Arrested Development Season 3 Discussion Thread

[davepeck]

yep, another great one..

invisible locks..

look at banner, michael!

poofter :lol:

the mere fact...

the pre-plastic surgery picture of Charlize Theron from Monster...

george sr\'s version of Bluthton..

and buster doing Mr. Roboto! (Tony "Buster" Hale originally did the VW Mr. Roboto commercial.)


another new episode next week! Prison Break-In

[davepeck]

It lost to a repeat of 7th Heaven.... :rolleyes:

ABC won the 8 p.m. hour with a 7.7/12 for "Wife Swap" (and football on the West Coast). Reruns of "The King of Queens," 6.5/10, and "How I Met Your Mother," 6.1/9, put CBS in second. NBC was third with an early showing of "Las Vegas," 5.7/9. The WB snagged fourth place with a "7th Heaven" repeat, edging FOX\'s "Arrested Development," 2.8/4, and "Kitchen Confidential," 2.1/3. UPN trailed with "One on One" and "All of Us

[davepeck]

Showtime may rescue Arrested Development

December 14, 2005 at 11:04:00 AM

Cult favorite may get a second chance on cable channel.

Will the pay-TV environs of Showtime be a friendlier place for the Emmy-winning comedy Arrested Development, which just got canceled by Fox?
Word around town this week is that Showtime is in talks to pick up the comedy about a chaotic family. Sources stressed that the talks are still exploratory and that it would be a big financial commitment on Showtime\'s part to pick up the show in its current form with a large ensemble cast that includes Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Portia de Rossi, Jessica Walter, and Will Arnett.
Arrested was an instant hit with critics following its debut on Fox in late 2003, but the show never pulled in much of a crowd, even after it won the Emmy for best comedy series in 2004. Last month, Fox threw in the towel, cutting its episode order for Arrested\'s third season from its initial 22-episode ticket to 13.
Representatives for Showtime, and the series\' producers 20th Century Fox TV and Imagine TV declined comment late Tuesday.

http://www.tv.com/story/story.html&story_id=2670

so... comments on this week\'s episode? i just watched it, but this is one that definitely needs multiple viewings, imo..

[Spacey]

I missed this weeks show. Wanted to see it badly. I would like to see Showtime pick up this show and have it become a huge success so FOX knows they made a bad decision.

[skalnbyc]

so... comments on this week\'s episode? i just watched it, but this is one that definitely needs multiple viewings, imo..

After watching it only a few times, Lauren now has the first two seasons on her Netflix list.

[Overexjoesure]

This week was golden.  
Oscar, "No, this time I think I\'ll do a podcast".. ROFL

[RadicalRich1138]

bob loblaw\'s law blog

[Overexjoesure]

HIGHlarious epi tonight.. Boy Fights: Babybuster: Too Old For Breastfeeding ROFL

[davepeck]

what the deuce? is this a bug in the forum, or is this really the big bang thread? anyways, splitski, moveski, mergeski..

couldn\'t afford the beatles. :lol:

you sir, are a mouthful!

[RadicalRich1138]

we in live on a yellow boat

[leith]

you can turn off the music I already shot my wad..... off.

[davepeck]

update:

I really, really, really think Arrested Development is NOT going away. My moles (not the hairy cancerous kind) tell me that Showtime is DYING to pick up this comedy we so love (they are definitely on the upswing with their recent Globes noms for ****s which were the first in ages), HOWEVAH! FOX NEEDS TO OFFICIALLY CANCEL THE DANG THING BEFORE THEY CAN DO ANYTHING. Hello?!! Peter Liguori!! Show some mercy, for the love of Bluths!! And don\'t be surprised if he ends up keeping it around just to spite the cabler ... (Similar to what ABC did keeping Jake in Progress to keep John Stamos off a full-time gig on ER).

So ... we need to be patient.

Source: Kristen @ eonline.com

[Spacey]

that\'s some shit.

It would suck if FOX just kept it around out of spite. I was ready to order Showtime.

Do you think that the way it is written would change if it gets a contract with Showtime. I mean you literally take away the censor of regular cable TV which opens a few more doors.

[davepeck]

OUT OF THE BLUTH: Fox has announced a Friday, Feb. 10, two-hour season finale — that\'s what the memo says, season finale — for Arrested Development. In the season finale — that\'s what the memo says, season finale — Fast Times at Ridgemont High\'s Judd Reinhold will guest-star, as well as Arrested headliner Jason Bateman\'s real-life sis, Family Ties alum Justine Bateman, playing a woman who may or may not be Michael\'s half-sister.

FOX Lets \'Arrested\' Out One Last(?) Time

Friday, January 13, 2006

10:48 AM PT
Fans of "Arrested Development" will, in fact, get to see the show\'s final four episodes this season. Given where FOX has scheduled them, though, it seems rather certain that not many others will.

FOX aired what felt like a finale on Jan. 2. The episode, titled "SOBs" -- short for Save Our Bluths, which is also the name of a fan web site trying to save the show -- stuck to "Arrested\'s" deeply self-referential guns by mocking both the conventions of ratings-grabbing stunts and its own insular nature ("Maybe we\'re not that likable," Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) tells his family at one point).

But the network has decided to air the season\'s final four episodes in one two-hour block Friday, Feb. 10. That night also happens to feature the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on NBC, an event that is likely to dominate the ratings that night.

The final four episodes of the season will feature guest appearances by Justine Bateman, Jason\'s sister, and Judge Reinhold, also seen in the "SOBs" episode (indicating that it may have aired out of sequence). Justine Bateman will play a woman who Michael believes may be his long-lost sister Nellie, while Reinhold plays himself, hired by the family\'s new lawyer to act as a judge in a mock trial to help the Bluths prepare for a real court case.

The episodes will also feature Gob (Will Arnett) traveling to Iraq to perform a Christian magic act, which lands him in prison; Buster (Tony Hale) faking a coma to avoid testifying in the family\'s court case; and George Michael (Michael Cera) and Maeby (Alia Shawkat) taking part in a mock wedding to entertain hospital patients. The whole thing ends up at a yacht party, which is where the series started.


The episodes could well be the last to air on FOX, which ordered only 13 shows this season. ABC and Showtime have reportedly expressed interest in picking up "Arrested Development," but for now the show\'s fate remains up in the air.

\'Arrested\' developments

TelevisionWeek (from which I also stole the headline) is reporting that both ABC and Showtime have offered the producers of "Arrested Development" deals to continue the series on their networks. And it\'s all above board because when Fox reduced this season\'s order from 22 to 13 episodes, "the reduction triggered a clause in the show\'s contract enabling producers to shop the series elsewhere," sayeth TVWeek. The producers are said to be "mulling both offers," a one-year deal from ABC and a two-year deal from Showtime, part of the CBS family.

[davepeck]

Long, but interesting...

FOX\'s session at the TCA Winter Press Tour today has generated quite a bit of noise.

Whether it be the identity of the killer in "Reunion," the fate of "Arrested Development" or the possible revival of "Futurama," there were plenty of interesting nuggets doled out by Entertainment president Peter Ligouri.

Here\'s a breakdown of the related quotes:

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT EXCHANGE #1

QUESTION: Could you reflect, because you\'ve got a couple major sitcoms ending in the spring, and also should I ask you, is "Arrested Development" for sure going to end on February 10th? Is that going to be the last day for it?

PETER LIGUORI: Let\'s deal with them in two parts. As far as "Arrested" goes, we ordered 13 for this season. We are going to run four episodes in a row on that February date. I have to be frank with you, it is highly unlikely the show is coming back but no definitive final answer has been made on that.

QUESTION: Okay. So what I\'d like to ask you to do is just reflect over all, because it\'s kind of a pivotal point for you. If "Arrested" goes, those are three major sitcoms ending a run. A lot of people are having trouble with sitcoms. You were going very heavily four-camera stuff and the two new ones you\'ve shown us are very strongly camera-ones. Tell us what you think the state of the sitcom is at this point.

PETER LIGUORI: It\'s daunting, but I think the state of the sitcom runs cyclically just like every other genre. Right now the sitcom isn\'t in its most healthy state, but we\'re always one great show away from that turning around.

I just look back to the \'70s when Norman Lear came on the scene. People were really talking about the demise of the sitcom back then. So from our standpoint, we\'re out there every day, trying to find show runners and show creators with a vision. It is daunting when you realize that there are aging comedies on the air on Fox, but we\'re looking at it from a long-term perspective. We\'re out there aggressively developing and hoping to replace those shows.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT EXCHANGE #2

QUESTION: Peter, your left here. You stopped short a little earlier of giving a definitive answer on "Arrested Development" and I\'m just curious about that for one thing. I\'m wondering what calculations are left to be made. And second of all, there\'s a lot of talk about a couple of other networks perhaps, you know, being interested in getting that show on their air. So is it fair to the producers to kind of leave them hanging if you\'re almost certain you\'re going to kill the show here?

PETER LIGUORI: My goal is to be fair with the producers and fair with everyone here. It is highly unlikely "Arrested" is coming back. What new calculations are available? I mean basically we\'ll wind up looking at where our development is. We\'ll wind up seeing what those four episodes do. We anticipate those four episodes will be populated by the loyal audience and we\'re in dialogue with Mitch all the time.

QUESTION: Peter, in the back, continuing that line of -- yeah, in the middle.

PETER LIGUORI: Okay.

QUESTION: Specifically, two networks were allowed to negotiate with the producers, and report says it\'s because there was a -- something triggered in the contract when you reduced the season order from 22 episodes to 13 episodes. I was wondering why you let them do that and if that\'s just a one-time think that you granted to "Arrested Development." Also, what do you anticipate for the thinly disguised jabs at FOX in the last four episodes?

PETER LIGUORI: First and foremost, let\'s talk about where the show is going. You should ask the studio. You should ask Mitch what\'s going on with that. At this point, I don\'t know. But look, it is regrettable that we could not find the audience that that show deserved. It is in fact a studio property. If there\'s interest at other networks, it\'s the studio\'s right and Mitch\'s right to move that on and put that up to bid.

Now, in terms of the jabs, it would be really duplicitous of us as a network to put a dampening effect on the great art of the spoof. We have a good relationship with the show runners. I think it is great humor to turn it back on FOX a bit. And I think we\'ve made fun of ourselves consistently. I think you\'ve seen it on "The Simpsons." We have a sense of humor about the business. We have a sense of humor about ourselves. And we\'re glad it\'s Mitch that\'s doing it because he does it with great dexterity.

QUESTION: Are you holding out your decision, your final decision on "Arrested Development" in part because these other networks are talking to them?

PETER LIGUORI: No. Two separate issues.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT EXCHANGE #3

QUESTION: Peter, earlier you said that there -- you didn\'t see a major difference between the philosophies between FOX and FX. And I was thinking back to comments you made a couple years ago about, when you were still at FX, that you would like to have a certain show if FOX canceled it. What\'s your relationship with FX like now? Has it changed from when Gail was in this position? And did you have any discussions about "Arrested Development" with FX?

PETER LIGUORI: Needless to say I\'m way more intimate with FX than Gail was and have a great relationship with John and sit back and admire everything that\'s going on with that network. You know, I just look back at the -- last week, the creative of "The Shield" and the phenomenal ratings that FX did, the tremendous finale of "Nip/Tuck." And John and I, I would say, talk almost on a daily basis. So we\'ve discussed many, if not every show. I enjoy that relationship. Whatever is good for FX is good for News Corp., and we\'ve lobbed many ideas back and forth over the net.

QUESTION: How about "Arrested"?

PETER LIGUORI: You know, we have thought about how to work that out. The biggest difficulty for a network like FX is, "Arrested Development" is an expensive show. And it\'s way more difficult to make the economics of that show work on FX versus another network broadcaster.

QUESTION: Would it surprise you that Showtime was interested in it given the --

PETER LIGUORI: Again, I know nothing about those negotiations. But if you just look at it as an outside observer, from a numbers standpoint, if Showtime were able to migrate the absolute numbers that "Arrested" gets on FOX to Showtime, that would be by far and away its Number 1 show. So as far as hearing those rumors and saying, "Does that make sense for a Showtime?," strategically, numerically, quantitatively, probably.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/newswire.cgi?id=7061