The title of this post might have been more accurate if it read 'too smart for American tv' although I am not convinced that Arrested development would have lasted any longer in the UK. This is a programme that demands your attention.
I had only seen one episode on BBC2 last year and it hadn't really clicked for me. I just didn't get it. It was too weird, too out of context. I didn't get the jokes. It wasn't very funny. I was wrong.
I met up with a couple of old mates at christmas and they told me to check out Arrested development. They told me that the show only works in context and that the best way to approach it was on DVD. These guys are people I trust. They have good taste (apart from the death metal) so I took a leap of faith. I bought the DVD of series 1 in the HMV sale (only £17.99).
I'm glad I did. The first episode introduces the freaky cast and sets the show up. The series features the Bluth family, a collection of spoilt rich eccentrics who suddenly have their financial security pulled from under them. It is shot with a single camera making it look a bit like a reality TV series.
The main character is Michael, the normal one, who becomes head of the family business after his dad (played by Jeffrey Tambor of Larry Saunders fame) is jailed for dodgy deals. There is the incest-bent son, the failed magician brother, the rich kid activist, the mummy's boy, the 'never nude' psychiatrist and the domineering mother. All very weird. All memorable.
What makes the show interesting is the interaction between these characters. They struggle with each other for money and power. They lie and manipulate. They are greedy and stupid and loveable. They are surreal yet real. Well drawn characters.
I've not seen series two yet. I can't wait.
Check it out
Funk
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