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ShawnRIN

(48 posts) Thu Jul 25, 2013, 07:08 AM Jul 2013

Arrested Development Season 4: Did anyone actually like it?

The first three seasons were awesome and I was shocked when it was canceled. I was really happy when the fourth season came out but was let down the same way I was let down by Star Wars I: Phantom Menace. They changed the formula to spin each episode around a single original cast member instead of keeping Michael at the center. Michael, George Michael, and to some degree Maybe were the comedic straight people that gave context to the crazy characters in the first three seasons. It was easy to sympathies with their position during the shows banter. In the fourth season the three were all just as self centered as the rest of the cast doing away with the classic comedic formula of straight guy vs. wacko. I didn't really like or sympathize with anyone in season 4.
Perhaps once you make a show that is really great like Star Wars 4-6 or Arrested Development Season 1-3, its near impossible to recreate the working conditions to continue that quality of work especially after a significant time gap.

David Bianculli's review on NPR. I wonder if he got paid extra for this.
http://www.npr.org/2013/06/04/188392731/new-arrested-development-gags-are-best-served-in-one-sitting

7 replies

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Arrested Development Season 4: Did anyone actually like it? (Original Post) ShawnRIN Jul 2013 OP

No, I didn't like it NV Whino Jul 2013 #1

I liked it mockmonkey Jul 2013 #2

I'm a huge AD fan and I have some very mixed opinions on it. Initech Jul 2013 #3

It was a lot of hit and miss, though the "hits" were really good Merlot Jul 2013 #4

Yeah that's kind of the way I feel - a lot of hit and miss. Initech Jul 2013 #6

It was jarring at first to see Michael turned into a true "Bluth" instead of the do-gooder son Merlot Jul 2013 #5

Halfway through it. AtomicKitten Aug 2013 #7

NV Whino

(20,886 posts)

1. No, I didn't like it

Reply to ShawnRIN (Original post)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 09:33 AM

Jul 2013

But I didn't like the first three seasons much either.

mockmonkey

(2,822 posts)

2. I liked it

Reply to ShawnRIN (Original post)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 10:25 AM

Jul 2013

I finally watched most of the old episodes a few months before I saw season 4. I wasn't so aghast at it as some seemed to be. There was a lot going on in the new episodes so maybe it was just too much plus they were trying to cater to new viewers so there were too many flashbacks.

Going back to a series brings about expectations that were just too high. Compared to most sitcoms it still was better than most. Not having all the actors available was certainly a setback. I hope they are going to continue but I suspect that they won't, maybe they will have a extended episode to tie up the loose ends.

Initech

(100,082 posts)

3. I'm a huge AD fan and I have some very mixed opinions on it.

Reply to ShawnRIN (Original post)

Sun Jul 28, 2013, 03:46 PM

Jul 2013

I thought the writers were trying too hard to please the fans. I did not like the GOB / Tony Wonder side plot. I did like the Tobias plot of mistaking the methadone clinic for "Method One Acting School". But you take the ensemble out of the ensemble cast and you're not left with much.

Merlot

(9,696 posts)

4. It was a lot of hit and miss, though the "hits" were really good

Reply to Initech (Reply #3)

Tue Jul 30, 2013, 04:06 PM

Jul 2013

Tobias Funke and the "Method One Acting School" was a good one, and the poor woman who he tried to have a relationship with was a prime example of how your life can go from bad to worse when mixing up with someone from the Bluth Family.

I didn't mind the GOB/Tony wonder side plot, but I hated the church escape episode. Just didn't work, seemed like they wen't easy on a good comedy target. GOB is SO much fun to watch, even when I don't like the storyline, he's the best Bluth villain ever.

Once I got the hang of each episode doubling back on each character, it started to be more fun seeing the clues that were there previously. In all, I gave the series a solid 4 stars, though the original series got 5+ stars!

Initech

(100,082 posts)

6. Yeah that's kind of the way I feel - a lot of hit and miss.

Reply to Merlot (Reply #4)

Tue Jul 30, 2013, 04:12 PM

Jul 2013

I liked it better when Michael was the central character and everyone else around him was crazy, and he just unleashed one one-liner after another, usually degrading.

Merlot

(9,696 posts)

5. It was jarring at first to see Michael turned into a true "Bluth" instead of the do-gooder son

Reply to ShawnRIN (Original post)

Tue Jul 30, 2013, 04:11 PM

Jul 2013

And I was a little disappointed with Maybe's character development - she seemed the most uneven of all of them. But I enjoyed each episode being about one of the characters, probably because they are all so well developed and quirky. It was about the third or fourth episode where they finally hit their stride.

AtomicKitten

(46,585 posts)

7. Halfway through it.

Reply to ShawnRIN (Original post)

Thu Aug 1, 2013, 03:35 AM

Aug 2013

The cameo performances are wonderful.

And Jason Bateman was nominated for an Emmy for Best Actor. Finally.

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