Arrested Development

[Quot]

I watched all 8 episodes of the first half of the Season 5 drop...and I hope they don't pursue another season. Everything seems to be a callback to previous gags and there seems to be little forward momentum that isn't just outright tired. I can almost make an excuse for the storylines with Maeby, but only because Alia Shawkat is so good that she transcends most of the mediocre material she is given. I also love most of Tony Hale's scenes, which are few because of his busy schedule. Otherwise, the rest of the cast's contributions range from phoned-in to uninspired.

I don't like the fact that seasons 4 & 5 are starting to tarnish my estimation of the sublime first 3 seasons (although that third season had already started to display cracks in the armor). I will finish out Season 5 and hope that higher powers realize that this frequently fine series needs to finally be retired.

[MoonlitKnight]

No, the show isn't what it used to be... and never will be as long as all 9 core cast members continue to be unwilling to completely clear their schedules in order to all be together at the same time for a full season's production. The focus seemed to be lacking here, and, while fewer stunt guest star appearances were a plus, the show's trademark zaniness seemed strangely toned down (something that Season 4 at least still retained). I personally thought Alia Shawkat was the MVP of this season; she seemed like the only one who grew her character any. But, at the end of the day, lesser AD is still head and shoulders above the best of most other sitcoms these days. This is all like lambasting "Godfather III" for not being on par with the first two. I still ultimately blame Fox for having no fucking idea how to market the show back in the day (granted, they probably wouldn't be any better today, either ) for its current state.

[Murdoch]

Shawkat: "I think I'm done." (This is apparently a few weeks old but it just popped up in my news feed.)

[mfunk9786]

Pretty good timing, since the thud Season 5 arrived with (if a thud happens in the forest...) means the show's likely done anyway

[domino harvey]

Second half of season five eps finally drop March 15th

[mfunk9786]

Second half of season five eps finally drop March 15th

There's more of this?

[sir_luke]

Just finished watching the fifth season, and while the first 2/3 or so I thought was fairly enjoyable (lots of good comic rhythm, some great wordplay/misunderstanding jokes and even some good “set pieces” or plot machinations, which I think have always been hit-or-miss), holy shit did it tank in the last few episodes.

No jokes, a suffocating amount of plot that nevertheless still basically went nowhere, every actor phoning in HARD. But more than that, it’s like the comic sensibility that made the show had completely disappeared, even reversed. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the few punchlines that are present are labored to an excruciating extent. I seriously felt like I was hallucinating. Additionally, there must have been some sort of Netflix-imposed scheduling debacle or something, because the amount of shoddy ADR and patchy editing in these last few episodes is really appalling.

What a bummer. They need to bury this thing, for real this time.

[cdnchris]

I'll still defend the fourth season (either version) but I gave up on the fifth at the half way point. If I recall they hadn't pushed the last half up by that point and by the time they finally did (with little to no fanfare) i had lost all interest because I couldn't remember anything about the first half except that it was barely funny. I recall something about Buster being jealous about his mom having a "son with benefits" played by Dermot Mulroney (I had to really think and make sure I wasn't thinking of Dylan McDermott), but that's pretty much it.

Edit: I actually did get the actors confused, so I corrected that