[Cress]

Wow, great articles! Thanks, Boo.

[BooRadley]

I'll thank my coworkers, who forwarded me those articles. They became huge AD fans after I let them borrow the S1 DVDs.

[Cursed]

Thanks Boo, those articles were great.

Originally Posted by BooRadley These are strange TV days for sure when That '70s Show gets an early pickup and Arrested Development is left on the bubble.

I totally agree. I still can't believe Malcolm and 70s have already gotten early renewals even though they're not doing that much better than AD. Neither one is the success that it used to be yet the network still has more faith in them than in the most acclaimed and loved comedy on TV.

[Cress]

And two of the 70s show stars are leaving next season. How the hell do they expect the show to continue without Topher Grace (he's the more invaluable one) and Ashton Kutcher? If FOX can renew that show, why not AD?

[wanderer78]

From what I read, right now T70's has only a million more viewers than AD.

TWOP has this online poll:


Arrested Development's second season has just ended -- what's going to happen to the show?

- It'll get cancelled

-FOX will place its execs in witness protection, then they'll cancel it

-Depends on whether it wins any Emmys

- Depends on whether FOX finally admits the emperor has no clothes and renames itself "IdolTV"

-It'll get renewed, but wind up in a crappy time slot it has no chance in

- It'll get renewed, but FOX will monkey with it and it'll come back as World's Wildest Developed Arrests and starring Joey Lawrence or some damn thing

-FOX will renew it and give it the marketing and support it deserves

-It'll go to HBO or another cable station

[jujubee]

-It'll get renewed, but wind up in a crappy time slot it has no chance in

I voted this one. Mostly bec I'm praying it will be renewed, but still realistic enough to know FOX will never be able to get everything right.

[Cursed]

I voted for this one:

-FOX will place its execs in witness protection, then they'll cancel it

I wouldn't put it pass them. But if it does get canceled (I hope not), I really want this one to happen:

-It'll go to HBO or another cable station

[BooRadley]

I vote for this one:

- It'll get renewed, but FOX will monkey with it and it'll come back as World's Wildest Developed Arrests and starring Joey Lawrence or some damn thing

I am actually quite hopeful that Fox will renew it. (Though I also believe this will be the year the Cubs win the WS, so maybe delusional is a better word.)

[Gambit221]

- It'll get renewed, but FOX will monkey with it and it'll come back as World's Wildest Developed Arrests and starring Joey Lawrence or some damn thing

[idontcare]

I found an old maxim magazine from October 2003 today and was flipping through it and it was their annual TV special and they mention Arrested development as one of their top new shows. this is what they said about it.

we know, we know, the premise doesn't sound very funny, and the cast doesn't sound very funny...but this actually works and we can't explain why. Just to be safe though, catch it before it migrates to the brilliant but canceled category.

something prophetic there...

[Gleebo]

I dont think there is any way that the powers that be on this show will allow the quality to sag at all. If its back, it will be the same show we know and love. It just needs to come back.

Those folks over at FOX could become the most loved or hated people in the universe depending on this decision. Lets hope they end up loved for once.

[Cress]

New comments from Matt Roush:

Question: I remember when TV Guide named Seinfeld the best comedy of all time. I love Seinfeld and think it is one of the best comedies ever, but don't you think that calling it the best comedy ever was a bit premature? I mean, there were still comedies after Seinfeld went off the air. Granted, lots of them suck, but what about Arrested Development? I think that AD is the best post-Seinfeld comedy, but it may even be as good as, if not better than, Seinfeld. Which is funnier? And if Arrested Development were moved to another day, would it be more successful? Would have success if it had a lead-in like American Idol? If it had a laugh track, would be as brilliant as it is now? — Charles Matt: Whew. Where to start. First off, that list of best TV shows ever was part of the magazine's 50th-anniversary celebration, and it would have been hard to include Arrested Development since it hadn't yet premiered. The in-house debate over that list was passionate and centered mostly on whether we should celebrate a vintage or contemporary classic as the No. 1 show (in other words, Seinfeld or I Love Lucy). The choice was controversial, but there's no way a cult show could ever have topped the list, even one as brilliantly funny as Arrested Development. The criteria for such a list include cultural impact, and while it's possible that AD's reputation will soar in the future, at the moment it's pretty much a cultural and industry darling with a loyal but small following. Seinfeld may prove to have been a premature choice, but there's no denying its prominent place in pop culture. And it's a losing proposition to declare which is funnier. Both are masterpieces of their kind, and if Seinfeld had more time to become less consistent, I won't hold that against it now. On your other questions: Arrested Development would likely struggle for viewers on any night it aired, and it would probably be worse to move away from the network's most sustained comedy block. If it aired after Idol, the risk of losing too much of that gigantic lead-in would probably doom it even faster. And if it had a laugh track, it wouldn't be Arrested Development and wouldn't be worth discussing. As for the deluge of questions pouring in asking if Arrested Development might have done better on another network, or wondering if another network might rescue it if Fox cancels it, the simple answer is: No. This is its shot, and either Fox accepts it for what it is or we have to be prepared to mourn another show that proved to be too smart for the medium and probably a bit ahead of its time.

[Cursed]

Originally Posted by Gleebo I dont think there is any way that the powers that be on this show will allow the quality to sag at all. If its back, it will be the same show we know and love.

Actually FOX has the power to force the creators off a show and get new writers.

[Cress]

Yeah, didn't that happen on Will & Grace, when its creators sued NBC for licensing fees, so NBC forced the creators off the show for a couple of seasons? Major damage to Will & Grace.

[spazzie]

From zap2it:

'Arrested' Team in Development on Arnett Comedy
Fri, Apr 22, 2005, 11:04 AM PT

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- Fans of "Arrested Development" won't know for a couple weeks whether or not the quirky comedy will return for a third season, but much of the show's creative team is mobilizing on an untitled comedy feature to star Will Arnett.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Arnett, bumbling magician GOB on the FOX Emmy winner, is set for a Universal comedy to be produced by Brian Grazer, whose Imagine Television also produces "Arrested Development." Arnett will be surrounded by plenty of other "Arrested" friends, because the project is based on a pitch by the show's supervising producer Chuck Martin and will be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who won an Emmy for the "Development" pilot.

Arnett will play a guy who makes up lies about his life to impress a girl at his 20th high school reunion, only to have to live those lies when she comes to New York to visit him.

"Arrested Development" is in limbo as FOX's upfront schedule presentation to advertisers approaches. Even if that show doesn't return, though, Arnett appears to be set for the future. Early this month he lined up a lead in "You Are Going to Prison," a comedy with Dax Shepard and Chi McBride.