# Arrested Development (2003)

> A disgraced wealthy Orange County family is held together by its one sane son, who keeps trying to save them from their own schemes.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/4367

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 84
- Episode runtime: 22 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Mitchell Hurwitz
- Network: FOX, Netflix
- Cast: Jason Bateman, Portia De Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor
- TMDB rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367279/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: none
- Tone: sardonic, deadpan, cringe comedy, irreverent, witty

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaim the series as a sharp, densely joked dark comedy, with its early seasons regarded as the peak.

## Synopsis

Arrested Development (2003-2019) is an American cult sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz for FOX and later Netflix. Jason Bateman plays Michael Bluth, the only relatively sane member of a wealthy Orange County family that has lost its fortune, and he tries to hold the chaos together while his scheming relatives pursue money and status. Will Arnett plays the vain Gob, Portia De Rossi plays the image-obsessed Lindsay, and Jessica Walter plays the domineering matriarch Lucille. The engine of the show is Michael's constant attempts to fix the family's disasters, which always spiral through business deals, legal trouble, and petty rivalries. Episodes are built around dense, deadpan callbacks and a narrator who comments on the action, so jokes planted early return seasons later. The show spans five seasons with a serialized, interlocking structure and a sharp, self-aware mockumentary style. Its tone is sardonic, cringe-prone, and absurdly witty. Fans of The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Succession will find resonance in its satire of wealth and family dysfunction.

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- [Flaked (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/57713)
- [That '70s Show (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/46)
- [Home Economics (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/95341)
- [The Good Place (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58661)
- [Californication (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/1140)
- [Malcolm in the Middle (2000)](https://ember.film/tv/1895)
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- [Bob's Burgers (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/30121)

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