ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
SEASON THREE

"Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together."

The Cabin Show
Michael is back in charge of The Bluth Company and things appear to be on track. However, when Michael decides to take his son on a trip to the family cabin, his plan goes off course when he decides to track down George, Sr. and ends up in Reno. Meanwhile, Lindsay-along with George Michael and Maeby, who are still dealing with the aftermath of their awkward kiss-goes searching for Tobias and discovers he's not blue without her. Gob goes to an event hosted by a group that reunites abandoned sons with their fathers and gets a surprise of his own, while Lucille is up to her old tricks dealing with Buster.

For British Eyes Only
To save money on expensive attorney fees, Michael tells George, Sr. to plead guilty, but George, Sr. proclaims his innocence and says he was set up by an underground British group. Michael goes to "Wee Britain" to investigate these claims, and meets a beautiful British woman, Rita, whom he asks out on a date. Meanwhile, Lindsay tries to flirt with the family's new attorney and ends up being charged for her time, and Gob stages an elaborate magic trick to get out of spending time with his son.

Forget-Me-Now
Michael inadvertently lies and tells Rita that he doesn't have a family. But the lie catches up with him, when the Bluths try to surprise Michael by bringing Rita to a family party and all hell breaks loose. Meanwhile, Lindsay works as the nanny to the family's new attorney and George, Sr. tries to escape the penthouse.

Notapusy
In an effort to prove to Rita he's not a wimp, Michael tries to convince George Michael to join him in some manly activities, but George Michael is too busy prepping girlfriend Ann 2.0 for an Inner-beauty Pageant. So Michael and his recently discovered nephew Steve Holt enter a triathlon, only to discover Gob is the one who stumbles at the finish line.

Mr. F
At work, Michael must deal with a huge mole problem in order to salvage a major real estate deal. But when Gob and Buster team up with George, Sr.'s surrogate, Larry, to help Michael save the deal, their plan falls apart in a big way. Meanwhile, Tobias mistakes a CIA agent for a CAA agent and inadvertently betrays the family, and Michael makes Rita a proposal she can't refuse.

The Ocean Walker
After Michael announces he's marrying Rita, George, Sr. worries that she's after their family's money. But when Rita's Uncle Trevor tries to stop the wedding by revealing some surprising information about Rita, Michael must decide if he wants to walk down the aisle.

Prison Break-In
Upset after his break-up with Rita, Michael reaches out to Lucille, but is concerned when he discovers she's dating Warden Stefan Gentiles behind his fathers back. Michael decides to tell George, Sr. about the affair, but his dad has an undercover plan of his own.

Making a Stand
When Gob interferes at work, Michael gives him his own banana stand in an effort to keep him occupied. But when Michael learns that George, Sr. has been using Gob to plot against him, he confronts Gob. The brothers decide to band together to teach George, Sr. a lesson once and for all. Meanwhile, Lucille gets a facelift and Tobias and Lindsay vie for Bob Loblaw's attention.

S.O.B.s
Concerned about the family's future, George, Sr. insists they host a fundraiser to raise awareness within the community. Michael is in charge of finding a celebrity to emcee the event, so he sets out on a mission to track down Andy Richter. Meanwhile, Gob inadvertently becomes a waiter and has a run-in with a nasty customer... Lucille.

Faking It
George, Sr. hires a new attorney who asks the Bluths to participate in a mock trial to help prepare them for the real thing. The attorney gets actor Judge Reinhold, to preside over the mock case. Meanwhile, Buster fakes a coma to get out of testifying and George Michael and Maeby participate in a mock wedding to entertain hospital patients. Back at the office, Michael discovers he may have a long-lost sister named Nellie Bluth.

Family Ties
In an effort to get to the bottom of things, Michael tracks Nellie down and hires her as a consultant for The Bluth Co. Unfortunately, Michael discovers Nellie's hands-on approach is more than he bargained for.

Exit Strategy
Gob goes to Iraq to perform his Christian magic act on the USO tour and ends up incarcerated. Michael learns George, Sr. sent Gob to Iraq to burn down the model home he built there, so Michael and Buster fly to Iraq to spring Gob from prison.

Development Arrested
The Bluth brothers' head to the model home, where they make a discovery that could end the family's legal troubles forever. Back in Orange County, Lucille decides to throw a yacht party to celebrate. The Bluths gather aboard the Queen Mary for a trip that ends up being far from smooth sailing.

When it comes to defining the best comedy series of the 00s at the end of the decade, a few shows will be mentioned but one will standout from the rest as one of the most original and hilarious and that show is 'Arrested Development', so why was it cancelled?

To have a hit situation comedy show on a big US network you really can't break with convention. With the average American audience wanting more 'Friends', 'Will & Grace', 'Everyone loves Raymond' and 'Two and a Half Men' type shows that have cross appeal and never really push the creative envelope. The hub of creativity seems to restricted to cable stations like HBO, with shows like 'Weeds', 'Entourage' and 'Curb your Enthusiasm' but in 2003, Fox greenlit a show created by Mitchell Hurwitz that would finally inject some creativity into network television.

The dysfunctional family has been a plot device that has been utilised by comedy writers for many years but the Bluths are something completely different. After George Bluth is arrested for numerous financial dodgy dealings, his son Michael takes over the running of the family company only to find that business is on the verge of collapse but his family are still living the life of a very rich family. So it is up to Michael to save the business and save his family at the same time. While the premise might sound ordinary enough, this is definitely not an ordinary approach to commentary. This series sense of humour is very creative, silly and surreal at times, all helped along by a narrator who just happens to be 'Happy Days' actor turned Oscar winning director Ron Howard. After the first season the series was a critical revelation and won numerous awards but there was on thing it couldn't win and that was an audience.

After reducing the show from twenty-two episodes to eighteen for the second season, the show again won critical praise and developed a cult fan base but the audiences continued to drop and cancellation loomed but after a large fan based appeal and because of the critical acclaim, the show returned for a third season but unfortunately it was the last.

The third and final season of 'Arrested Development' proves that the show was one of the most creative and hilarious shows to come along in a very long time but unfortunately the number of shows have been reduced again, this time to thirteen. The Iraq model home scandal continues, Tobias and Lindsay continue to have marriage problems, Gob becomes the head of the company but is he just a puppet for George, George-Michael tries to continue his relationship with Ann but still has feeling for his cousin Maeby, Lucille and Buster continue to try and break their overly dependant bond and Michael thinks he has found the perfect woman with British girl Rita. Even with such a large group of characters, the show is so well written that each of them get more than enough screen time and their own extremely funny storylines.

It is the cast that makes the show so funny and such a cult classic. Leading the way is the performance of Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth, the man trying to hold the business and the family together. He and every other actor on the show play their roles completely straight but Michael is probably the most normal of the bunch and he is the heart of the show. Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter are excellent as the parent George and Lucille Bluth, both of who still want the rich lifestyle and have no idea how to live any other way. Portia de Rossi is still the spoilt little rich girl Lindsay and continues to show her gift for comedy. David Cross continues to be brilliant as the rather camp and incredibly hilarious wanabe actor Tobias Fünke. Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat continue to impress as the younger members of the cast, George-Michael and Maeby. Still stealing the show however is the performance of Will Arnett as Gob. The magician turned Bluth Company executive is by far the funniest character of the show and Will Arnett plays the character in such away that you feel like it is unintentional.

The third season of 'Arrested Development' continues to provide some of the most hilarious comedy moments in the new millennium of television comedy. While it might not stick to the conventions of American sitcoms, with no laughter track and not looking like it filmed on a soundstage, it is one of the most creative shows to come along in a very long time. It is just a shame that the average American network audience just didn't get it.