There’s always money in the banana stand, but it was Curb Your Enthusiasm that was right on the money in Arrested Development’s revival on Netflix.
Arrested Development‘s fourth and fifth seasons had some amusing moments, but the best joke from the show’s revival on Netflix was directly inspired by Curb Your Enthusiasm. The Bluth family’s shenanigans originally aired for three seasons on Fox, garnering critical acclaim but low viewer ratings. Arrested Development was eventually canceled before being brought back by Netflix in 2013 after a seven-year hiatus.
Naturally, when Netflix announced Arrested Development would finally be making a long-anticipated return in 2013 after seven years, people were understandably excited. However, it turned out they were a bit premature and were left with something of a mess on their hands. The original content in the subsequent two seasons that followed under Netflix’s purview were overshadowed by a phenomenal joke in season 4, episode 11 (“Fun Night”) referencing HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. The success of the joke was both an indictment of Arrested Development‘s fourth season and a testament to the strength of the joke itself.
The Curb Your Enthusiasm joke worked well precisely because of its simplicity. Arrested Development took advantage of a popular meme spawned by Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s theme where “Frolic” by composer Luciano Michelini is played during or after an immensely awkward moment. In this case, the reference was made even better because it made sense within the Arrested Development universe with actor Jeff Garlin portraying a relatively similar role in Curb Your Enthusiasm (studio exec and Larry David’s manager, respectively). It was something that even people who do not watch Larry David’s show would laugh at and the scene took an inherently funny combination to another level by seamlessly and unexpectedly integrating the joke into Arrested Development‘s world. It was a rare highlight in a revival that did not quite gel.
While there may always be money in Arrested Development‘s banana stand, it turned out almost a decade of accumulated rust was maybe too much to overcome. The fourth season was criticized for its multiple branching storylines that were presented in a seemingly nonsensical order. The show had always been a little convoluted, but season 4 just went too far. Series creator Mitchell Hurwitz eventually ended up recutting the episodes and Netflix rereleased the season in part because of the negative feedback the season received. The trademark Arrested Development humor like clever wordplay and amusing misunderstandings was all there, but it was hard to be entertained when there was so much accompanying frustration and confusion.
But the Curb Your Enthusiasm joke of season 4 was a brief reminder of what Arrested Development had been at its height. Although Arrested Development‘s time at Fox was brief, the show’s impact was anything but. The competent comedy combined with the show’s decidedly incompetent family led to numerous awards, including a blistering five Emmy Awards out of seven nominations for the phenomenal first season. As for the public’s reception, viewer ratings may have been low when episodes initially aired but the show gradually gained a cult following after its cancellation. Meanwhile, the show’s success helped elevate the careers of many of its stars, like Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, and Will Arnett. The influence of Arrested Development even helped reshape sitcoms of the future, from Community to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Things like pop culture references, crossovers, and theories like the Bluths are all Norse gods are fun for viewers to absorb. It just so happened that a brief reference to Curb Your Enthusiasm in Arrested Development ended up being the funniest and most memorable joke of the show’s most polarizing seasons.
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