# We knew Arrested Development couldn't hang on forever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592 "2005-11-11T17:17:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/21 "2005-11-11T20:16:52Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Taste the laughter, **kingpengvin**. Taste it! Franklin??? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/22 "2005-11-11T20:17:18Z")
> [@Balduran](#): > > Guess I’m another one of those submorons out there. Heard about how wonderful it was, but only watched one or two episodes before finding others things to do or watch. I think you’ve identified a key reason why it didn’t do well. If you’ve only seen one or two episodes, you probably didn’t connect to the rhythm of the show. It took me a little while too. It’s like learning to love a good scotch. You have to stick with it for a while to get it. Not a great thing for a new TV show. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/23 "2005-11-11T20:19:50Z")
> [@kingpengvin](#): > > Franklin??? Indubitably. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/24 "2005-11-11T21:14:29Z")
Damn Shame. I am just pleased we have so many episodes to enjoy in syndication someday. With the 13 ordered, there will be over 50 episodes. Even without the magic 100 episodes, I’m sure a channel like Comedy Central will give them a good home. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/25 "2005-11-11T21:23:26Z")
And we’ll have 2 1/2 great seasons to watch forever on DVD, knowing the show never got the chance to jump the shark (except for when Barry Zuckerkorn actually jumped over a shark in season 2). ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/26 "2005-11-11T21:27:51Z")
And the thing is that it’s not like you watch an episode just once and you’ve seen it all. The show has the joke density of a neutrino star, so there’s always something new to see. And it was just last night that I got the significance of Ann’s last name. That’s kinda sick. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/27 "2005-11-11T22:38:03Z")
The one bright spot I can see is that the writers may just pull all the stops out for the last few episodes. I’m excited to see when kind of potshots they’ll take. Going out in a white creamy bang in-DEED! ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/28 "2005-11-11T22:45:53Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > And it was just last night that I got the significance of Ann’s last name. That’s kinda sick. ??? –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/29 "2005-11-12T00:16:10Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > ??? > > –Cliffy You know, Bland? She’s George Michael’s girlfriend. You’ve MET her! Many times! ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/30 "2005-11-12T00:28:21Z")
So, how does everyone predict AD wraps the show up? Also, will this be the Best Comedy winner with the fewest total episodes? ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/31 "2005-11-12T00:52:35Z")
[QUOTE=middleman] So, how does everyone predict AD wraps the show up?QUOTE] Patrick Duffy: What’s Arrested Development? ---
**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/32 "2005-11-12T00:58:01Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > ??? > > –Cliffy Ann Veal. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/33 "2005-11-12T01:39:48Z")
Aw, man! Amy Poehler’s gonna lose her boat! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/34 "2005-11-12T02:46:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Also, will this be the Best Comedy winner with the fewest total episodes? Probably _The Ben Stiller Show_, a sketch comedy series on Fox back in 1992. Fox broadcast twelve episodes and cancelled the series. Then several months later it won an Emmy. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/35 "2005-11-12T03:06:47Z")
In this case, it seems logical to me to blame the viewers who didn’t watch. You may not have liked it, but you can’t deny it’s your fault. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/36 "2005-11-12T03:07:27Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > And apparently it’s too costly for FX to produce. FX is the idiot network that broadcast, then killed, _Starved_, another brilliant show, so I’d hardly trust anything to _them_. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/37 "2005-11-12T03:14:25Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Then there are those of us who, I don’t know, just don’t find **Arrested Development** funny. At all. I would pay substantial amounts of money to never have to see, hear, or hear of David Cross for the next 50 years. My wife, OTOH, loves the show Go figure. > > YMMV, of course. But don’t condemn the people who didn’t watch out of hand. They obviously had better things to do with their time. Switching “funny” with “exciting” and switching David Cross to um, let’s see, Ron Glass, say, you could say the same thing about _Firefly_. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/38 "2005-11-12T03:19:37Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > In this case, it seems logical to me to blame the viewers who didn’t watch. You may not have liked it, but you can’t deny it’s your fault. Guh? Am I misreading you? They’re supposed to watch a show they don’t enjoy because you want it to stay on the air? You don’t think they have better things to do with their time than sit through something they don’t like? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/39 "2005-11-12T03:23:16Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > Switching “funny” with “exciting” and switching David Cross to um, let’s see, Ron Glass, say, you could say the same thing about _Firefly_. ☹ No argument. Well, except that Firefly was **good** , while Arrested Development…isn’t. 😃 I kid, I kid. I feel for all the fans of this show. I know all too well what it feels like when something like this happens. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592/40 "2005-11-12T03:32:02Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Well, I wouldn’t go as far as you, but I never found it that funny. It certainly never made me laugh out loud the way _The Simpsons_, _Seinfeld_, _Frasier_, _Family Guy_, _Newsradio_, early _Malcolm_ or a host of other shows did and do. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. Certainly nothing that I would take time away from doing something else to watch. People can blame me too. I watched the first few and didn’t find myself laughing. I’m not much of a sitcom viewer, though, so it’s unusual that I’m watching two sitcoms this season - Two and a Half Men, which I discovered over the summer, and Out Of Practice. Now those strike me as funny shows. Not as funny as Norm, Andy Richter Controls the Universe or 2 Guys and a Girl, but far funnier than Arrested Developement has ever struck me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-knew-arrested-development-couldnt-hang-on-forever/330592.md?page=3)