Arrested Development: This Show Isn't Funny

Time and time again when asking what the funniest TV shows are, people constantly bring up Arrested Development. The show receives a ton of praise so one day I sat down and watched a few episodes. I wanted to laugh like everyone else watching the show, but I didn't. The show just is not funny. The only thing interesting about the show is noting how so many of the actors went on to better things, like actually being funny. I don't care who tells me or how they try to explain it, the show is just not funny.

I've seen the show explained that it's clever humor and you have to think about it to get it, but it's not. When you keep hearing "there's always money in the banana stand," early on it's not funny. We already realized there's literally money in the stand the first time because of the obvious hints and winks. When they burn it down it's just like "oh well." Was that supposed to be clever because everyone pieced it together long before the punchline.

The show is sometimes described as referential humor. A show that is funny because it references itself. In fact, it's been stated the show isn't funny if you don't get the references. Why should I have to watch four soul sucking, joyless seasons only then to come back to season one and laugh. That's not how this is supposed to work. That idea is that it's mandatory you see everything to get the jokes. Usually if you go back to an older season it's because you really enjoyed it. Not so you can finally understand the jokes. I didn't watch four seasons of The Walking Dead and go back to season one like "Oh, that's why Rick likes Morgan."

If I could describe the humor of this show, I would describe it as cringe humor. It's supposed to make you cringe and laugh but it doesn't. Oh look, the cousins are in love. That's weird but it doesn't make me cringe in a time where Kevin Gates is sleeping with his cousin and proudly claims that nobody is going to stop them.

People love the characters but they aren't great. The characters aren't exceptional well rounded either. Most of them are just really mean and greedy people. I don't exactly find that funny. Even if it is mean people being mean to other people. The show expects you to feel for these people when there's a sad moment in their lives but the only one with an ounce of likability is George Michael. There is literally no reason to feel bad for any of these people. GOB is a struggling magician who help created a code of ethics that would force other magicians out, then got bit in the ass. Oscar and Lucille are just embezzling scumbags more concerned about their lifestyle than anything else. Lindsay and Tobias are just horrible to each other and I'm not sure why they're even together. Maeby is a thief and generally a bad person. I don't like any of these people.

I'm a firm believer of "everything isn't for you." Sometimes things are just not going to be entertaining to you. That's okay, you should just move on. That's what I'm willing to do with this show. But I do have one question. Who is this show actually for? Who is the target demographic of this show? I can't seem to figure it out. Yet all I hear are the praises sang from the heavens about it.I don't like Arrested Development, I don't think it's funny, I don't think the writing is great and I don't think it tells a great story. To me it seems like a show that should have never been able to run so long and that's okay.

You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts. He also plays classic arcade games on The Cabinet. You can also check out his playthrough of Sleeping Dogs.
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