'Arrested Development' Team Can't Worry About Ratings - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

VisualSensation · 03-13-2004, 03:41 PM

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The first joke about the poor-to-middling ratings for "Arrested Development" comes just seconds into Thursday night's (March 11) session at the William S. Paley Festival. Introducing episodes for the overflowing crowd, the show's creator Mitchell Hurwitz notes that the second episode is going to air this coming Wednesday (March 17) following an "American Idol" result show.
"We expect to get mediocre to insignificant ratings," Hurwitz jokes, as if that constitutes an improvement (which it would).

While the Nielsen numbers suggest that "Arrested Development" is one of the lowest rated comedies on the Big Four networks, you'd never know it from the passionate and devoted crowd at the Paley panel.

The dedication and insularity of the show's fan base is such that several members of the crowd greet Hurwitz's jokes about miniscule ratings with bafflement, as if the sold-out Hollywood venue were representative of a breakout mainstream following. Others plead with Hurwitz for news about the show's cloudy long-term prognosis.
"I think FOX considers us a first-year show that needs to find its audience," Hurwitz says hopefully.

Hurwitz claims that he has basically stopped calling in for the show's Nielsen numbers and has instead started to troll the Internet looking for evidence that the week's jokes were appreciated by individual viewers. Still, members of the cast admit that they'd love to reach an even larger following.

"My dream has always been to be on a show that holds 'Malcolm's' numbers," deadpans David Cross, who plays doctor-turned-actor Tobias, regarding the show's "Malcolm in the Middle" lead-in.

Even as their little comedy is gasping for life, the cast of "Arrested Development" remains optimistic and, most importantly, pleased with the work they're doing. This is the rare Paley session in which the stars on the stage instigated two rounds of applause for the writers sitting in the audience.

"When I was working with David Kelley on 'Ally,' I think I saw him maybe two times," says Portia de Rossi. "We would get the scripts and we'd say the words."

Instead of that scenario, the "Development" cast speaks of constant interaction between actors and writers in a creative process that leads to dialogue that sounds improvised but is, in reality, "rock solid" by the time the show is put to digital video.

The result is one of television's quirkiest shows, a critical favorite and a recent Golden Globe nominee for outstanding comedy series.

The show's freewheeling production style has also provided fertile material for potential guest stars. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Lipton make their first appearances in upcoming episodes, playing a blind lawyer and a prison warden. The show has also forever changed the way viewers look at Carl Weathers and Liza Minnelli.

"She was very gung-ho," Hurwitz says of the "Cabaret" Oscar winner. "She's such a pro. We'd seen her work before, but nonetheless everyone was so surprised by how good she was."

"She was a really kind, gracious person and a great kisser," adds Tony Hale, whose Buster served as a love interest for Minnelli's character.

Rabid fans may already be drafting their letters to FOX in dread and anticipation of a possible cancellation after this season (www.savearresteddevelopment.com is still available, guys), but the producers swear the show has advocates at FOX.

"They're shockingly supportive," Hurwitz promises.

IheartMoonlighting · 03-13-2004, 08:24 PM

Our only saving grace will be the Emmys. The show needs to follow the same fate as The Practice.

Rhiannon · 03-14-2004, 12:51 AM

I think the show will be around for a while. I don't think it has anything to worry about.

Rhiannon · 03-14-2004, 12:52 AM

Hey, will you guys vote for me for "president" of the current events board? The link is in my signature and voting ends Tuesday. If you do I will appreciate it greatly!

TJL · 03-14-2004, 05:53 AM

I'm glad the people behind "Arrested Development" have such a positive attitude.

I just hope they remember they work for FOX, the network that has cancelled so many other great shows, despite the critics raves.

"Andy Richter," "Family Guy," "Futurama," "Undeclared" anyone?

vashti1999 · 03-18-2004, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TJL
I'm glad the people behind "Arrested Development" have such a positive attitude.

I just hope they remember they work for FOX, the network that has cancelled so many other great shows, despite the critics raves.

"Andy Richter," "Family Guy," "Futurama," "Undeclared" anyone?

You have to at least give Fox points for even putting those shows on the air. Along with Bernie Mac, Malcolm and the Simpsons, Arrested Development fits better on Fox than the other broadcast networks. They've done well with smart, subtle comedy. Hopefully, AD will be given more of a chance to succeed.

Rhiannon · 03-18-2004, 04:41 PM

I watched the episode on 3/17 and it wasn't funny whatsoever. Buster wasn't even in it.

March.Madness · 03-18-2004, 05:15 PM

"Not funny whatsoever"? It WAS one of the weaker episodes of the series, and the stories for Gob and George Michael weren't that interesting but the episode was still pretty good.

The Bluths' lawyer looking for a date, the jury acting sympathetic towards the blind lawyer, and the "Caged Wisdom" blooper reel were great. The "On the Next Arrested Development" gag left me in tears.

Central Perk · 03-19-2004, 07:00 PM

I loved the episode that aired 3/17. Sunday's episode is sure to be even beter, imo.

IheartMoonlighting · 03-20-2004, 04:32 AM

The Post- American Idol timeslot did not help out the show. Fox needs to accept the fact that America has spoken and they do not like the show. Fox nees to ignore the horrible ratings and give the show another season. Cheers, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond were all Freshman rating losers.

TJL · 03-20-2004, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by IheartMoonlighting
The Post- American Idol timeslot did not help out the show. Fox needs to accept the fact that America has spoken and they do not like the show. Fox nees to ignore the horrible ratings and give the show another season. Cheers, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond were all Freshman rating losers.

I'm sorry, but IMO all the FOX "reality shows" are for crap, and I chose not to watch them.

FOX has produced some great sitcoms and I do not think they should abandon these shows because they don't produce the same ratings as "American Idol."

I would rather watch a well written and funny show like "Arrested Development" over "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance" any day.

C'mon FOX, you have let too many good shows fall by the wayside while inundating us with reality show bull****!

IheartMoonlighting · 03-20-2004, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TJL
I'm sorry, but IMO all the FOX "reality shows" are for crap, and I chose not to watch them.

FOX has produced some great sitcoms and I do not think they should abandon these shows because they don't produce the same ratings as "American Idol."

I would rather watch a well written and funny show like "Arrested Development" over "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance" any day.

C'mon FOX, you have let too many good shows fall by the wayside while inundating us with reality show bull****!

Reality TV is killing regular shows. The problem is that I don't think any of the networks care. Ratings are the name of the game and if shows don't have it, then they get dropped. I just hope Fox knows how good AD is and ignores the bad ratings. It deserves a second season. Fox needs to stop with the reality shows and figure out how to program their shows. For some reason, they have two repeats of That 70's show on Monday. Couldn't they use that hr timeslot for Wonderfalls?

bschmale1113 · 04-05-2004, 11:02 AM

I Think show will be on next season even with bad rating beacuse it a the media darling beacuse 90% of tv shows have ratings like Arrested Development they will not be on anymore I say in a few years it will become liked Seinfeld

03-13-2004, 03:41 PM	#1
VisualSensation Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 09, 2004 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 303	'Arrested Development' Team Can't Worry About Ratings LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The first joke about the poor-to-middling ratings for "Arrested Development" comes just seconds into Thursday night's (March 11) session at the William S. Paley Festival. Introducing episodes for the overflowing crowd, the show's creator Mitchell Hurwitz notes that the second episode is going to air this coming Wednesday (March 17) following an "American Idol" result show. "We expect to get mediocre to insignificant ratings," Hurwitz jokes, as if that constitutes an improvement (which it would). While the Nielsen numbers suggest that "Arrested Development" is one of the lowest rated comedies on the Big Four networks, you'd never know it from the passionate and devoted crowd at the Paley panel. The dedication and insularity of the show's fan base is such that several members of the crowd greet Hurwitz's jokes about miniscule ratings with bafflement, as if the sold-out Hollywood venue were representative of a breakout mainstream following. Others plead with Hurwitz for news about the show's cloudy long-term prognosis. "I think FOX considers us a first-year show that needs to find its audience," Hurwitz says hopefully. Hurwitz claims that he has basically stopped calling in for the show's Nielsen numbers and has instead started to troll the Internet looking for evidence that the week's jokes were appreciated by individual viewers. Still, members of the cast admit that they'd love to reach an even larger following. "My dream has always been to be on a show that holds 'Malcolm's' numbers," deadpans David Cross, who plays doctor-turned-actor Tobias, regarding the show's "Malcolm in the Middle" lead-in. Even as their little comedy is gasping for life, the cast of "Arrested Development" remains optimistic and, most importantly, pleased with the work they're doing. This is the rare Paley session in which the stars on the stage instigated two rounds of applause for the writers sitting in the audience. "When I was working with David Kelley on 'Ally,' I think I saw him maybe two times," says Portia de Rossi. "We would get the scripts and we'd say the words." Instead of that scenario, the "Development" cast speaks of constant interaction between actors and writers in a creative process that leads to dialogue that sounds improvised but is, in reality, "rock solid" by the time the show is put to digital video. The result is one of television's quirkiest shows, a critical favorite and a recent Golden Globe nominee for outstanding comedy series. The show's freewheeling production style has also provided fertile material for potential guest stars. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Lipton make their first appearances in upcoming episodes, playing a blind lawyer and a prison warden. The show has also forever changed the way viewers look at Carl Weathers and Liza Minnelli. "She was very gung-ho," Hurwitz says of the "Cabaret" Oscar winner. "She's such a pro. We'd seen her work before, but nonetheless everyone was so surprised by how good she was." "She was a really kind, gracious person and a great kisser," adds Tony Hale, whose Buster served as a love interest for Minnelli's character. Rabid fans may already be drafting their letters to FOX in dread and anticipation of a possible cancellation after this season (www.savearresteddevelopment.com is still available, guys), but the producers swear the show has advocates at FOX. "They're shockingly supportive," Hurwitz promises.

03-13-2004, 08:24 PM	#2
IheartMoonlighting David & Maddie Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 01, 2002 Location: Blue Moon Detective Agency Posts: 318	Our only saving grace will be the Emmys. The show needs to follow the same fate as The Practice.
	__________________ http://www.moonlightingdvd.com

03-14-2004, 12:51 AM	#3
Rhiannon oh, snap! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Jul 19, 2002 Location: middle of nowhere Posts: 11,097	I think the show will be around for a while. I don't think it has anything to worry about.
	__________________ Nothing better the feeling is so fine Simply put I saw your love stream flow

03-14-2004, 05:53 AM	#5
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,591	I'm glad the people behind "Arrested Development" have such a positive attitude. I just hope they remember they work for FOX, the network that has cancelled so many other great shows, despite the critics raves. "Andy Richter," "Family Guy," "Futurama," "Undeclared" anyone?
	__________________ "I think I'll stroll up to the front to see how the shooting's going..." - Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce Read my blogs! http://centralparkamisguide.com/ http://dvdcriticscorner.com Visit me on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=641138880 Hey, I do the tweet thing too! http://twitter.com/TomLevier My shop of handmade items! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColdGarageCreations

03-18-2004, 05:15 PM	#8
March.Madness Yeah... Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 06, 2004 Posts: 32	"Not funny whatsoever"? It WAS one of the weaker episodes of the series, and the stories for Gob and George Michael weren't that interesting but the episode was still pretty good. The Bluths' lawyer looking for a date, the jury acting sympathetic towards the blind lawyer, and the "Caged Wisdom" blooper reel were great. The "On the Next Arrested Development" gag left me in tears.
	Last edited by March.Madness; 03-18-2004 at 05:47 PM.

03-14-2004, 12:52 AM	#4
Rhiannon oh, snap! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Jul 19, 2002 Location: middle of nowhere Posts: 11,097	Hey, will you guys vote for me for "president" of the current events board? The link is in my signature and voting ends Tuesday. If you do I will appreciate it greatly!

03-18-2004, 04:41 PM	#7
Rhiannon oh, snap! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Jul 19, 2002 Location: middle of nowhere Posts: 11,097	I watched the episode on 3/17 and it wasn't funny whatsoever. Buster wasn't even in it.

03-19-2004, 07:00 PM	#9
Central Perk ~~~~~ Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 10, 2002 Posts: 4,553	I loved the episode that aired 3/17. Sunday's episode is sure to be even beter, imo.

03-20-2004, 04:32 AM	#10
IheartMoonlighting David & Maddie Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 01, 2002 Location: Blue Moon Detective Agency Posts: 318	The Post- American Idol timeslot did not help out the show. Fox needs to accept the fact that America has spoken and they do not like the show. Fox nees to ignore the horrible ratings and give the show another season. Cheers, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond were all Freshman rating losers.

04-05-2004, 11:02 AM	#13
bschmale1113 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 05, 2004 Location: Stirling NJ Posts: 440	I Think show will be on next season even with bad rating beacuse it a the media darling beacuse 90% of tv shows have ratings like Arrested Development they will not be on anymore I say in a few years it will become liked Seinfeld