And now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything and the one son who had to keep them all together, it’s Arrested Development. 

CRITIQUE

I am sorry to say that season three of Arrested Development is now also known as the final season of Arrested Development.  The show is constantly lauded by critics and has a loyal fan base, but never managed to get the kind of ratings that it needed to stay on the air.  I began watching the show during season 2 after catching the first season on DVD and once I started watching it I wondered how I ever missed it.

One reason for Arrested’s failure on television is because of its regularly scheduled slot, or lack thereof.  I can’t tell you today what time or what night for that matter that Arrested aired during its three season run.  I believe that much of Arrested’s audience had a difficult time figuring out when to catch their show (a fate that seems to be falling on NBC’s Scrubs as well).  Certainly the worst season scheduling wise had to have been Arrested Development’s third season.  Originally slated for a full season, the number of episodes was first cut in half, then the show aired intermittently and finally Fox gave it the kiss of death by airing the final four episodes during the opening of the Olympics.  Having watched all three seasons on DVD now, I can safely say that I feel that Arrested Development plays much better on the DVD format.  The wit and humor are fast paced and the commercials only served to break up the pace of the show.

With that being said, season three of Arrested Development is one of the best.  The creators and cast go all out, using self deprecating jokes to point out the looming demise of the show.  One episode in particular, “S.O.B.s” or Save Our Bluths, references the possibility of the series being picked up by HBO or Showtime and the necessity of guest stars to save the show. One of the hallmarks of Season three is its use of guest stars including Scott Baio as Bob Loblaw (just saying the name makes me giggle) who replaces Henry Winkler’s character as the Bluth’s lawyer; Charlize Theron shows up as Mr. F, and Jason Bateman’s sister Justine Bateman plays, well, Jason Bateman’s sister, in an episode entitled “Family Ties”.

It’s a shame that this show has been cancelled; it truly was an example of some of the most remarkable comedic writing I have ever seen, and included quite possibly the best ensemble cast of all time.  I guess in the end the only thing we can do is be thankful that we even got three seasons.

THE VIDEO

Arrested Development is presented in Widescreen 1.78:1.  The video quality is very good.

THE AUDIO

Arrested Development is presented in Dolby surround with English and Spanish subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

3 Audio Commentaries: The commentaries are excellent and include Series Creator Mitchell Hurwitz, Stars Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, David Cross, Tony Hale, Portia de Rossi, Alia Shawkat and Jessica Walter.  The cast revels in the last season of the show and brings their quirky humor to the table, proclaiming that they are in the middle of production of Season Four… If only it were true!

Deleted/Extended Scenes: Every little bit of extra Arrested Development is excellent, some of the scenes were cut for obvious reasons, but they all stand alone and are quite funny.

Hilarious Blooper Reel: Again, we’ll take any morsel of Arrested we can.

The Last Day On Location: An excellent yet bittersweet featurette for any fan. (8 minutes)

FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s a shame that Arrested Development has been cancelled.  Fox gave it a fair chance, though I’m not sure how fair is was when it never really got it’s own set schedule, but I’ll take three seasons of Arrested Development over just about anything else out there.  I recommend buying this DVD set and while you are at it, pick up the other two seasons of Arrested Development as well, you won’t regret it.