I know. I'm way late to the party. In my defense, I did try to watch this show earlier. It was probably five years ago now when there was a month where I was so ill that all I did was sleep and try to watch television. I say "try," because it felt to me the way it does when I have a cold. All of a sudden coffee just sounds like a terrible idea. It just doesn't taste good to me until I am better.
So I tried to watch "Arrested Development" and I didn't like it. It didn't seem funny. I didn't feel attached to any of the characters. I gave up on it and decided it was just something that didn't suit me.
So about a month ago, on a whim, I decided to try the show again. It is available through Netflix streaming. It is highly recommended by Keith Olbermann and Tim Goodman. This time I was immediately hooked.
I think what makes the show for me is the balance between the practical and the irrational. Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) and George Michael (Michael Cera) are the father and son team that generally represent the people more firmly grounded than anyone else in their family. Their collective weakness is their fundamental belief in loyalty to the family, despite all that has happened. They provide the anchor to the craziness of the characters around them who become endearing through their absurdity. You have Henry Winkler, whose name always seems to demand at least a thought of the Fonz, playing a compromised attorney, David Cross who at this point aspires to be a member of the Blue Man Group (I have just started Season 2), Portia de Rossi who I now wish worked more often as she really is quite good, Will Arnett whose attempts to be a magician seem to automatically make me laugh, and Jessica Walters who revels in being a nightmare of a mother. It's one of those shows where I will watch one and then want to watch at least another. It's a treat in life.
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