The genius of Arrested Development

Ask anyone who loves comedy what their favourite American comedy show is and more than likely, they will answer The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother or other shows that force laughter. Very rarely, someone will wisely answer Arrested Development.

Arrested Development was created by Mitchell Hurwitz in 2003 and lasted for 3 seasons. Even though the show received unanimous critical acclaim, it struggled in the ratings. Something which i atribute to the style of the humour.

Arrested Development reminds me of a show in the 80's called police squad; a show that was cancelled after 6 episodes. The reason given was considered stupid but actually right; you had to watch it. People had to pay attention in order to get the jokes.

Arrested Development had similar problems. The jokes were so witty, clever and subtle, the show
treated its viewers with respect. Shows like 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation have similar formats and the jokes are presented in a similar fashion.

Shows like The Big Bang Theory rely on a laughter track to provoke a reaction from the viewer. Which is why these type of comedies have really high ratings; the comedy is more in your face. But for me, the best form of comedy comes from the viewer deciding for themselves what is funny.