All 5 Seasons of 'Arrested Development,' Ranked (original) (raw)
Image via 20th Century Fox Television
Published Jan 6, 2024, 5:31 PM EST
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Of all the defining sitcoms aired in the 21st century so far, Arrested Development is easily up there as one of the very best. On paper, it might sound like just another show about a dysfunctional family where everyone is their own agent of chaos and clashes between family members are constant, but it’s the execution of a familiar-sounding premise that makes it a classic within the television world. Each main character is hilarious in unique ways, the jokes come in such rapid succession that it can be difficult to keep up, and it’s surprisingly continuity-heavy by sitcom standards, rewarding attentive viewers and dedicated fans.
Depicting the once-wealthy Bluth family’s elongated fall from grace over five seasons, Arrested Development aired for three seasons between 2003 and 2006 on Fox before being infamously canceled, and then revived at Netflix for two additional seasons between 2013 and 2019. The long-running nature of the show did ensure not every season was created equally, but most of Arrested Development was excellent, and if the later seasons seemed lacking, it was mostly because the earlier ones were so great. Each season is ranked below, with season 5 being split into 5A and 5B, given each half of that final season was aired separately; the first in 2018, and the second in 2019.
Arrested Development
Release Date
2003 - 2019-00-00
Cast
Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, John Beard, Liza Minnelli, Mae Whitman, Alan Tudyk, Allan Wasserman, Andy Morrow, Andy Richter, Anne Bellamy, Ben Stiller, Blaine Pate, Bobby Lee, Carrie Preston, Chad Einbinder, Charlie Hartsock, Cheryl Howard, Chris Diamantopoulos, Cici Lau, Craig Robinson, Dave Thomas, Ed Begley Jr., Elise Robertson, Eric Zuckerman, Ethan Phillips, Frankie Muniz, Gloria Sandoval, Harry S. Murphy, Heather Graham, Jake Hoffman
Seasons
5
6 Season 5A (2018)
“If that's a veiled criticism about me, I won't hear it, and I won't respond to it.”
Image via Netflix
Arrested Development may have been about unlikable people, but at its best, watching such flawed characters make life hard for each other while tending to bring about their own downfalls proved entertaining, much like how other sitcoms like Seinfeld and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia mine comedic gold out of sociopathy. Unfortunately, season 5 lacks a little in the humor department, especially the shaky first half of the season, comprising eight episodes that aired in 2018. With less frequent comedic highlights, the show at its weakest becomes more frustrating and grating than it feels genuinely hilarious or clever.
At the very least, season 5A does make a valiant attempt to return to form in a way, while also doing its own thing in another way. The main cast doesn’t feel as separated as they often were in season 4 (one of the main criticisms of that season), with some of the group scenes retaining the feel of the earlier seasons. Then there’s an attempt at an overall mystery narrative for the season, focusing on Lucille 2’s disappearance, which might not quite work, but shows a willingness to try something different. However, what few payoffs there are for season 5 generally come in its latter half, making season 5A representative of Arrested Development at its most lackluster.
5 Season 5B (2019)
Episodes that should "return from whence they came!"
Michael Cera and Jason Bateman in Season 5 of Arrested Development
Image via Netflix
A final season being split in two is nothing new, and has been done quite effectively before, particularly with classic shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad. For both of those shows, the second half was arguably better than the first, and the same holds for season 5B – the second half of season 5 – of Arrested Development. That being said, the season as a whole doesn’t add up to much, even if the 2019 batch of episodes was a little stronger than the 2018 batch. Certainly, very few people will talk about Arrested Development’s final season the same way they might discuss the final seasons of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad.
At least it does feel like a climactic collection of episodes, having some more time to wind down than the famously rushed ending of season 3, where writers scrambled to get a working conclusion after the show’s cancelation was announced. The mystery-heavy storyline introduced in season 5A gets a surprisingly dark conclusion here, for better or worse, and even those who don’t like such an ending will probably remember it. It’s maybe as good as it could’ve been, following the relatively disappointing season 5A, but could still have some fans of the show wondering if a fifth season overall was even worth it.
4 Season 4 (2013)
"You're my third least favorite season."
Image via Netflix
Season 4 is Arrested Development’s strangest and most divisive season, but it arguably gets more criticism than it deserves. It may have been that at the time of release, expectations were sky-high, considering the show’s cancelation seven years earlier, and fans of the show were understandably excited to see the Bluths again. Yet something jumps out as strange straight away: the Bluths don’t often feel like a family unit the way they used to, with season 4 taking the ambitious approach of splitting up one of TV’s best ensemble casts for many episodes, with the majority of said episodes focusing on a single character at the time.
Things shine whenever cast members do share the screen, but careers of various actors had taken off in other directions between seasons 3 and 4, necessitating a more fractured production to accommodate differing schedules. Things also get wilder narratively and stylistically, with creator Mitchell Hurwitz and the other writers having storylines branch off in numerous directions, increasing the amount of non-chronological storytelling, and making viewers wait episodes at a time for joke payoffs or plot clarifications. It’s a strange but fascinating mutation of Arrested Development, and though it’s not as consistent as the first three seasons, it does become more coherent as it goes along… plus a handful of the individual episodes do manage to be very funny and creative.
3 Season 3 (2005-2006)
"There's always money in the season 3 stand."
Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron in Season 3 of Arrested Development
Image via 20th Century Fox Television
First things first: season 3 of Arrested Development is still classic Arrested Development. The energy and style of the first two seasons are largely maintained, and part of the reason the final season in the show’s cut-short original run feels a tiny bit weaker than what came before is that it was canceled after just 13 episodes, in contrast to the 22-episode season 1 and the 18-episode season 2. That’s all to say, that aspect of season 3 being potentially disappointing (compared to the show’s high prior standards) is not necessarily the show’s fault. Considering the lousy hand it was dealt, (more a cold metal hook than a hand, really), it did pretty well, it has to be said.
Other potentially contentious aspects of this season would be the way it leans into cringe/gross humor a little more than seasons 1 and 2, particularly with the rather disgusting subplot involving Tobias getting hair plugs. Season 3’s also home to Charlize Theron’s recurring role as Rita, which might be one of the few storylines from Arrested Development’s early years that hasn’t held up super well. Despite a few missteps, though, much of season 3 is very strong, and more than worth sticking with for anyone who enjoyed the first two seasons.
2 Season 2 (2004-2005)
"Unlimited season 2? This party is going to be off the hook!"
Image via 20th Century Fox Television
Of the 10 highest-rated episodes of Arrested Development, five come from season 2, which should be enough of a ringing endorsement for said season. That doesn’t automatically suggest season 2’s consistent, but anyone who watches all 18 episodes will find consistency aplenty, thankfully. In all honesty, it can be difficult to differentiate season 2 from season 1. Both find constantly hilarious scenarios to throw various characters into, with both seasons being defined by the show’s uncanny (and essentially unparalleled) ability to have a high quantity of high-quality running gags that get funnier the more they repeat and develop.
Season 2 contains greatness like Tobias’s Mrs. Featherbottom routine, Buster’s seal incident, the unforgettable introduction of the inimitable Gene Parmesan, and an increased role for George Michael’s girlfriend, Ann (her?). It’s really just everything good about the first season, but more of it. No one’s going to be disappointed that it doesn’t exceed the first season necessarily, because season 1 was already so great. The best thing the show could’ve done was maintain its own strange status quo and continue to be as funny as ever, which is just what season 2 managed to do.
1 Season 1 (2003-2004)
"Well, no one's gonna top that."
Image via 20th Century Fox Television
There’s a period of adjustment required to get on Arrested Development’s wavelength in its earliest episodes, because it starts at 11 and just continues to get more ferocious and non-stop with its humor. Even if it's something of a struggle to keep up at first, the show's always entertaining and hilarious, and then once a viewer settles into the groove, things somehow get even better. At some point, season 1 just starts delivering perfect sitcom episode after perfect sitcom episode, and if Arrested Development had only lasted this one season, it would still stand as an absolutely classic TV comedy.
Despite never finding a huge audience of viewers in its early seasons, season 1 of Arrested Development was an instant critical darling, with five of its six Emmy wins being for the first season, including a win for Outstanding Comedy Series. At least these first 22 episodes have become deservedly beloved as the years have gone on, and even if Arrested Development was ultimately a show that started great and then debatably got incrementally less great with each season, the fact remains that its first two seasons (and a good chunk of its third) are essentially perfect. That’s not something that can be said about many comedies on TV, but Arrested Development was never anything close to an ordinary sitcom.
Arrested Development can be streamed on Netflix in the U.S.