DVD Reviews

Arrested Development: Season One

I’m always weary of the Emmy Awards. For the last few years they have given their best comedy award to sitcoms that should have received it much earlier. So, I was surprised this year to hear that the best comedy award went to the first year sitcom Arrested Development. I had heard good things about it, but like far too many people I hadn’t watched it while it was on television. Having now seen all of season one on DVD I can say for a fact that I don’t think I will miss any episodes of season two. For once the Emmys got it right and Arrested Development is hands down the funniest new show in ages.

The story follows Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), the middle son of the wealthy Bluth family. His father George Bluth (Jeffrey Tambor) has made a few shoddy business deals and winds up in prison, leaving his family in financial chaos. Determined to be the family savior Michael takes charge of the business as well as his greedy and bizarre relatives. Every character in this show is carefully written and perfectly performed. I haven’t seen an ensemble filled with this many funny actors and actresses in a very long time. Will Arnett and David Cross really stood out for me; however, and I found their storylines to be consistently hilarious. Arnett infuses Gob, the oldest brother who is a professional magician, with a flair for the melodramatic. He makes every statement sound incredibly important, yet always allows Gob to be a believable and sometimes sympathetic character. As for Cross he hasn’t been this funny since his days on Mr. Show. Here his naive character Tobias Funke, Michael’s brother-in-law, tries his best to do the right thing despite the fact that he has no social skills whatsoever. With razor sharp plotting, Arrested Development is a breath of fresh air. With so many stale and unfunny sitcoms wasting television airtime right now it’s relieving to find a show that is extraordinarily inventive and witty.

The new boxset is a fantastic purchase for any fan. The video looks really good. The show is shot on HD cameras so it has the feel of a reality television show, but the image itself is particularly sharp. The audio is sharp allowing for a nice balance between the dialogue and the music.

The most impressive aspect of the set is the special features. Throughout the disks there are multiple deleted scenes that are just as funny as scenes in the show. I was amazed at how many brilliant moments were left on the cutting room floor. There are three audio commentaries on selected episodes with the cast and crew as well as quite a few making-of documentaries and interviews. A fun bonus are the 28 songs composed by David Schwartz for the show. Arrested Development has a distinct musical sound, so it is fun to have all the songs included on the DVD.


Review By Corey Brown