A Statement About Arrested Development

OK, yeah... So that didn't work very well. We might have to put the critic internship on hold, well... for a bit.

Onward.

So Arrested Development. I know have listed the top Arrested Development moments in the past, but I don't think I have ever extolled the virtues of this late, great television show. At least, not in writing in this forum.

Let me start by saying that it might be the best comedy ever put on television.

I know, I know, controversial. Let me also say that I recognize MASH and Seinfeld as accomplishments in forwarding the medium, I recognize that they were mainstream darlings who extended and bettered the national discourse on just about everything.

It can be argued, though, that Arrested Development's power as a show was never hindered by self-importance and significance; the show went off the air with nary a whimper in the winter of 2006 and almost no one noticed. Until the rabid fans began converting the Ignorant into the Faithful, at which point Arrested Development turned into everyone's favorite cult show, and the standard by which acquaintances are judged against friends (Sample: you're at a party, and you say to someone "And that's why you don't use a one armed person to scare people." A blank stare indicates that this person should remain a mere acquaintance. The people who start jumping up and down and blathering about J. Walter Weatherman should be considered friends for life.) Those who know the difference between light and heavy treason receive permanent invitations to all family events.

Viewers were rewarded for their faithfulness with ongoing inside jokes, continuing themes, and genius casting stunts (see: Justine Bateman as real-life brother Justin's potential love interest. The ep is entitled "Family Ties." Seriously). The layers of comedy are so brilliant it's scary, and so subtle that one viewing is not sufficient to get all of the sight-gags, double-entendres, and innuendos.

Rumors have abounded in the past year that an Arrested Development movie is imminent; that everyone but Michael Cera has signed on, and that the writing has begun. Some might be scared at the prospect of their favorite TV show being turned into a film. Questions of faithfulness to the show itself, the quality of the film, the expression of the characters are perfectly reasonable, but not when it comes to AD. The actors are so dedicated, the writers so particular, that most of them said they were glad when it ended, that they would rather have gone out in the blaze of glory than run the show into the ground.

What does that mean for the movie? With everyone signing up, it can only mean it's going to be the best thing ever.

Seriously.