Arrested Development

Arrested Development

Except for the Simpsons, I've got a bad track record with my favorite TV shows, especially if they run on Fox. The Tick. Undeclared. Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Futurama (yeah, it ran four seasons but it was pre-empted for football so much I didn't see a lot of the episodes until Cartoon Network picked it up).

Arrested Development is the only show I set aside time to watch nowadays. Yeah, I watch the Simpsons, mainly because it comes on right before Arrested Development. In the past year and a half, it's lost its "I'm there, period" status.

Well, word going around is that it's facing cancellation once again. At the very least, it's had its episode order cut to 18, to make room for American Dad.

All this from the same network that runs a karaoke contest judged by a snotty Brit and a used up pop star three times a week.

And the thing is, I'm not taking a shot at the network. They aired the bugger in the first place, and had faith enough in it to run it a second season, in a money slot right behind The Simpsons.

Joe America doesn't want to watch.

Well. Joe America can have its karaoke contests, its suck up to a corporate mogul shows, its eat-a-bug shows and its wife-swapping/find-a-husband/trade-your-kids/get-a-nanny reality shows. Me? I get enough of the sad high-school-type/clash-of-psychoses dramas at my job every day just so that I don't need to watch the Puck clone fight with the Richard Hatch clone for three hours on the boob tube each night.

But Joe America can have that. Six days a week, three hours of primetime programming a night, if they want it.

Give me thirty minutes of smart, expertly written, wonderfully performed satire. Give me goofy comedy. Give me something that's meant to make me laugh, but doesn't depend on laugh tracks or shots of other characters laughing at something witty or dumb or mean.

Thirty minutes. That's all I ask.

Hell. I'll take both Arrested Development AND American Dad over any of the multitude of reality mess run any day of the week.

But Joe America wants to watch Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie pretend to be average joes, but not two half hour comedies.

I had a point here.

Oh yeah.

There's one of those online petitions. Sheila had a link up. I never know how much good these things do. But I figured it couldn't hurt to put my name down. You put your name down too.

And do one more thing.

Watch Arrested Development. Watch the show.

I give Arrested Development my highest recommendation.

This doesn't come from the guy who likes Police Academy movies and watches likes the best efforts of TV shows and movies even when they fall short of their intended goals.

This comes from the guy who knows that good intent and good execution are a rare, rare tandem.

Arrested Development is the very best comedic intent, the very best effort and the very best result of TV comedy that you're gonna get. It lets you laugh at what you want to laugh at, and it doesn't tell you what you need to. It's secure enough in its humor that it doesn't need you to laugh at everything.

Hell. I can't think of the number of things I've missed because I was laughing at something else. It's a show that warrants multiple viewings. It's the only thing I can think of that's been on network TV the past couple of seasons that I can say that about. I watch it, and then I say "I need to see that again."

Well. I'm off on a rant here. I'll get off it.

Watch the show. Sign the petition.

Y'all think on it.