I sincerely wish that I could get excited for the return of Arrested Development, set for return on May 26 to the video streaming juggernaut Netflix. For many, this is a moment of acclaim that somehow has been building since the show was unfortunately cancelled after a rather brief three seasons. It was critically acclaimed and seemed to be the biggest thing in the rerun market. Still, with the release of the first trailer, I find myself conflicted. Why bring back a show that was pretty good in the first place?
The cult has even grown online. With reruns on IFC all the time and it being a consistent source of entertainment on Netflix, it was part of a class of cancelled shows that were considered to be ahead of their time. There is nothing wrong with the legacy that Arrested Development left. In fact, the short, tight output made it one of the more entertaining shows out there. While I argue that people should be wary based on how sloppy and gimmicky season three became, part of me wants to argue that the bigger reason to worry is because it has been seven years and the characters have already done their job. In some ways, the people are above this.
True, there's part of me that would want every show I ever loved to go on forever and ever. I still long for the finale of Soap, but that was in a different time. What is amazing is that there is an era now where shows can be rehabilitated like this and the Veronica Mars Kickstarter fiasco. In a way, this is a great thing. However, it also is a rather bothersome thing to note when considering that this means anything that has even a minimal fan base and access to a computer now stands a good chance of getting their beloved programming on the air if they plead enough.
One of the more familiar examples is fellow Fox show Family Guy. It is hard for people these days to be aware, but throughout the show's earlier days, it managed to get cancelled TWICE and still come back for what feels like a permanent stay. However, the best thing to notice about Family Guy is that in the earlier installments, it wasn't so much a franchise as it was just Seth MacFarlane cleverly poking fun at pop culture and occasionally doing cheeky and off the wall things.
The show has never been a safe haven, but the earlier episodes felt more coherent. Then when the show came back for the third time, it blew up and became what it is known for. I have a theory that the show's problems started when MacFarlane took on more shows. While The Winner fizzled fast, American Dad and Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show are products of a network realizing how successful a cult audience was to a singular voice. Admittedly, MacFarlane's interests were expansive and thus gave plenty of fodder. However, when having to spread over three shows, quality in Family Guy got noticeably shoddier and less coherent. It now exists as a way to offend people while also doing cheap gags. On the bright side, The Cleveland Show was recently cancelled. However, American Dad just crossed 150 episodes and the fall introduces us to round two of live action MacFarlane with Dads. Go figure.
I am not saying that Arrested Development is anywhere near MacFarlane megalomania. I am simply saying that if you want it to come back, don't expect it to be nearly as great as it once was. In fact, my worries kind of come from Mitch Hurwitz, who has had string of clunkers after the show, including Sit Down and Shut Up and Running Wilde. Both failed to capture the magic and only sadly makes Arrested Development seem more as a gig in order for him to maintain relevant work.
It is hard to say if Arrested Development will maintain quality. In the worst scenario, fans will see it and have to realize that their dream was a fraud. The show's quality was the equivalence to lightning in a bottle to the degree that many consider it to have shaped the modern sitcom. If it is terrible, fans who have waited seven years will start bickering over other things about the show and wish that they had never had their wishes achieved. In a sense, I stand by the idea that shows that leave you wanting more end up being the best. Arrested Development had that in a quality way, and therefore ended up making you want more.
Like Violet in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, all you'll really do is expand until you're sick. You'll want out of it. In some ways, I am unfortunately predicting this extreme to not be the case, but an underwhelming middle to be the actual result. As it stands, Netflix original programming like House of Cards and Hemlock Grove haven't set the world on fire, but are more significant in the long run for asking us to watch shows in a different way. However, serialized program released all at once is a terrible way. Case in point: I probably would have watched House of Cards by now if I knew that I had time to catch up before the next episode as opposed to knowing that it was all there for consumption. Moderation is key to a show.
Of course, Arrested Development will survive based on audience and the fact that it is a 30 minute show compared to the hour long original programming. At best, fans will love it and desire more, possibly even that proposed movie. Still, at some point, the desire to want more has to trump the desire of getting it. This show was great in 2006, back when very little programming looked like it. True, very few family dynamics have that going for it, but in a world where Dan Harmon's Community existed and Veep continue to test waters, it almost makes the show feel like a grandfather to the modern comedy scene.
I am not saying that every case involving shows returning after long absences is necessarily bad. Beavis and Butt-head struck a middle ground, which felt like pandering to its audience while embarrassingly trying to take on modern culture. It was a mess to say the least, but at least the actual shorts were okay. Ironically, it followed Mike Judge's back-to-back cancellation of King of the Hill and The Goode Family, which seems oddly familiar to the Hurwitz situation. Even Futurama, which took a very Family Guy route to renewal, lost its muster after awhile and is reaching its finale this year.
What are some good ways, then? It would be if the show managed to bring on an interesting take of the current times. True, the initial stance of economic downturn will play well in the show's relevance, but otherwise, this will just feel like a bunch of silly things happening in order to appease the fans. There is nothing necessarily wrong with it, but from the way things are going, it feels like the pandering will trump quality and fans will love it because it looks good. The hype has been leading up to this and therefore, it must be great.
Like Violet in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, all you'll really do is expand until you're sick. You'll want out of it. In some ways, I am unfortunately predicting this extreme to not be the case, but an underwhelming middle to be the actual result. As it stands, Netflix original programming like House of Cards and Hemlock Grove haven't set the world on fire, but are more significant in the long run for asking us to watch shows in a different way. However, serialized program released all at once is a terrible way. Case in point: I probably would have watched House of Cards by now if I knew that I had time to catch up before the next episode as opposed to knowing that it was all there for consumption. Moderation is key to a show.
Of course, Arrested Development will survive based on audience and the fact that it is a 30 minute show compared to the hour long original programming. At best, fans will love it and desire more, possibly even that proposed movie. Still, at some point, the desire to want more has to trump the desire of getting it. This show was great in 2006, back when very little programming looked like it. True, very few family dynamics have that going for it, but in a world where Dan Harmon's Community existed and Veep continue to test waters, it almost makes the show feel like a grandfather to the modern comedy scene.
I am not saying that every case involving shows returning after long absences is necessarily bad. Beavis and Butt-head struck a middle ground, which felt like pandering to its audience while embarrassingly trying to take on modern culture. It was a mess to say the least, but at least the actual shorts were okay. Ironically, it followed Mike Judge's back-to-back cancellation of King of the Hill and The Goode Family, which seems oddly familiar to the Hurwitz situation. Even Futurama, which took a very Family Guy route to renewal, lost its muster after awhile and is reaching its finale this year.
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| Alia Shawkat |
I will play the blame game. I have been someone who has wanted certain shows back. Soap, Bored to Death, and even Party Down. Still, there is no shame in what the show has done. It isn't like these people lost every job imaginable as a result. They continue to persevere and entertain. These shows were a bright spot on their resume, and as much as I am longing for that Bored to Death movie, I just hope it remains that folklore in my head that never happens. It would seem disappointing that if after years of absence they returned with something because, well, it comes across more as a favor than passion.
The trailer alone suggests that maybe things are going to remain like season three and be too silly. It is hard to judge a show based on 90 seconds, but I cannot experience the hoopla with the esteem that some do. They're crazy gags and sure, it may be entertaining, but I worry that vintage quality will be tarnished. I was never hardcore into the show, but I respected what it was, politely humoring the show's fans who thought it was the greatest thing ever. Still, is it worth sacrificing that title for mediocre episodes?
And besides, it ended on such an interesting note. After a disaster aboard the Queen Mary, the family goes their own ways and it ends with Ron Howard talking about making the show into a movie. Kind of an ironic twist on today's modern desires of a TV show, but still quite a way to go out, considering that the ride was pretty great. I don't actually want to see that movie, as it will wreck the appeal, but for a show that has been off the wall, that was a great way to end. I doubt anything will top it. Just like Breaking Bad this summer, shows need to know when to end. While Arrested Development was forced into it by cancellation, I believe that it did it poignantly. Now it just seems awkward to continue.
And besides, it ended on such an interesting note. After a disaster aboard the Queen Mary, the family goes their own ways and it ends with Ron Howard talking about making the show into a movie. Kind of an ironic twist on today's modern desires of a TV show, but still quite a way to go out, considering that the ride was pretty great. I don't actually want to see that movie, as it will wreck the appeal, but for a show that has been off the wall, that was a great way to end. I doubt anything will top it. Just like Breaking Bad this summer, shows need to know when to end. While Arrested Development was forced into it by cancellation, I believe that it did it poignantly. Now it just seems awkward to continue.
I cannot tell you because like you, I haven't seen it. Still, I consider it like a sequel: expendable. Shows should be building on itself and most sequels do not do that properly, especially after five year gaps, let alone seven that were filled with fans wanting more. But still, I will be patient and be rational about this because, well, I like wanting more. It doesn't mean that I need it if all it will do is make me bloated and overwhelmed.
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