# First clip from new Arrested Development **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756 "2013-04-26T14:37:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/21 "2013-04-27T20:23:13Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > [This article](http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/08/arrested-development-season-4-narrator-ron-howard-steps-in-front-of-the-camera.html)doesn’t explicitly say that he’s still narrating, but I certainly inferred it. Sounded like him to me in the clip, actually. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/22 "2013-04-27T22:12:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Here’s [one example](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZgmsgw1Xw8) from another sitcom that I really enjoy, _Modern Family_. I caught the joke right in the beginning when I watched it. Yeah, I was really disappointed in that moment on Modern Family. Such a funny joke, but the moment they feel the need to spell it out it just disintegrates. Arrested Development was never afraid of letting jokes go over your head, because they knew that the ones you have to jump to catch are so much more satisfying. It was never obtuse or referential for obscurity’s sake; everything paid off. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/23 "2013-04-27T22:22:26Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > It was never obtuse or referential for obscurity’s sake; everything paid off. I suppose that depends how you define it, but the “Mr. Roboto” joke, IMHO, was pretty [obscure](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV5ILJJOPkc). Of course, I love it for that fact, though. It’s still amusing on the literal level, though. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/24 "2013-04-27T22:29:58Z")
Actually, [this article](http://splitsider.com/2012/08/53-arrested-development-jokes-you-probably-missed/) about AD jokes kind of goes into part of why I love it so much. You can write it off as jokes “too clever for their own good” or “inside baseball” or whatnot, but the literal level of comedy stands up, in my opinion. I just love how they can weave all these levels of comedy in so seamlessly. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/25 "2013-04-27T23:08:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I suppose that depends how you define it, but the “Mr. Roboto” joke, IMHO, was pretty [obscure](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV5ILJJOPkc). Of course, I love it for that fact, though. It’s still amusing on the literal level, though. I am surprised if this is an obscure reference. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/26 "2013-04-27T23:43:49Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > …Maybe now, since it’s going to be commercial free (I assume), they don’t have to be as worried about that… Unlike Hulu Netflix doesn’t have commercials so each episode should be pretty close to 30 minutes. Is AD airing on any actual TV channels overseas? > [@GuanoLad](#): > > …\*Is Netflix considered a Network? It is the way you’re using the word. Technically a network is an assortment of TV stations broadcasting over the airways, but in practice it just means whoever distributes at TV show to the public. At least that’s how it sounds on DVD commentaries when the producers keep refering to “the network” even on cable shows. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/27 "2013-04-28T00:15:03Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Unlike Hulu Netflix doesn’t have commercials so each episode should be pretty close to 30 minutes. Is AD airing on any actual TV channels overseas? But they could set it up to go into syndication in a year or two. Netflix may very well want to sell it to a Network (or IFC) to make some real money on it after the initial viewing slows down and they’ll need to be less then 30 minutes for that. Of course, they could be 30 minutes on Netflix and shorter on Network/Cable TV. Also, regarding some of the visual jokes, on the youtube thing I mentioned earlier, the cast mentioned that they weren’t even in on some of them. Jason Bateman and Will Arnett mentioned catching some of the background props and stuff on the fridge between takes or even watching it years later on TV. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/28 "2013-04-28T00:38:16Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I am surprised if this is an obscure reference. _shrug_ It may be, or maybe it’s not. I don’t remember that commercial being an integral part of pop culture. I certainly didn’t remember it, and it’s one of the “‘53 Arrested Development’ Jokes You Probably Missed” article I linked to. (ETA: Although I see this is a 1999 commercial it’s a reference to, and I wasn’t around in the US from '98-'03, so it’s absolutely possible I just missed the cultural reference because of that. Still, it shows up on the list and you have to make a small series of connections to fully get it.) ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/29 "2013-04-28T23:27:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > _shrug_ It may be, or maybe it’s not. I don’t remember that commercial being an integral part of pop culture. I certainly didn’t remember it, and it’s one of the “‘53 Arrested Development’ Jokes You Probably Missed” article I linked to. (ETA: Although I see this is a 1999 commercial it’s a reference to, and I wasn’t around in the US from '98-'03, so it’s absolutely possible I just missed the cultural reference because of that. Still, it shows up on the list and you have to make a small series of connections to fully get it.) I think what a lot of people missed was that it’s the same actor. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/30 "2013-04-29T01:55:31Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > I think what a lot of people missed was that it’s the same actor. Yup. I totally got the level of the joke that it was a reference to an old commercial, but had no idea that Tony Hale was actually the guy in the commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/31 "2013-04-29T12:48:23Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > I think what a lot of people missed was that it’s the same actor. Ah! Did not realize that. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/32 "2013-04-29T12:55:03Z")
> [@urban1a](#): > > I have watched a couple of episodes of this series but don’t see anything of value in it. I’ll reiterate what others have said, and add this: _Arrested Development_’s humor was _dense_. The reason it never quite found an audience was because you couldn’t eat dinner and watch the show at the same time, because you’d miss too much. There were jokes that I didn’t catch for a hell of a long time- one, in fact, took me three years to get. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/33 "2013-04-29T13:04:19Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > I’ll reiterate what others have said, and add this: _Arrested Development_’s humor was _dense_. The reason it never quite found an audience was because you couldn’t eat dinner and watch the show at the same time, because you’d miss too much. There were jokes that I didn’t catch for a hell of a long time- one, in fact, took me three years to get. As seen in this very thread with one aspect of the “Mr. Roboto” joke. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/34 "2013-04-29T15:37:01Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I agree that it could work on just the writing and dialogue, but some of those visual gags are my favorite. Little touches like blue hand paint on the walls and stuff that isn’t too obviously drawn attention to, but lets the viewer figure out for him/herself. > > Here’s [one example](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZgmsgw1Xw8) from another sitcom that I really enjoy, _Modern Family_. I caught the joke right in the beginning when I watched it. I feel that Arrested Development would have the type of writing that would just leave it at that, leaving it in the background, giving the viewer a sense of self-satisfaction and “feeling clever” for having caught it, while _Modern Family_ had to emphasize the joke in the end. _That’s_ what I love about _Arrested Development_. It has jokes that are hammered in, but there’s these little background touches that you have to pay a little attention to notice (although I thought the Modern Family sight gag was pretty clear from the get-go. The hammering-it-down-your-throat kind of spoiled it for me.) Wow. That bench sign gag is a complete AD rip off. I think fans of shows like Modern Family and the Office don’t understand how much these shows take from AD. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/35 "2013-04-29T15:51:22Z")
Here’s a list of [53 hidden jokes](http://splitsider.com/2012/08/53-arrested-development-jokes-you-probably-missed/) from the series. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/36 "2013-04-29T16:05:11Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > Here’s a list of [53 hidden jokes](http://splitsider.com/2012/08/53-arrested-development-jokes-you-probably-missed/) from the series. Fun list, but can someone explain this one to me: > [@](#): > > 1. In “Whistler’s Mother,” the very first episode that features Oscar, Oscar’s first line is “Heeeey nephew” as he enters and begins giving Michael a backrub. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/37 "2013-04-29T16:16:16Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Fun list, but can someone explain this one to me: In the first episode, Buster’s first scene (or at least one of his first) starts with him saying “Heeey, brother,” and giving Michael (as I recall) an unwanted backrub. The narrator describes Buster as a perpetual student, taking classes on a variety of topics (including therapeutic massage - as well as cartography, though he was left with the impression that blue regions on maps represented land) because the family’s wealth meant he never had to actually _do_ anything. The joke being that even at that early stage, Buster had a lot in common with Oscar, his real father. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/38 "2013-04-29T16:21:42Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > In the first episode, Buster’s first scene (or at least one of his first) starts with him saying “Heeey, brother,” and giving Michael (as I recall) an unwanted backrub. The narrator describes Buster as a perpetual student, taking classes on a variety of topics (including therapeutic massage - as well as cartography, though he was left with the impression that blue regions on maps represented land) because the family’s wealth meant he never had to actually _do_ anything. > > The joke being that even at that early stage, Buster had a lot in common with Oscar, his real father. Ah yes! I had forgotten that Oscar was Buster’s real father. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/39 "2013-04-30T23:25:48Z")
That clip was supposed to be amusing? ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-clip-from-new-arrested-development/656756/40 "2013-05-13T18:44:44Z")
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