I’m happy to tell fans of “Arrested Development” yearning to scratch their seven-year itch for the iconic sitcom that they won’t be disappointed in this much-ballyhooed reboot on Netflix.
If the first of 15 all-new “Arrested” episodes is any indication, the show — last seen on Fox in 2006 — has picked up right where it left off, with wacky characters, clever writing (rife with in-jokes and puns) and surreal humor. While the sitcom never caught on the first time around — it was canned after three little-watched seasons — its return was made possible by a loyal fan base, a new generation of admirers and the growing power of streaming TV services like Netflix, which were non-existent in 2006.
Series creator Mitchell Hurwitz not only corralled all the original stars — no mean feat, given actors’ helter-skelter work schedules — but will give each major “AD” character his/her own storyline.
The opener, “Michael’s Arrested Development,” centers around harried dad Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman). Through a series of flashbacks, viewers are caught up on Michael’s latest predicament, which finds him heavily in debt, living with “nice” son George Michael (Michael Cera) in his UC/Irvine college dorm room and interacting with several — but not all — characters from the show, including his brothers GOB and Buster (Will Arnett, Tony Hale), clueless family lawyer Barry Zuckercorn (Henry Winkler), parents Lucille (Jessica Walter) and George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) and “Lucille 2” (Liza Minnelli).
I won’t ruin anyone’s fun by going into detail about the intricacies of Michael’s episode, suitably surreal for the out-there world of “Arrested Development,” but the show’s writing, pacing, flashback scenes and unexpected surprises fit like a comfortable shoe — as does its familiar banjo-heavy opening theme and its graphics, virtually unchanged from the original series).
There are plenty of in-jokes (a line about “the future abruptly cancelled,” Michael’s calendar stuck on 2003, when “AD” first aired) and likely several more that I missed (even though I watched the episode twice). It remains to be seen how Hurwitz will tie together all the major characters’ storylines, but does it really matter?
I’m guessing anyone who’s pined for more “Arrested Development” over the past seven years will be thrilled with what they’re given in these 15 episodes.
It’s like welcoming back an old friend after a long absence and falling right back into that familiar give-and-take, as if no time has passed.
And that’s certainly a positive “Development” for fans of good, fun TV.