Color Me Blue: Arrested Development Returns

    It’s widely agreed upon that FOX’s cancellation of the show was the biggest little mistake the network has ever made (other notable victims include most things Joss Whedon-related.) After the show’s second season, grassroots campaigns — with one aptly titled SOB (Save Our Bluths) — sprung up in an attempt to save the show. Their success in getting a third season sadly ended there — the show was cancelled after a short season.

    Since then, co-creator Mitchell Hurwitz dropped hints about a movie, and the show’s stars expressed interest from time to time. Showtime even had plans to save the show in 2006. But while this sent fans all atwitter, nothing ever happened — until now.

    From the outside, it may seem difficult to understand why fans adore a show about prickly, self-absorbed characters who end up doing incredibly stupid, self-possessed things. But part of the show’s charm is its sheer and utter absurdity. It’s like being the sole sober person in a room full of increasingly drunk crazies. It’s funny, it’s kind of weird and sometimes you don’t even catch the joke the first time around.

    And the inside jokes — those are references that only devout viewers can understand. By devout viewers, I mean everybody from the man who dropped $350 on one of Buster’s prosthetic hands, to the less crazy but equally devoted fans who have seen every season on Netflix. Or the ones who attended the New Yorker Festival’s “Bluth Family Reunion” and watched as the cast did the infamous “chicken dance.”

    Among the most notable quotes are “Who would want to R her?”, “Get rid of the Seaward” and “She was his cousin, Maeby.” These recurring inside jokes and the consequential feeling of community amongst the show’s fans created a solid base that has carried on even today. After all, who else would be reposting the announcement on Tumblr or retweeting the Entertainment Weekly article that started it all.

    As for the actual proposed eight- or nine-episode run, each episode is expected to serve as a catch-up for an individual character. Hurwitz apparently realized while writing the script that after he had adequately caught up with every single character, the movie was halfway over. This way, the television series would act as a backstory to the proposed movie sequel. It’s a solid plan — one that I hope will happen. The cast has even announced the fact that they are keeping their schedules free for production. Optimism activated.

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