Arrested Development is an incredibly complex sitcom, with a massive cast, tons of running gags and brick jokes, and a full interconnected family of dysfunction. Season 1 does a great job of setting up all of this complexity, even if it has a bit of a slow start.
Arrested Development has a very simple premise. Michael Bluth's family has pretty much fallen into shambles, his father was imprisoned, his mom is a selfish jerk, and his cousins are not super nice people. Thus, it's his job of keeping the family together, even if he doesn't want to. Arrested Development's story isn't anything amazing, but it has a solid amount of twists throughout, and works really well as a vehicle for the phenomenal cast, witty dialogue, and amazing sense of humor. This show's cast is absolutely massive, and is jam-packed with excellent comedic actors that all manage to steal the show from each other. There's also a narrator as voiced by Ron Howard who was a bit offputting at first, but now I can not imagine the show without him. His unrelenting frankness and brutal honesty makes tons of funny moments even funnier.
Arrested Development's humor is mostly derived from a massive spiderweb of clever running gags and reoccurring comedic threads, and part of the charm is seeing the series reuse these gags and utilize them in unique and funny ways. Even more, the meta humor (usually caused by the narrator) and the interactions between the cast are funny on their own. However, these running gags are why I actually didn't love this first season on my first viewing, as it takes a lot of time to set up all of the gags and in-jokes that people know and love the series for. It's not uncommon to feel like Season 1 of Arrested Development was a slow start for the show, but it was upon rewatching the season when I found the most enjoyment in it as I got to see how all of these in-jokes began. Even more, the second half of the season onward manages to be pretty excellent even on a first viewing.
There are plenty of strong episodes scattered throughout this first season of Arrested Development, such as:
Top Banana: I thought the pilot was pretty solid, but it's this second episode that really showed me how funny this show could be. A lot of funny smash cuts and goofy moments scattered through the episode, but it all builds up to one of the greatest punchlines in television history: "There's always money in the banana stand".
Pier Pressure: This is considered by many people to be the turning point in which this show becomes amazing, and I absolutely agree. The main storyline about trying to teach George-Michael a lesson culminates in an absolutely hysterical finale filled with crazy double-crossings, fake-outs, and clever twists.
Beef Consommé: This episode was originally supposed to be the season finale, and it works fairly well. The resolution of the Marta story arc is a lot of fun, culminating in a hilarious brawl between Michael and Gob that actually gets reused in later episodes. This episode also introduces the Never Nude running gag.
Not Without My Daughter: One of the most underrated comedic pairings in the show is Michael and Maeby, who are easily two of the more sensible members in the cast, and play off each other incredibly well. The subplots are also super entertaining, especially the shoplifting subplot, and more than ever the writing feels as sharp and consistently funny as Arrested Development at its best.
Let Them Eat Cake: The season finale is the first point at which Arrested Development starts incorporating plot twists, and it has some pretty massive ones. George Sr committed treason, the escape from the hospital, Michael driving away, there are a lot of crazy events here that left me wondering how Season 2 would resolve it all.
Overall, Arrested Development's first season has a bit of a slow start as it needs to set up all of those running gags, but it still manages to hold up through a strong second half, a distinct sense of humor, and a phenomenal cast.
4/5 Stars
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