American television sitcom
Arrested Development is an American satirical television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz . It follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family and is presented in a serialized format , incorporating handheld camera work, voice-over narration, archival photos and historical footage, and maintains numerous running gags and catchphrases . Ron Howard served as both an executive producer and the omniscient narrator and, in later seasons, appears in the show as a fictionalized version of himself. Set in Newport Beach, California , the series was filmed primarily in Culver City and Marina del Rey .[ 5]
Arrested Development received critical acclaim. It won six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award , and attracted a cult following .[ 6] It has been widely regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time.[ 7] [ 8] [ 9] [ 10] [ 11] It influenced later single-camera comedy series such as 30 Rock and Community .[ 12]
Despite the positive critical response, Arrested Development received low ratings on Fox , which canceled the series in 2006. In 2011, Netflix licensed new episodes and distributed them on its streaming service .[ 13] These episodes were released in May 2013.[ 14] Netflix commissioned a fifth season of Arrested Development , the first half of which premiered in May 2018, and the second half in March 2019.[ 15] [ 16] [ 17] The show was due to be removed from Netflix in March 2023 but will remain on the service after a deal was reached over the streaming rights.[ 18]
^ Leston, Ryan (July 17, 2022). "The Black Comedy That Inspired The Russo Brothers' Arrested Development Run" . /Film . Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023 .
^ Leston, Ryan (July 17, 2022). "The Black Comedy That Inspired The Russo Brothers' Arrested Development Run" . /Film . Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024 .
^ Madison, David. "Comedy Vérité: Arrested Development and the Docusoap Form" . University of Pittsburgh . Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Moore, Harry (January 3, 2023). "The 10 Best Cringe Comedy Series" . Collider . Retrieved May 20, 2025 .
^ Coker, Matt (May 15, 2013). "Sign the Petition to Bring Bluth's Original Frozen Banana Stand "Home:" Update" . OC Weekly . Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014 .
^ Mahan, Colin (March 26, 2007). "Three times the Arrested Development" . TV.com . Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2007 .
^ Sepinwall, Alan (September 26, 2022). "The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" . Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022 .
^ Poniewozik, James (September 6, 2007). "All-Time 100 TV Shows" . Time . Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2020 .
^ "The New Classics: TV" . Entertainment Weekly . June 18, 2007. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2012 .
^ "IGN's Top 100 TV Shows of All Time" . IGN. August 24, 2011. Archived from the original on January 22, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2012 .
^ "101 Best Written TV Series" . Writers Guild of America West . June 2, 2013. Archived from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2023 .
^ Donaghy, James (October 4, 2011). "Arrested Development: the defining sitcom of our times" . The Guardian . Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2015 .
^ Hibberd, James (November 18, 2011). " 'Arrested Development' officially back! Revived series coming to Netflix" . Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2012 .
^ Itzkoff, Dave (April 4, 2013). "New 'Arrested Development' Season Coming to Netflix on May 26" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013 .
^ Birnbaum, Debra (May 4, 2018). "Jeffrey Tambor to Appear in Arrested Development Season 5" . Variety . Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2018 .
^ Ausiello, Michael (May 17, 2017). "Arrested Development Officially Renewed for Season 5 at Netflix" . TVLine . Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2017 .
^ Frank, Allegra (May 7, 2018). "Netflix's first Arrested Development season 5 trailer is all callbacks" . Polygon . Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2018 .
^ Adalian, Josef (March 24, 2023). "Arrested Development Is Staying on Netflix After All" . Vulture . Vox Media . Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2025 .