Is 'Arrested Development' The Most Overrated Underrated TV Show Ever?!?

[Brian Damage]

I guess what I mean is, the show is considered by many critics to be a great show. They all swoon over it calling it funny, outstanding so on and so forth. However, it's not like it was canceled after only a handful of episodes. FOX kept it around a couple of seasons to try and find an audience and it never could.

Many of its writers and stars stayed with FOX and created other shows that failed just as much as Arrested Development did. Now there is talk of a movie? Really? Is this show perhaps an overrated show rather than an underrated one?

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/arrested-development-cast_150.jpg

[70s show watcher]

i always thought it was way overrated

[robyrob]

i think its pretty subjective; the show and that style of humor just isn't everyone's cup of tea - fans of the show love it, but that wasn't enough to get the ratings that would've kept it on the air.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...one, the series never attracted more than five million viewers every week, because it was "too weird" for a mass audience; and two, virtually every major TV critic adored it, and had orgasms writing about it, scolding "the rest of us" for not watching and supporting it more.

I recall one of them, David "Mr. Teleliteracy" Bianculli, in New York's SUNDAY NEWS TV magazine, virtually wasted a cover story article, shortly after the show won an Emmy for "Best Comedy Series", in trying to convince his readers to give the show a chance by watching it, in order to avoid cancellation. He acknowledged the show wasn't for every taste, but insisted it deserved to last another season. I could have told him, "David, don't think you can save the series just because you think you have influence in writing a popular TV column in a major New York newspaper. Stop trying to convince the masses that 'ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT' is the greatest thing since sliced bread! Not everyone feels the same way about it as you do. The fact is, 40 million viewers don't give a **** about it. So KNOCK IT OFF!!!!". But I didn't. But then, he never acknowledged personal letters or advice from readers, anyway. He's too busy watching TV....incidentally, he hasn't been a TV critic for the NEWS in almost three years.


:tv:

[dakert]

I never thought it was funny. I saw a review where it said the hipster doofuses might find it funny??

[shotzette]

AR was sublimely hilarious, but the humor had to build. I was ready to bail after the first three episodes, but a friend who had seen it urged me to get through the first six. I did, and it was terrific from that point forward.

There's a subtlety to the humor and most of it was self referential, which I think could have turned some people off. But come on... Bob Loblaw's Law Blog--comic gold!

:D

[James]

My answer is a big ... fat ... YES!!!!!!!!

Alia Shawkat is out of her element when she's not playing Hannah Rayburn.

[JerseyBounce]

For a long time-a LONG time-I avoided any sitcom on Fox that wasn't animated. I watched the first episode of Arrested Development, and figured the winning streak would continue. Fox never got it- instead of trying to pander to the fringes (something the news division does exceedingly well), why not just let the best writers come aboard, and make great sitcoms? Challenge the networks toe-to-toe? After all these years, my tastes have mellowed, somewhat. Malcolm In The Middle I find tolerable, and I don't think Married With Children is beneath me anymore. Arrested Development does nothing for me, though.

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

No.

[EmoJoe]

It's probably the most brilliant comedy of all-time, so...

[Stuck In The '70's]

I wanted to like Arrested Development. I am a fan of Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor , Jessica Walter and Ron Howard. I loved them in other shows. I just never could get into it though.

[Brad]

It's definitely an acquired taste, Sonny. I actually didn't like the show at first (I watched the premiere airing on Fox back in 2003). I started watching it on DVD right before the show was cancelled, and something clicked. Maybe it was the marathon viewings that did it for me.

Now it's easily in my top five shows of all time.

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

It's definitely an acquired taste, Sonny. I actually didn't like the show at first (I watched the premiere airing on Fox back in 2003). I started watching it on DVD right before the show was cancelled, and something clicked. Maybe it was the marathon viewings that did it for me.

Now it's easily in my top five shows of all time.
Yeah, to be honest I didn't really get into it until the second season. And now I love it.

[Nyan]

Yup. It's all "Oh look how ironic and cynical we are!!!" I hate that type of humor.