There are times that I wish that I watched more TV. Of course, it’s bad enough that I watch as many DVDs as I do since exercise and I have parted ways. (Thankfully I have other work that is physical enough to work off most of the food I consume, keeping me from becoming a bloated Jabba the Hut lookalike…). If I did have the time to watch more TV, perhaps I could help in some small way to keep the really good shows on the air that deserve to stay, while doing everything possible to end the wave of those nausea inducing ‘reality shows.’ Perhaps I could have helped a little to keep “Greg the Bunny” alive, or made it a little less scary for the producers of “Arrested Development” when the time came for a 2nd or 3rd season renewal. “Arrested Development” was one of those shows that was named one of TV Guide’s “Shows you should be watching.” This is generally the death knell for any series, as it means that the show just isn’t getting the ratings that it might deserve.

These articles often paint a picture of quality programming, which nobody really seems to want to watch anymore. But this time, something strange happened. Not only did the series escape cancellation for the entirety of its freshman season, but despite low ratings somehow managed to be renewed for another. Being guilty of not having watched the show myself, I wondered what this meant. Either the series was really as good as TV Guide said and the network recognized this in time to save it (the more unlikely of scenarios), or the show was terrible and the network recognized this in time to save it (which seems more reasonable by Fox’s standards).

So it wasn’t until I happened upon a copy of the entire first season on DVD that I decided to find out for myself. What I knew about the show could be summed up as follows: it was produced by Ron Howard (good) and starred Jason Bateman (bad) and Jeffrey Tambor (good). It had guest stars like Liza Minneli (really bad) and the premise followed the misadventures of a wealthy family caught up in the mix of some real estate developments gone bad (could go either way).

After watching just the first episode, I had a feeling that not only was I in for something really funny, but there was a real chance that hell was freezing over since my first (and most unlikely scenario) from above seemed to be the case about the show. “Arrested Development” is not only funny, but it is (excuse my French) DAMN funny. It is quite unlike any series I’ve seen in recent times, both in its writing and its production. All of the things I mentioned about the show that I said were good were as I expected. All of the things I said were bad, were not only excellent, they were inspired. As likable as Jason Bateman is, he never really made an impact with me as an actor. However, this is one of the best things he has ever done and any past transgressions are completely forgiven. Seeing him successfully go head to head with the extremely talented Jeffrey Tambor (as his father), is part of what makes this such a great show.

Of course, I also mentioned Liza Minnelli, who had at one time in her life shown a bit of talent (see “Cabaret”) had pretty much gone downhill later in life. She is not a regular on the series, but she should be. Her performance on this series is easily a highlight on her resume, and she was absolutely hysterical for every bit of her appearance.

The sad side of the coin is that “Arrested Development” seemed to be constantly on the bubble of cancellation. It almost didn’t make it to a second season, and a short time after it did, the network cut the schedule from 22 episodes to 18. Then, who knew if it would be back for a third season? I can’t imagine the pressure on a cast and crew to constantly wonder about the fate of their work. Fortunately, the series made it to a third season… only to lose out in the end to suits with poor judgment. The third season came to an end after just 13 episodes.

As good as the first two seasons were, “Arrested Development” proved it had the wherewithal to get even better in the third season. Perhaps the pressure was good on the writers, because they knew if there was any chance at all to keep the show going they’d have to keep the quality up. Some of the plots that run through the third season are so far-fetched that you just wouldn’t believe them, but I but few came close to surpassing the second season's storyline about Michael’s sister Lindsey’s (Portia De Rossi) troubled marriage to Tobias (David Cross). It caused them to endure a trial separation, and In order to keep busy, Tobias becames an on-call understudy for ‘The Blue Man Group.’ These are the guys who perform an odd assortment of music onstage while covered in blue paint. So since he was on call… he had to be ready… in costume… at a moment’s notice. I think you get the picture.

The third season introduced a new love interest for Michael in the form of Charlize Theron, who took a little time off from her movie career to join the cast as a British girl whose ditzy and dim-witted blonde act turns out not to be an act. Scott Baio also joins up as the Bluth family's new lawyer, Bob Loblaw. The funniest bit of casting though is that of Judge Reinhold, who stars as himself. Reinhold, it seems, has a new courtroom TV series where takes to the bench as Judge…. Reinhold. Finally, Justine Batemen (Jason's real life sister) shows up as a possible long lost sister to the Bluth family.

As for the aforementioned Tobias, this season find him starting a new career as a combination analyst and therapist… and calls himself an analrapist… Once again… you get the picture.

The new DVD from Fox features the final 13 episodes, as well as a plethora (I love using big words!!) of extra features. There are very funny commentaries on the episodes "Forget Me Now", "Mr. F", and "Develp\opement Arrested" by creator Michael Hurwitz and most of the actors from the series. They offer a lot of great little anecdotes, making the end of the series all the more poignant. Plus both of the discs houses a collection of deleted scenes. You’ll also find a hysterically funny Blooper Reel on the 2nd disc as well as a 10 minute long look at the last day of shooting.

For a series that almost didn’t make it to a full first season and barely made it through a third, Fox really went out of their way to make sure that this DVD release was worthwhile. I have become an unabashed fan of “Arrested Development” and so should you!!

Episodes:
The Cabin Show
For British Eyes Only
Forget Me Now
Notapusy
Mr. F
The Ocean Walker
Prison Break-In
Making a Stand
S.O.B.s
Fakin' It
Family Ties
Exit Strategy
Harboring Resentment

Starring: Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Portia De Rossi, Will Arnett, Jessica Walter
Extras: Audio Commentaries on Selected Episodes, Deleted / Extended Scenes, Blooper Reel, The Last Day on Location
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), English Dolby Surround
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 8/29/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Arrested Development: Season 3 an A.