Television Arrested Development

Solius said:
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Needs more chicken dance.
 
Just finished rewatching it all for the seventh or eighth time. I'm amazed at how you will always find something new in there.

I love the few occasions the line "I don't even want to tell you what..." are used in the series.
 
Can't wait for the Arrested Development movie? Watch Archer
The animated spy series is a class act in its own right – but it also serves as a tribute to and cast reunion for Arrested Development

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TV has a long-running love affair with spies. Spooks ran amok for 10 seasons, Alias for five; Simon Templar and Jason King ruled TV in previous eras. Tonight sees the return to British screens of FX's animated spy comedy Archer, less heralded than other US imports but one of the funniest shows on air. Set in international spy agency ISIS, it focuses on Sterling Archer, a brilliant field agent with crippling mommy issues that are exacerbated by his mother Malory's role as head of the agency. A class act in its own right, it also serves as both tribute to and cast reunion for Arrested Development.

Running for three seasons from 2003-2006 Arrested Development was one of the most important comedies of the past 10 years. Long-time rumours of its return seemed to be confirmed in November when Mitchell Hurwitz announced the production of new episodes, probably to broadcast in 2013, with the intention that they lead into a feature film. Although the show never got great audiences those who got hooked loved it with a passion. Following its demise it became the Velvet Underground of modern sitcom – never a commercial success but exerting a mighty influence on its successors.

On no show is that influence felt as keenly as on Archer. Jessica Walter who you'll remember as overbearing cruel matriarch Lucille Bluth reappears as overbearing cruel matriarch Malory Archer; Judy Greer who played sex-obsessed secretary Kitty Sanchez plays sex-obsessed secretary Cheryl Tunt, and Jeffrey Tambor, married to Jessica Walter in Arrested Development, plays her sometime love interest Len Trexler here.

You'll even see David Cross (Tobias Fünke) popping up in tonight's show, while the callback humour and cutaways that gave Arrested Development its distinctive feel are also generously dotted throughout Archer. (You might think characters repeatedly referencing Kenny Loggins's 1986 clinker Danger Zone would get old – you'd be quite wrong).

Nonetheless, Archer is a show with its own mind and agenda, and a powerful, hysterical lead who, while also being a cavalier meathead, is lethal in the field and rivals Buffy Summers in triumphalist punning. ("Chokely Carmichael" to a nervous colleague being a favourite). Violence, bourbon and womanising are a given in his quest to become a regressive James Bond, while his relationship with his mother makes Tony Soprano's look healthy.

The supporting cast bristles with charismatic idiots like brawling, boozing HR director Pam, head of research Dr Krieger and Archer's much-scapegoated British valet Woodhouse. To wander through the ISIS office is to risk limb in a minefield of snarky one-liners. Vocally, Archer is among the strongest animations on TV and it also looks terrific, with its hand-painted backgrounds a melding of retro-chic and future tech.

The ISIS family is a dysfunctional one in which everyone undermines, abuses and short changes their co-workers until they realise they are not going to get through the week's caper alive unless they cooperate. And while he might be a colossal narcissist, somehow you do care about Sterling Archer.

The show's weird comic mix of espionage, office politics and Oedipal crisis hangs together extraordinarily well – better than it has any right to. If you fear the new Arrested Development episodes being stuck in development hell then what you need in the interim is a PPK-packing mommy's boy more dangerous than the Bluth Cornballer TV gets no deadlier.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/mar/14/arrested-development-watch-archer
 
Liam147 said:
I get the impression you searched AD or Archer (like I did), and that came up?

Either way, love both shows immensely and can't wait for new episodes.
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Can't remember. I read it a while back and it just occurred to me again.

They just need to cast Liza Minnelli as Trudy Beekman and it will be even more AD-ish.
 
Never seen this before, and I've watched 14 episodes of the first season so far today. My face is literally hurting from all the laughter, can't believe I've missed this.
 
I like to stick random episodes on when I'm bored.

"Daddy horny, Michael."
 
I can't stop laughing at this. Probably the funniest shit I've ever seen, and definitely the best group of characters. Even Ron Howard as the narrator is hilarious.
 
The narration is vital to it really. It's used for a lot of the jokes.
 
I think Tobias is my favourite, especially his "phrasing" of things.

Tobias Fünke: I'm afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run if you will, so I'm afraid I have something of a mess on my hands.

Narrator: On the next Arrested Development, Tobias listens to a day's worth of his own recordings to see what Michael was referring to.
Tobias Fünke: [on tape] Even if it means me taking a chubby, I will suck it up!
Tobias Fünke: [out loud] Nothing wrong with that.
Tobias Fünke: [on tape] I've been in the film business for a while but I just cant seem to get one in the can.
Tobias Fünke: [out loud] Context...
Tobias Fünke: [on tape] I wouldn't mind kissing that man between the cheeks.
Narrator: And he realizes there IS something distinct about the way he speaks.
Tobias Fünke: [out loud] Tobias... you blow hard!

Tobias Fünke: Michael, you really are quite the cupid. You can zink your arrow into my buttocks any time.

Tobias Fünke: I'm afraid that I just blue myself.
Michael Bluth: There really has got to be a better way to say that.
 
I used to watch an episode on my lunch break and it made me look forward to each day :lol:

Cant wait for the new series, any idea when its going to be on?
 
I just watched George Michael's campaign video bit, and I've just recovered from laughing hysterically for the past 15 minutes. Gob is fecking hilarious.
 
I thought the movie was confirmed but recent articles have made it sound like it's not yet 100%?
 
Someone posted a picture on reddit the other day of some guy dressed up in a fun run and it looked exactly like Gene Parmesan :lol:

EDIT: Here it is.

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