Arrested Development Season 3 Discussion Thread

[davepeck]

just saw this article over on AD\'s MySpace page:

\'Arrested Development\' cast kept guessing

By BILL BRIOUX - Toronto Sun

The funniest show on TV is about to be cancelled. No, not Martha Stewart\'s Apprentice. I\'m talking intentionally funny. I\'m talking Arrested Development.

For two-and-a-half seasons, the hilarious, Emmy-winning, Monday night original has struggled to find an audience. Fox has already yanked the series off its November sweeps schedule and declared that no more episodes past the 13 already in production will be ordered this season.

It looks bad for the Bluths. Star Jason Bateman (level-headed Michael Bluth) had to have emergency throat surgery, causing a two-week production shut down. The cast reassembled yesterday in L.A. for episode nine of this, the third season. There could be just five more to go.

The next episode -- the last to feature guest star Oscar-winner Charlize Theron -- will air Dec. 5 on Fox and Global.

You\'d think Brampton, Ont.-native Michael Cera --who plays Michael\'s innocent and overwhelmed son George Michael -- would be in full panic mode. When you\'re 17, the threat of losing a big U.S. gig has gotta hurt. But Cera was taking it all in stride when I spoke with him on the phone this week.

"It\'s nothing we haven\'t heard before," says Cera. "People have already been calling to comfort me that its been cancelled."


There is no official word. Cera says even creator/executive producer Mitch Hurwitz, whom he spoke with this week, doesn\'t know the ultimate fate of the series yet. "We\'re always guessing," says Cera.

He expects the 13th episode to wrap up the season, if not the series. Crazy storylines, like Tobias\' (David Cross) out of control hair implants ("it gets really insane -- the darkest thing we\'ve ever done," says Cera) will come to some sort of hairy conclusion. Then there\'s Uncle Oscar (Jeffrey Tambor), still in jail while George Sr. (also Tambor) eludes the cops.

Cera, who was home in Brampton last week where he even snuck in a little golf, has other things on his plate. This weekend is the premiere of Wayside (Saturday at 9 a.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Teletoon), an hour-long animated special based on the comically absurd children\'s books.

Cera, who has done voice-over work before on series such as Braceface and Berenstain Bears, is the voice of Todd, one of the students in the quirky grammar school that was build on its side -- 30 storeys high instead of a regular long and flat school. Kathy Najimy also lends voice on the series.

Cartoon work is cool, says refreshingly frank and modest Cera. "Anyone can do it. You can feel awful. It\'s incredible. You\'re in and out in 15 minutes."

He\'s already got his next \'toon gig lined up: Cera will give voice to Howard Stern in an upcoming Spike TV animated series about the King Of All Media\'s teenage years.

Cera hasn\'t met the radio shock jock yet but he\'s listened to him -- for a few minutes. His mom, who is a Stern fan, is also a stern mom, switching off the King Of All Media when he got a little too vulgar for Cera\'s tender ears. "My mom\'s a big fan, though," says Cera. "She says he\'s hilarious."

He says Theron was "incredible, very sweet," treating the cast and crew by hiring a big coffee truck to back up to the set. "Nobody\'s ever done that before."

He\'s heard the rumours that FOX might hand off Arrested Development to their U.S. cable sister station FX. He doubts HBO, which likes to develop their own shows, will rescue the series.

If the series is kaput, Cera doubts that he will jump right into another sitcom. He\'s already figured out the terrible truth about television: "To last," he says, "it seems like you have to be lacking in heart."

i was previously under the impression that all 13 episodes had been shot already. if they indeed haven\'t been filmed yet, that leads me to believe that at least (if it really is cancelled) we\'ll get some closure to the series, rather than an abrupt ending halfway through season 3..

[RadicalRich1138]

it\'s not cancelled, just cut back, same thing happened last year cept at 18 instead of 18... we just need to keep praying

there hasn\'t been a show this good on tv since MTV\'s The State

[davepeck]

Arrested Development (Mostly Likely) Will Return

But not to FOX (unless they wise up).

They had Brian Grazer (Glazer?) on the radio this morning. He said that they\'ve been shopping the show around and there is PLENTY of interest from networks and that it WILL be coming back. Didn\'t say when or who, but gave enough hints that suggest ABC.

[leith]

That is great news.

[davepeck]

interview with Alia Shawkat: http://www.brianmpalmer.com/aliashawkat.htm

Here is a little snippit:

Do you hold FOX accountable for what\'s going on?

I do, definitely. In my opinion FOX is known for being a network that just advertises, and that\'s pretty much how they get their viewers. Like with "The OC" and shows like that, there\'s billboards every 5 feet you go in LA. And with our show, the actual excuse for not publicizing us was, "We don\'t think it\'s going to help that kind of show." I don\'t see how getting the name out there is going to hurt our show with the ratings. A lot of people don\'t know about it, and if they do, they only see 1 episode, so they get confused. FOX needs to be showing marathons and re-runs so that people who haven\'t seen it can watch the whole first season and the second season. But they refuse. They think that we just have to do it on our own, and supposedly get 20 million people in one viewing, and no one\'s even heard of the show. So I don\'t really think that FOX is the best network for the show

[SlimPickens]

if this show is so good, why is fox always fucking with it?

[davepeck]

because FOX has to make room for terrific shows like Dark Angel, Titus, Undeclared, Action, That 80’s Show, Wonderfalls, Fastlane, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Skin, Girl’s Club, Cracking Up, The Pitts, Firefly, Get Real, Freakylinks, Wanda at Large, Costello, The Lone Gunmen, A Minute with Stan Hooper, Normal Ohio, Pasadena, Harsh Realm, Keen Eddie, The Street, American Embassy, Cedric the Entertainer, The Tick, Louie, and Greg the Bunny.

[Spacey]

LOL

Fox really has put some shit on over the last few years.

[SlimPickens]

because FOX has to make room for terrific shows like Dark Angel, Titus, Undeclared, Action, That 80’s Show, Wonderfalls, Fastlane, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Skin, Girl’s Club, Cracking Up, The Pitts, Firefly, Get Real, Freakylinks, Wanda at Large, Costello, The Lone Gunmen, A Minute with Stan Hooper, Normal Ohio, Pasadena, Harsh Realm, Keen Eddie, The Street, American Embassy, Cedric the Entertainer, The Tick, Louie, and Greg the Bunny.

it\'s amazing how everyone both loves and hates fox simultanously, even Peter Griffin, and he collects a paycheck from them.

[davepeck]

Arrested Development -- The Ocean Walker -- 12/5/05
WILL MICHAEL TIE THE KNOT?
FIND OUT ON “ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT”
MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, ON FOX

Oscar-Winning Actress Charlize Theron, Dave Thomas
and Super Dave Osbourne (Bob Einstein) Guest-Star

[spoiler]After Michael announces he’s marrying Rita, George Sr. worries that she’s after their family’s money. But when Rita’s Uncle Trevor tries to stop the wedding by revealing some surprising information about Rita, Michael must decide if he wants to walk down the aisle on “The Ocean Walker” episode of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Monday, Dec. 5 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (ARR-306) (TV-14; D, L) CC-HDTV 720p-Dolby Digital 5.1[/spoiler]


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For the love of all that is good in this world, WATCH ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT MONDAY NIGHT AT 8PM EASTERN TIME ON FOX!

Please, please - save this good show. If you have a Nielsen box, watch this show. If you know anyone with a Nielsen box, tell them to watch this show. Buy the DVDs of Seasons 1 & 2 for Christmas, Amazon.com has an insane deal on them!

The future of television comedy depends on the survival of this show!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrested_Development

http://www.myspace.com/arresteddevelopment

PLEASE SAVE OUR BLUTHS!

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i\'ll just say this - i watched FOX for 6 hours yesterday, and had NO idea this was on tonight until i saw this on another forum this morning. i do, however, know that there was a Viewer\'s Choice Family Guy on last night, that someone has Jack Bauer\'s phone number, and that in January, i can watch real celebrities fall down on ice skates.

i\'m sorry, but there\'s something wrong with that.

i\'m really psyched that there\'s a new ep on tonight though...

[leith]

SEE? There is other reasons I come here than for Bfast. Man I too had NO IDEA this was on. As a matter of fact last nite I was getting bummed because AD was not on and I did not think I had AD to look 4ward to today.
FOX bites!!!!!!!

[davepeck]

that\'s what i\'m saying.. there\'s something wrong with a network pulling a show due to poor ratings when die hard fans of the show don\'t even know it\'s on! :mad:

i mean, look, i like prison break a lot. i really do.. but FOX pimped the shit out of that show this fall between ads and weekly lead-in encore episodes.. yet the first AD in a month can\'t get a single spot the day before it\'s on. wtf?!

oh, and the cancelled Kitchen Confidential also returns tonight - a show which FOX really gave NO chance whatsoever.. sucks too, cause i enjoyed the first few eps..

and if you look at FOX\'s winter schedule - AD has been replaced by Skating With Celebrities..  :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Come On!!!!!!!

[leith]

Yet ANOTHER funny episode.
G.M\'s aside about the law in California marrying your cousin. " WE had the signatures".LOL
The little poppins taking Michael out again!
Rita\'s plastic surgery
Man I hope this show finds a home.

[skalnbyc]

I tuned in accidentally because I wanted to watch something with dinner.  This quirky show is growing on me after only a few episodes.

[Spacey]

Cn\'t believe they are going to end this show.

How come FOX always puts _____ with Celebrities on? Who gives a rats-ass