's unnamed wife, who he married as part of a dare.
- Jane Lynch plays Cindi Lightballoon, a government agent who tries to get information from George Sr. while he is in jail. She ends up falling in love with him.
Episodes
List of Arrested Development episodes
See also
In Spanish: Arrested Development (serie de televisión) para niños
