Arrested Development: Season Three

Well folks, here it is: the 2-disc final season of Arrested Development. Correction: the final thirteen episodes of Arrested Development. Truth be told, I don't consider this a full season. Hell, even the second season's lean eighteen episode run barely qualified. If this were an HBO show, I'd definitely be singing a different tune, but it's not and shame on Fox for the way they handled this one-of-a-kind gem of a series.

Sure, we could also blame the audience, who never quite caught on to the show's irreverent, rapid-fire combination of high-brow and low-brow humor, but it's pretty clear that Fox came up short in the marketing department. Of course, that wasn't the only problem. In the end, not even the incessant voice-overs by the show's co-producer, Ron Howard (which gets increasingly annoying, overly informative, and desperate with each episode), could get AD noobs into the dynamic story arc.

Fox began to slowly pull the plug after a few "third season" episodes aired. From that point on, they'd inconsistently air an episode every now and then for the next few months. By the time the show was finished, I didn't even expect them to bother with a proper wrap-up for us faithful viewers (a la Undeclared). Thankfully, the last four episodes put a tidy end to the show's 53 episode run.

All and all, it's been a pretty great run. While season three had one or two less than stellar episodes, it also included some of the series' best gags (Tobias: "Dear lord, why am I not going underwater?") and the last four episodes really do deliver the goods. While the DVD packaging comically misleads one to believe that the series includes such big name guest stars as Scott Baio and Justine Bateman, there's also plenty of A, B, C, and Z-list cameos from the likes of Charlize Theron (as a retarded person), Judge Reinhold (as a judge, sorta), Andy Dick (in 3D, sorta), and William Hung (with his Hung jury).

The final episode's commentary track gets a little edgy, mostly thanks to David Cross, who's always pissed off at "the man" for one reason (AD) or another (Mr. Show). You gotta feel for the guy. He always gives top notch performances in top notch shows that end up getting canned. During the last moments of the commentary, everyone in the cast talks about how the show would/could make for an excellent movie or whatnot, but Cross (who gets the final word) responds, "You know what Arrested Development would be great as? A television series."

There was something so depressing about having the show end on such a somber note. Yet I'll be the first one to admit that, for better or worse, it comes across entirely sincere and appropriate. Alas, the two other "telephone conference call commentaries" aren't quite as biting, but we do get some good anecdotes from Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Tony Hale, Portia de Rossi, Alia Shawkat, Jessica Walter, Cross, and series creator Mitchell Hurwitz, who's surprisingly the least sour about all this (or maybe he just wants to get another gig with a television network, though I don't know why).

Other extras include nearly 15 minutes of nifty deleted/extended scenes (included on both discs) for almost every episode of the season, a 7-minute blooper reel (in anamorphic widescreen), and a 7-minute behind-the-scenes segment taken from the final day of shooting. It's cute, sentimental, and way too short. These extras are fine, but I still expect Fox to release some "definitive" box set of all two and a half seasons in some giant $100-plus Buster Bluth head cabinet storage thingy. As if this DVD wasn't already bittersweet enough. Rest in peace Arrested Development. See you real soon. -- Neil Karassik