Comedy Arrested Development - Part 1

[Silvermoth]

Gosh I’ve missed them. Best comedy of modern times easily.

I don’t know why they don’t just keep making more seasons all the time. How much does it cost to make, like ten dollars?

 

[Pennywise]

So far, I'm enjoying the remix of S4 with the new narration, dialogue and footage! Just even being edited in chronological order works better!

 

[Dr. Evil]

Gosh I’ve missed them. Best comedy of modern times easily.

I don’t know why they don’t just keep making more seasons all the time. How much does it cost to make, like ten dollars?

Scheduling conflicts as some members of the cast such as Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Tony Hale are on other TV shows.

 

[flickchick85]

So I'm a little more than halfway through the remix, and while I'm not sure it's an improvement (I actually loved S4 to begin with), it is certainly fun to see things a in a more chronological order.

Also, in case anyone hasn't noticed yet, the original versions are still available to watch under the "Trailers & More" section.

 

[Sawyer]

I liked the original season too, but the remix is definitely a good reminder of just how key an ingredient the pacing was in the first three seasons.

 

[Silvermoth]

Scheduling conflicts as some members of the cast such as Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Tony Hale are on other TV shows.

That was more of an excuse to quote Lucille bluth

 

[kguillou]

So I'm a few episodes into the S4 remix and throughout these episodes I kept feeling like something was off, like something kept bothering me and I just didnt find it that funny which got me scared because I LOVED Arrested Development. I even remember MOSTLY liking season 4 when it came out 5 years ago. But I got worried and started thinking, "omg, have I somehow outgrown this show in its 5 year hiatus?"

So then, I put on an episode from season 3 and almost immediately I felt the difference and figured out what was bothering me so much about the S4 remix.

The narration.

Don't get me wrong, Ron Howard's narration is a staple of the series but in S4 and ESPECIALLY in the remix, it feels like its CONSTANT narration and exposition and it feels like Howard is working overtime to move the plot along on the show and it kind of exhausts you, especially with the breakneck pace the plot moves. Or at least it did to me. In the prior seasons Ron's narration chimed in at just the right moments and then punchlines were impeccably timed and he gave you just the right amount of necessary story background when it was needed but there is just way too much of it now. At least, imo. Now, granted I get WHY I'm sure it was necessary. They completely re-edit everything and I'm sure Howard's narration was necessary in the stitching process and making a somewhat cohesive narrative but its just too much.

 

[Pennywise]

So I'm a few episodes into the S4 remix and throughout these episodes I kept feeling like something was off, like something kept bothering me and I just didnt find it that funny which got me scared because I LOVED Arrested Development. I even remember MOSTLY liking season 4 when it came out 5 years ago. But I got worried and started thinking, "omg, have I somehow outgrown this show in its 5 year hiatus?"

So then, I put on an episode from season 3 and almost immediately I felt the difference and figured out what was bothering me so much about the S4 remix.

The narration.

Don't get me wrong, Ron Howard's narration is a staple of the series but in S4 and ESPECIALLY in the remix, it feels like its CONSTANT narration and exposition and it feels like Howard is working overtime to move the plot along on the show and it kind of exhausts you, especially with the breakneck pace the plot moves. Or at least it did to me. In the prior seasons Ron's narration chimed in at just the right moments and then punchlines were impeccably timed and he gave you just the right amount of necessary story background when it was needed but there is just way too much of it now. At least, imo. Now, granted I get WHY I'm sure it was necessary. They completely re-edit everything and I'm sure Howard's narration was necessary in the stitching process and making a somewhat cohesive narrative but its just too much.

Very interesting! I did not notice that!

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Season 5 has been given a C+ by EW.

 

[Sawyer]

It's incredible to me that anyone involved in the PR for this show thought that today's NYT roundtable was a good idea.

 

[MadVillainy]

Jessica Walters (Lucille) says Tambor harassed her on set of previous seasons. But she has forgiven him.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/...lopment-netflix-interview-jeffrey-tambor.html

Some of the men's response is not a good look

 

[Kaleb]

It's incredible to me that anyone involved in the PR for this show thought that today's NYT roundtable was a good idea.

Yikes

 

[Sawyer]

And, just like that, I become certain that Bateman's got some skeletons in his closet. Not necessarily sex-related, but I'm betting there's some bad on-set behavior there.

 

[MadVillainy]

Didn't even see Sawyer's post before

 

[flickchick85]

That interview was a disaster that basically soured me on all the male actors in the room.

 

[Drizzle]

That Times roundtable was so cringe-worthy and uncomfortable. Michael Cera was wise to stay faaaaaar away from that.

 

[Kaleb]

Cant say I'm looking forward to the new season next week after that interview.

 

[Lip]

Cant say I'm looking forward to the new season next week after that interview.

I kind of hate to admit, but all of that affected my enjoyment. I lost any interested in this season. Not only because of Tambor, but the support from the (male) colleagues from the show, with all this "inappropriate behavior is common in the industry" bs.

It's sad, because I loved the show.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I wanted to avoid talking about all this in this thread, as to not sour this season for anyone. I decided awhile back not to watch it and well, yeah. But what happened today was... I hate all those men in that room. Those that said those awful things and the those that did not stand up for their female "friends" and co-stars. To do what they did, with Walters right there. To gaslight her, to ignore her voice, to say what they said, to make her actually cry, to care only about Tambor's feelings, to get her to apologize because that is what women do.. **** them. Not to belittle the point while all they do is belittle the point. What the **** is wrong with them? Bateman, Cross and Tambor are all awful human beings who just flaunted their rich white male privilege right in front of their co-star, in front of the world.

 

[Silvermoth]

I agree. I will add that it’s a testament to Jessica’s insane amount of talent to have all the best lines and moments despite obviously some pretty horrible moments on set. I don’t know how she did it.

Important to remember Jessica got her first Emmy when Jason was just two years old. She doesn’t need to be lectured at all.

 

[harlequinade]

Bateman must have the same PR people Matt Damon has. Holy **** the shamelessness. They know they can back Tambor up, they know they can focus effort on defending a male who did wrong instead of supporting hurt female co-worker and it won't cause enough backlash to hurt their careers because this is just how it works.

The way I read it seems to me Jessica Walter was bullied into saying she is OK with it now, upon seeing the overwhelming majority of her co-workers sided with Tambor

And what is up with the excuse 'oh it is common'. There is never an excuse to be abusive towards anyone let alone in the workplace. I don't give a **** how passionate or quirky someone is.


EDIT - At this moment Bateman is attempting to apologize on his twitter and making himself look even worse by saying he should be 'aware' of how the incident affected Walter (you know as opposed to be disturbed by the fact the incident took place at all) and that he shouldn't have tried so hard to fix a "fight" (a woman being verbally assaulted by a man on the set is a 'fight', apparently).

 

[NotNickFury]

Would bet good money that anyone souring on the show based on the interview still eventually manages to sit down and watch the new season anyway. At least Michael Cera and Portia De Rossi can say they literally weren't there for this.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Bateman must have the same PR people Matt Damon has. Holy **** the shamelessness. They know they can back Tambor up, they know they can focus effort on defending a male who did wrong instead of supporting hurt female co-worker and it won't cause enough backlash to hurt their careers because this is just how it works.

The way I read it seems to me Jessica Walter was bullied into saying she is OK with it now, upon seeing the overwhelming majority of her co-workers sided with Tambor

And what is up with the excuse 'oh it is common'. There is never an excuse to be abusive towards anyone let alone in the workplace. I don't give a **** how passionate or quirky someone is.


EDIT - At this moment Bateman is attempting to apologize on his twitter and making himself look even worse by saying he should be 'aware' of how the incident affected Walter (you know as opposed to be disturbed by the fact the incident took place at all) and that he shouldn't have tried so hard to fix a "fight" (a woman being verbally assaulted by a man on the set is a 'fight', apparently).

Considering what happened in the first place, was there every any chance he didn't make it worse?

 

[Spider-Fan]

I was unaware of this interview, but I will seek this out later and watch it. The articles I read on it with quotes and descriptions of it sounded really bad. This may sour me a bit on the show as well.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

There is audio Spider-Fan. I don't think there is video. But yeah, hearing it just makes it more disturbing. There were the things that came out before. The guys clearly rallying around Tambor. But to do this, with Walters and Shawkat right there, trying to speak, being spoken over and then Walters breaks down, just makes it so much more stark imo. The only concern is for Tambor and it places their reaction to the Transparent situation in just a way more obvious light imo.