The Real Lance Brown

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February 12, 2011

I have somehow opened up a channel of clairvoyance to the world of show business

Author: Lance - Categories: Television, Tweets, Twitter stuff

It would be outrageous to claim that I have somehow opened up a channel of clairvoyance to the world of show business. So I’m not going to claim that. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

Consider this:

On January 12, actor Josh Malina was bemoaning his career woes on Twitter (a recurring theme for the Backwash anti-hero). And for some reason, I came to a specific conclusion about a solution to his problem, and tweeted the following:

@JoshMalina Been considering your twilemma, and have a perfect solution: a recurring guest role on #TBBT! Let me introduce you to @billprady
@FreelanceLance
Lance M. Brown

Some clarification of terms:

“#TBBT” is a hashtag referencing The Big Bang Theory, one of the most popular sitcoms on TV today–and being nerdy and quirky, a pretty good fit for what Josh Malina has become post-West Wing. (See: his guest spot on Psych, his series Backwash, and his Twitter feed.)

@billprady” is the Twitter account of Bill Prady, co-creator of The Big Bang Theory, who tweets regularly.

Get ready for the spooky part: Guess who was on last week’s (Feb. 10) Big Bang Theory? Me! No wait, that’s not right. Josh Malina was though! (And well positioned for a recurring guest role, no less.)

Did I mold reality and make that occur? I don’t believe so; the timing is too tight. But clearly I bore witness to some sort of intra-state portal of insight on that fateful day in January.

Mere lucky coincidence, you say?

Consider this:

On Feb 5, I tweeted the following

Hey @DougBenson, are you averse to having a band's members as guests on "Doug Loves Movies"? @pnut @nickhexum hint hint @311
@FreelanceLance
Lance M. Brown

Clarification: @DougBenson is a comedian who has a podcast I enjoy called Doug Loves Movies. @pnut (P-nut) and @nickhexum (Nick Hexum) are two members of the band 311, a favorite band of mine that is based in LA (as is Doug’s podcast). The only connection I knew of between the two was that they both are known to be fans of the reefer (a.k.a. the demon weed), and I had seen P-nut tweet a couple of innocuous fan-type messages to Doug Benson recently.

The rest was just me embracing my amazing new power…because, unbeknownst to me (but knownst to my inner clairvoyant self apparently), 311 has arranged for Doug Benson to be the onboard comedian on their “311 Cruise” this year. He announced it on his Doug Loves Movies podcast which came out today (Feb 12th).

Again, the timing is too tight for my tweet to have been the inciting factor in this occurrence. And it’s not 311 appearing on Doug Loves Movies, it’s the other way around. But mark my words–well, technically, I’m marking them for you right here, but remember them–members of 311 will in fact appear on Doug Loves Movies before long–making my tweet both clairvoyant and prophetic, if I’m not mistaken. Which I’m pretty sure I am.

What entertainment industry happening will my clairvoyant unconscious stumble upon next? What other celebrity matchmaking will I manifest as 2011 unfolds?

No one knows…but it seems to be surfacing via my tweets, so your best bet is to follow me on Twitter.

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February 6, 2010

The Cast of “Community” on Twitter

Author: Lance - Categories: Television, Twitter stuff

It didn’t seem super-easy to find a simple list of the Twitter accounts for the cast members of NBC’s “Community”, and since I was already following them all, I took a moment to make a Twitter “List” featuring them. You can follow it here: Tweets from the Cast of Community (@FreelanceLance/cast-of-community). The accounts of the actors are listed here: Cast of “Community” on Twitter.

I will keep it updated with additional cast members as they become available. Please let me know if you know of any additions by posting a comment below. (I don’t know all the actors’ names off the top of my head, but I don’t have accounts for the Dean, or Vaughan, or Brita, or Danny Pudi a.k.a. Abed. Or Chevy Chase, but I’m not holding my breath for that one.) (EDIT: Gillian Jacobs (Brita) and Danny Pudi (Abed) are now on the list, as is Jim Rash (the Dean), now that he’s become a full cast member. Some others involved in the show–including creator Dan Harmon–are on another list I made: Others from “Community”.)

NOTE: NBC has also created Twitter accounts for the characters that the actors play; this list does not have those accounts, nor @NBCCommunity‘s, nor that of Dan Harmon, the creator of “Community”, or anyone else behind the show. It’s just the actors–currently: Joel McHale, Allison Brie, Donald Glover, Yvette N. Brown, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Ken Jeong, and Jim Rash. I thought it could get too crazy and unfocused if I opened it up to all the crew and “creatives” behind the show. But you should follow show creator Dan Harmon too probably, right?

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September 24, 2009

Michael Moore and Stephen Colbert accidentally embrace the free market

Author: Lance - Categories: Political and Opinion Writing, Television

Two notable events in last night’s Colbert Report regarding capitalism/the free market and walking the walk vs. talking the talk:

1. At the end of his interview with Michael Moore about his new film Capitalism:  A Love Story, which focused on how capitalism is an evil, which causes the rich to do all they can to take money from the poor, Stephen Colbert asked Moore, “What happens if the market decides it doesn’t need a  ‘Michael Moore’ anymore?”

Moore’s smiling response? “Well, as long as people keep going to see my movies, I get to keep making them. That’s how it works.” (Colbert: “That’s how this show works too.”)

Early in the interview, I flashed on the irony of how capitalism (such as it is today) has made Michael Moore into a global megastar millionaire, and that every eye that has ever viewed any moment of his TV/filmography had that moment brought to it by (what we currently call) capitalism. Moore could not have played into that irony better with the way he closed that interview if I had scripted it myself–saying that his justification in the market is the fact that he keeps putting (paying) people in the seats.

(A Michael Moore fan might be defensively thinking, “Well what was he supposed to say?” He could have said any number of things, like: “I think that important messages like this should be out in the market, even if there isn’t financial support for it. So if the free market decided it didn’t need a ‘Michael Moore’ anymore, I would hope the federal government would have enough insight to provide funding for me to be able to get these ideas out anyway.” Isn’t that an approximation of what he supposedly actually believes in? Because it’s the total opposite of what he said.)

Just why does Michael Moore use the free market to get his ideas out there? Am I wrong to think there’s a conflict there?


2. A funny thing came up at the end of the main guest interview with author A.J. Jacobs. (Michael Moore was not the official guest on the show–he came in for a mid-show “issue” interview, which Colbert occasionally squeezes into the show.) Jacobs wrote a book about how he has tried all sorts of experiments on himself, one of which was to try “radical honesty” for 6 months. Colbert prodded Jacobs to give a “radical honesty” thing about him (Stephen Colbert), to which Jacobs replied, “Well I was a little sad that I got the small green room, while Michael Moore got this huge suite…” To which Colbert replied, “Thank you for coming!” (his standard guest sign-off line).

(Jacobs fades off…he may be saying “huge suite” or “huge, sweet…” It adds up to the same.)

Watch the interview here:

Jacobs’s behind-the-scenes leak illustrates that Michael Moore isn’t the only anti-capitalist who embraces free market values. In the structure of The Colbert Report, the mid-show interview/segments are subordinate to the main interview or segment at the end of the show. In most cases, the mid-show interviews are shorter than the one at the end of the show–they are more like the length of one of his other mid-show segments.  The way Stephen introduces the people also show that the real guest of the show is the person at the end. The mid-show guest is introduced most often like so: “With me tonight to discuss…” While the end-of-show guest is always introduced with: “My guest(s) tonight…”

A.J. Jacobs–clearly less recognized, valued, and exalted by the free market than Michael Moore–was  in fact Stephen’s “guest”, while Moore was merely “with [Stephen] tonight to discuss…”. Yet valuable Moore and his movie actually got more time than lesser-known Jacobs and his book. And as we now know, Jacobs also got the short straw when the green rooms were handed out.

It’s easy to see why Colbert and the show’s other producers would decide to invert their show’s guest hierarchy to accommodate Michael Moore–he is a giant global celebrity with a likely-to-be-blockbuster film coming out. But frankly, if not for the free market’s “valuation” of Moore, there would be no justification for him treating Jacobs that way. At least none that I can think of.

In case it’s not obvious, Colbert is bowing to the free market twice in this case. Once, by heeding the market’s insistence that Moore is more important than Jacobs, and at the same time, catering to the market’s signaling that more Moore will bring him (Colbert) more viewers. It’s a win-win-win all around, really, except for the fact that both Colbert and Moore conspired to short-change the small-voiced little guy (A.J. Jacobs) in favor of giving succor to the anti-god they both claim to despise. (Moore openly, Colbert in his subverted fake-conservative way.)


I guess I’m finding the concept of millionaire anti-capitalists a little hard to get my head around.

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June 24, 2006

Reality TV Opportunities/Applications

Author: Lance - Categories: Television

Reality TV Website.com – Reality TV Applications Page 1

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March 31, 2006

Nothing to show but 53 shows

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

CHANNEL ISLAND – Nothing to show but 53 shows

Lame duck ‘Arrested Development’ will expire 47 episodes short of the 100 mark. And, apparently, that spells failure.

By Scott Collins, Times Staff Writer

The strange fate of “Arrested Development” reminds us once again of the odd up-is-down commercial imperatives of American network TV.

Variety reported Tuesday that creator Mitch Hurwitz has decided to bail on the sitcom about a grandiosely strange Orange County family, which won an armload of glowing reviews, a best comedy Emmy after its first season and whispered reverence from Fox executives, who referred to the show the same way nuns might speak of a medieval relic associated with the Virgin Mary. Unfortunately, what “Arrested” could never do is get arrested. Not nearly enough viewers ever tuned in to justify all the heroic attempts to save the show, which is now evidently dead beyond all doubt.

“The fans have been so ardent in their devotion and in return … I’ve given everything I can to the show in order to try to live up to their expectations,” Hurwitz told Daily Variety. “I finally reached a point where I felt I couldn’t continue to deliver that on a weekly basis.”

In the annals of Hollywood, “Arrested” will go down as a tragedy — not because it was a creative flop (its small but intense legion of fans say quite the opposite) but because it committed the unpardonable sin of crapping out after three seasons. To TV executives, that is just about the worst thing a series can do, because it means that the studio has spent big money to keep alive a show that in all likelihood will never produce serious cash in syndication, where it takes about 100 episodes, or almost five seasons, to prosper.

Does that make any sense? Only to accountants at the TV studios. The economic model that American viewers are stuck with tends to encourage painfully incremental storytelling among dramas and formulaic situations in comedies. Why? So the shows can reach the vaunted 100 mark more easily. Producers lean toward that magic number whether creativity dictates it or not. For all the talk of the death of network comedies, precious little thought has been given to changing the financial formula.

This is the not the way it is everywhere. Consider the BBC. One of its most highly regarded sitcoms, John Cleese’s landmark farce, “Fawlty Towers,” produced precisely 12 episodes. Twelve! That’s one-half of an American season. BBC’s “The Office” produced a grand total of 14 episodes. The NBC version, in its second season, has already made roughly twice that many.

“Arrested” lasted 53 episodes. Only in America would that be considered an early death.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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A+E : The End of “Arrested Development”

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

This is another great example of a journalist who wants to write the AD is dead story so bad that he damages his craft in the process.

Check out the first sentence: “It now looks as if ‘Arrested Development’ is officially dead.

If it was officially dead, it wouldn’t “look like” it was officially dead. There would be no need for equivocation. It’s kinda like saying “I usually always do such-and-such.”

And note the gradual lightening of the show’s status as the article goes on. In the title, it’s the end of Arrested Development. No way to misinterpret that, right? But then the first sentence is “it looks like” it’s officially dead. (Michael: “Wait, you mean he is dead, or it just looks like it?” Literal Doctor: “No, it just looks like he’s dead. He’s got blue paint all over him or something.”) And then by the third paragraph, we’re down to “it now seems highly unlikely the show will get another season.”

By the end of the article, the show is renewed, and outlasting The Simpsons. (Just kidding.)

A+E Interactive: The End of “Arrested Development”
by Charlie McCollum

It now looks as if “Arrested Development” is officially dead.

Just days after sources said that a deal to move the Emmy-winning comedy from its old home at Fox (which pulled it off the air earlier this year) to Showtime was all but finished, show creator Mitch Hurwitz pulled out over what were reportedly creative and financial differences. Hurwitz confirmed his departure in interviews late Monday.

Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox, the comedy’s producers, could go ahead with “Arrested” minus Hurwitz. But since Showtime entertainment president Robert Greenblatt has said repeatedly he wouldn’t take the series unless Hurwitz was involved, it now seems highly unlikely the show will get another season.

Since making its debut in fall 2003, the often-brilliant satirical take on the lives of the Bluth family of Orange County has been widely viewed as television’s best comedy. It won the Emmy for best comedy in 2004 and was nominated again last season.

But the series never found an audience, despite heavy promotion by Fox after its Emmy win and again last fall. (This is one case where you can’t blame the network for not backing a good show.) At the end, “Arrested” was attracting barely 5 million viewers a week and often finished last in its time period.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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Variety.com – Hurwitz takes a hike

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

Variety.com – Hurwitz takes a hike

‘Arrested’ creator bails as showrunner

By JOSEF ADALIAN

“Arrested Development” creator Mitch Hurwitz says he will not be continuing with the series, throwing a major — likely fatal — monkey wrench into attempts to keep the Emmy-winning laffer alive for a fourth season.

Series producers 20th Century Fox TV and Imagine TelevisionImagine Television had agreed on a deal to move “Arrested,” previously on Fox, to Showtime — assuming Hurwitz was willing to come back. In the end, however, a mix of creative and financial concerns has prompted Hurwitz to move on.

“The fans have been so ardent in their devotion and in return … I’ve given everything I can to the show in order to try to live up to their expectations,” Hurwitz told Daily Variety on Monday in a telephone interview from GothamGotham. “I finally reached a point where I felt I couldn’t continue to deliver that on a weekly basis.”

Nonetheless, Hurwitz said he put off making a final decision on his involvement so Showtime and 20th could talk about a possible deal.

“Of course, if there was enough money in it, I would have happily abandoned the fans’ need for quality. But as it turns out, there wasn’t,” he said.

Indeed, Hurwitz and 20th have long been at odds over finances, sparring over everything from the show’s budget to Hurwitz’s own compensation. The two sides were unable to come to terms on an overall deal last year, and while creative concerns were clearly at play in Hurwitz’s decision, coincoin may have been a key factor, insiders said.

Hurwitz said he had briefed most of the show’s cast about his decision, as well as some of the writers. He also talked with exec producer-narrator Ron HowardRon Howard, who asked Hurwitz if he would be willing to continue as a consultant on “Arrested” should 20th and Imagine find a network willing to continue the skeinskein without Hurwitz.

“I said I’d be happy to do that, but that as showrunner, I’ve gone as far as I can go,” he said.

Showtime entertainment toppertopper Bob Greenblatt made it clear in January that Hurwitz’s participation in the show was essential to a deal (Daily Variety, Jan. 20). With Hurwitz out of the equation, Showtime is no longer a viable home for “Arrested,” insiders said.

It doesn’t help that one of Hurwitz’s key deputies, exec producer Jim Valleley, also says he won’t do the show without his boss. “We couldn’t do the show without Mitch Hurwitz, and I wouldn’t want to be the guy who tried,” Valleley said, who called the apparent end of the show “heartbreaking.”

Hurwitz said he had lunch with Showtime entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt even though he was leaning against continuing with the show. “He was actually very persuasive in telling me how much he believed in the show. I walked away thinking, ‘Maybe,’ ” Hurwitz said.

Despite word of tension between Hurwitz and 20th, scribe said the studio and its sister net deserve credit for having produced and aired three seasons of the show.

“I can honestly say I’m appreciative. They put a lot of money into this, and I put a lot of my life into this,” he said.

He also hinted that while “Arrested” may have run its course as a TV show as far as he’s concerned, he would be interested in reviving the franchise as a feature film.

Reps for 20th and Showtime declined comment. One person familiar with the studio’s thinking, however, said fans of the show shouldn’t write an obit for “Arrested” just yet, noting 20th is the studio that revived “Family Guy.”

(Denise Martin contributed to this report.)


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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UPI: “Arrested Development” is a No Go on Showtime

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

This article is sloppy in its reporting…another of many to try and report the death of the showtime deal, though there is reaon to believe it could still live.

ABC 4 – “Arrested Development” is a No Go on Showtime

Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz says he is exiting the show, which quashes a deal to air the Emmy-winning series on Showtime.

A deal was in the works with 20th Century Fox TV and Imagine Television to air the series on the premium cable network, but it was contingent on Hurwitz coming along, Daily Variety reported Tuesday. …

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E!: Unfortunate Development for “Arrested”

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

I’m archiving this article, but the original at E!’s site has a lot of links to articles covering the various developments mentioned in the article.

Unfortunate Development for “Arrested” – Mar 28, 2006 – E! Online News

by Sarah Hall

A new development may keep Arrested Development off the air for good.

Series creator Mitch Hurwitz announced his decision to quit the Emmy-winning comedy Monday, dealing a blow to fans still holding out hope that the canceled Fox show might be revived on another network, Daily Variety reports.

The move by Hurwitz was not entirely unexpected. E! Online’s TV columnist Kristin Veitch reported last month that the executive producer was “hesitant” about sticking with the series, despite a tentative deal in place to move it to Showtime.

Though series producers 20th Century Fox TV and Imagine Television had hammered out an agreement with the cable network, it was forged on the understanding that Hurwitz would be continuing to script the various misadventures of the Bluth family.

However, the writer told Variety he had reached the end of the line as far as Arrested Development was concerned.

“I’ve given everything I can to the show in order to try to live up to [the fans'] expectations,” Hurwitz told the trade. “I finally reached a point where I felt I couldn’t continue to deliver that on a weekly basis.”
“hurwitz”

He said he held off on making a final decision to give 20th Century Fox and Showtime time to reach a potential deal but ultimately had to move on due to a combination of creative and financial concerns.

“Of course, if there was enough money in it, I would have happily abandoned the fans’ need for quality. But as it turns out, there wasn’t,” he said.

Hurwitz said he had briefed most of the show’s cast and writers about his decision. He said executive producer Ron Howard asked him to consider serving as a consultant on the show if 20th Century Fox and Imagine figured out a way to continue it without him.

“I said I’d be happy to do that, but that as showrunner, I’ve gone as far as I can go,” he told Variety.

In a statement, 20th Century Fox offered a teensy bit of hope. “While there are no plans to resume production at this time, we know all too well from our experience with Family Guy…that anything is possible,” the company said, referring to its resurrection of the irreverent ‘toon after the show’s success in reruns and on DVD.

The tragically underrated series about a dysfunctional Orange County, California, family debuted in 2003 to critical acclaim but never registered with viewers, despite winning the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2004.

Last month, only 3.3 million viewers tuned in for what Fox billed as a season finale, but what was most likely the series finale for Arrested Development.

Despite his defection from the show, Hurwitz left fans with one final straw to grasp, hinting to Variety that he may still be interested in adapting the series to the big screen.

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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IGN: Arrested Development Creator Quits

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

Arrested Development Creator Quits

March 28, 2006 – In a very depressing bit of news for my fellow Arrested Development fans, series creator Mitch Hurwitz has decided not to return to run the series, despite Showtime’s offer to pick the show up. This move very likely means that the chances of the series continuing are over. For months now there has been a lot of speculation about the negotiations with Showtime for the beloved but ratings challenged series to move to the cable channel from its previous home on Fox. Many reports had also noted that Hurwitz was feeling burnt out and might not want to continue on, and that without him, the possibilities of Arrested continuing were slim.

Hurwitz has now confirmed to Variety his decision to leave the series. There have reportedly been some arguments over money issues between Hurwitz and 20th Century Fox, who produces Arrested, and financial aspects may have played a part in Hurwitz’s decision. However, more than anything, Hurwitz said he simply felt unable to give his all to the series anymore. Commenting on the loyal following the show has, Hurwitz told Variety, “The fans have been so ardent in their devotion and in return I’ve given everything I can to the show in order to try to live up to their expectations. I finally reached a point where I felt I couldn’t continue to deliver that on a weekly basis.”

While the article notes that executive producer/series narrator Ron Howard has asked Hurwitz to remain connected to the show as a consultant should it continue without him, the chances of that happening seem extremely unlikely. Showtime head Bob Greenwalt had previously stated that he would not want the series without Hurwitz. Even more damaging to the show finding another home is executive producer Jim Valleley, who plays a key creative role in the series, saying he wouldn’t continue on the show without Hurwitz remaining too. Sad to say, but it’s likely time to really say goodbye to the Bluth family. While Hurwitz’s decision is an extremely frustrating one for those of us who’d love the show to continue, the idea of it going on without him also seems highly questionable.

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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TV.com: Arrested Development is a no-show

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

Arrested Development is a no-show

With show creator Hurwitz bailing, hopes grow dim that Showtime will pick up acerbic sitcom.

For Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz, the show mustn’t go on.

Hurwitz confirmed Monday that he has decided against continuing on with the series because he feels the show has reached its creative end. Showtime president Robert Greenblatt said previously that the cable channel was interested in picking up the series, but only if Hurwitz was involved as the show runner.

Hurwitz told Variety that he would consider continuing on as a consultant, and that he would be interested in making a feature film of the series.

“I said I’d be happy to do that, but that as show runner, I’ve gone as far as I can go,” he said.

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March 27, 2006

TWoP – The Will Arnett Interview

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

If you can live with clicking through 19 pages of interview, you get a pretty good look at Arrested development’s Will Arnett (“GOB”) in his interview:

Television Without Pity » The Will Arnett Interview

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February 26, 2006

I’ve made a huge mistake… (25 Best Arrested Development Moments)

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

Progressive Boink presents their 25 Best Arrested Development Moments.

I’d probably have a very different list, but they obviously put a lot of thought and even love into their choices and explanations.

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February 17, 2006

The whole Bluth

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

Time Out New York / The whole Bluth

The stars of Arrested Development take a fond look back

By Laura Gilbert


For fans of the critically acclaimed, bizarrely dysfunctional Bluth family, this is a bittersweet week. The good? Four back-to-back episodes of Arrested Development are on tap. The bad? No more are on the way—at least, not unless a cable network rides to the rescue. On Friday 10, Fox will dump, er, air the series’s final installment as token opposition to the Winter Olympics opening ceremonies on NBC.… To mark the sad occasion, we asked cast members to discuss their favorite episodes of the Emmy-winning sitcom and reveal what’s next for them.

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Development arrested

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

Old Gold & Black > [i]Development[/i] arrested


…Last Friday night marked the bittersweet end to Arrested Development’s critically-acclaimed yet ratings-stagnant run on Fox that seems to be symbolic of the questionable tastes of American television viewers.

Dubbed by a host of critics as the best comedy in years and recipient of the award for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 2004 Emmy Awards (nominated again in 2005), Mitchell Hurwitz’s comedy about an uber-dysfunctional, affluent family reeling from corporate scandal and skewed values has been dropped by Fox after only its third season. …

…In the defense of Fox and those who did not care for or gave up on the show, it is actually rather difficult to follow for those who did not catch the initial episodes. In addition, its subtle continuity is ill-formatted for a weekly show.

In fact, the show is infinitely better, in my mind, when viewed in DVD format. The ability to watch the episodes in multiple succession and in chronological order really allows the shows true brilliance to be showcased.

I highly recommend watching the show this way before you give up on it entirely. Though its existence on Fox has come to an end, Arrested Development does have a chance of being picked up for a fourth season with some other network, most likely with the Showtime Network, who has expressed interest in the show.

I think that this will only become more likely as notoriety and appreciation for the show continues to increase due to DVD sales. …

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February 16, 2006

“Arrested Development’s” Family Ties

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

Here’s the bit that grabbed me in this (otherwise-oft-covered) bit of news:

Producer Brian Grazer told CNN last week that he is working feverishly to move the sitcom to another home.

“I think we’ll get picked up by some other network, possibly,” he said. “You never know.

“I can’t tell you anything other than I’m hoping it works out in the way that we want it to. But I’m optimistic.”

“Arrested Development’s” Family Ties – Dec 08, 2005 – E! Online News

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February 13, 2006

USATODAY.com – If this is the end, a fond arrivederci to ‘Arrested’

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

These are possibly the three best articles I’ve seen about the end (or not end) of Arrested Development – very possibly the best comedy in television history.

The two articles about the show’s future (or not future) actually have seemingly relevant quotes from the show’s creator Mitch Hurwitz and star Jason Bateman. And the finale review (the first article below) strikes the right tone, without trying to explain too much of what happens plot-wise.

USATODAY.com – If this is the end, a fond arrivederci to ‘Arrested’

USATODAY.com – Is the show a wrap?

USATODAY.com – Showtime or ABC could get ‘Arrested’

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February 12, 2006

Arresting development of a great show

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

An article by a fanatic of Arrested Development, about fanatics of Arrested Development. (And now read by a fanatic of Arrested Development. Though not as bad as this guy)

The Trentonian – News – 02/10/2006 – Arresting development of a great show

If you’re a true American, you will not watch the Olympics tonight. You will instead watch “Arrested Development” on FOX.

Let’s nutshell this: Watch the Olympics, you’re a communist. Watch “Arrested Development,” you’re a patriot.

You do want to be a patriot, don’t you? Don’t you? Don’t you?!?!

All right, sorry. Perhaps I overstate the case, and yes, I admit I’m a little nutty about the show. But understand this: Unless a miracle happens — like the cable channel Showtime taking the show — tonight’s four episodes will be the last of the series.

The reason? Only about four million people watch the show any given week. In the world of primetime network television, that’s a lousy number. Really lousy.

But — and this is a big but — the people who watch the show are maniacal about it….

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February 10, 2006

Laughs aren’t ‘Arrested,’ but Fox sitcom could be

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

Laughs aren’t ‘Arrested,’ but Fox sitcom could be

Last call for laughter.

Fox’s ‘‘Arrested Development closes its third season – and perhaps the series – with four episodes (beginning at 8 tonight on WFXT, Ch. 25).

If it is the end – Showtime is reportedly considering picking up the show but dickering over costs – the best sitcom of the past decade is going out with head held high, a drink in hand and one tipsy swagger.

You’ll find more jokes here than even 10 episodes of ‘‘My Name Is Earl – and about 3,000 more than any episode of ‘‘Two and a Half Men.

Fox didn’t do the show any favors this season, running it in bursts on Monday nights and then burying it again. Now it airs the final four on a Friday night – against a little thing called the Olympics.

Way to bury a show.

Oh, but don’t blame Fox, people.

Blame yourselves.

Why, why, why didn’t you watch this show?

In tonight’s two-hour finale (the network deviously released only the first three episodes to this delirious critic), the Bluth family tackles its legal troubles with a mock trial that brings in Judge Reinhold (yes, the actor) as the judge.

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Tonight: Two Hours of Arrested Development

Author: Lance - Categories: Arrested Development

Tonight: Two Hours of “Arrested Development”

…And while I appreciate ABC’s interest as well as their free-ness, I would rather see this show go to Showtime. I like the bleeps and the innuendo, but I also want to see it make it past three episodes, assuming it does make a move. Look at what happened to Heather Graham’s “Emily’s Reasons Why Not” It got the axe after one episode — and had a few million more viewers than the average episode of “Arrested Development.” Not sure why they’d even want it, except that maybe they are looking to fill their mantle with Emmys.

Whether it moves or not, I am ready to laugh my ass off tonight. Tune in for the two-hour marathon of “Arrested Development,” starting tonight at 8:00 p.m. (EST) on Fox. — Rachel Cericola

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