Jump to content
TSM Forums
Sign in to follow this  
Downhome

It was Arrested Development...

Recommended Posts

071633_SadADWalk.gif

 

Never say never, but this is possibly the true end to Arrested Development.

 

Here is something I started last year:

 

http://www.myspace.com/adfansaredown

 

044646_Sad14.gif 071507_Sad10.gif

 

If anyone has any .GIF requests or anything like that, I'll see what have on my computer.

 

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111794046...17&cs=1&s=h&p=0

 

"Arrested Development" creator Mitch Hurwitz says he will not be continuing with the series, throwing a major -- likely fatal -- monkey wrench into attempts to keep the Emmy-winning laffer alive for a fourth season.

 

Series producers 20th Century Fox TV and Imagine TelevisionImagine Television had agreed on a deal to move "Arrested," previously on Fox, to Showtime -- assuming Hurwitz was willing to come back. In the end, however, a mix of creative and financial concerns has prompted Hurwitz to move on.

 

"The fans have been so ardent in their devotion and in return ... I've given everything I can to the show in order to try to live up to their expectations," Hurwitz told Daily Variety on Monday in a telephone interview from GothamGotham. "I finally reached a point where I felt I couldn't continue to deliver that on a weekly basis."

 

Nonetheless, Hurwitz said he put off making a final decision on his involvement so Showtime and 20th could talk about a possible deal.

 

"Of course, if there was enough money in it, I would have happily abandoned the fans' need for quality. But as it turns out, there wasn't," he said.

 

Indeed, Hurwitz and 20th have long been at odds over finances, sparring over everything from the show's budget to Hurwitz's own compensation. The two sides were unable to come to terms on an overall deal last year, and while creative concerns were clearly at play in Hurwitz's decision, coincoin may have been a key factor, insiders said.

 

Hurwitz said he had briefed most of the show's cast about his decision, as well as some of the writers. He also talked with exec producer-narrator Ron HowardRon Howard, who asked Hurwitz if he would be willing to continue as a consultant on "Arrested" should 20th and Imagine find a network willing to continue the skeinskein without Hurwitz.

 

"I said I'd be happy to do that, but that as showrunner, I've gone as far as I can go," he said.

 

Showtime entertainment toppertopper Bob Greenblatt made it clear in January that Hurwitz's participation in the show was essential to a deal (Daily Variety, Jan. 20). With Hurwitz out of the equation, Showtime is no longer a viable home for "Arrested," insiders said.

 

It doesn't help that one of Hurwitz's key deputies, exec producer Jim Valleley, also says he won't do the show without his boss. "We couldn't do the show without Mitch Hurwitz, and I wouldn't want to be the guy who tried," Valleley said, who called the apparent end of the show "heartbreaking."

 

Hurwitz said he had lunch with Showtime entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt even though he was leaning against continuing with the show. "He was actually very persuasive in telling me how much he believed in the show. I walked away thinking, 'Maybe,' " Hurwitz said.

 

Despite word of tension between Hurwitz and 20th, scribe said the studio and its sister net deserve credit for having produced and aired three seasons of the show.

 

"I can honestly say I'm appreciative. They put a lot of money into this, and I put a lot of my life into this," he said.

 

He also hinted that while "Arrested" may have run its course as a TV show as far as he's concerned, he would be interested in reviving the franchise as a feature film.

 

Reps for 20th and Showtime declined comment. One person familiar with the studio's thinking, however, said fans of the show shouldn't write an obit for "Arrested" just yet, noting 20th is the studio that revived "Family Guy."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm glad it went out on top, and it sounded like those guys were burnt out.

 

AD sounds like an incredibly challenging show to do, so I don't blame him.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Brian

I was kinda hoping that with the move to Showtime, if it went through, some of those burdens of trying to work with Fox and their constraints would end, and the show wouldn't be as hard to do, communication would be better, and dealing with the network would be easier.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You can believe this show's following is slowly going to grow.

 

It's the best show I've ever seen. Bar-fucking-none.

 

I feel bad, until I realize we got about 18 hours of the funniest show in the universe. That's a lot of funny.

 

And I am glad that, really, they had a chance to do a final, wonderful series finale. It didn't just end like Freaks and Geeks.

 

I think Will Arnett's going to be the next breakout comedy star in America, right after Steve Carrell.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Will Arnett will forever be Gob Bluth to me. I recently (finally) went back and watched all of the seasons of The Sopranos to catch up to be able to watch this final season, and when I saw him in a very small role as the undercover FBI woman's husband, who was also in law enforcement, I couldn't help but just laugh at the sight.

 

I hope he continues to do comedy, because he's so fucking great at it.

 

If this is the end of AD, it will be one of the few shows in history that can claim a "perfect series" as far as I'm concerned.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
This will probably spawn a number of copycats in about 2-3 years that completely fail to match it.

 

Sons and Daughters says hello!

 

I don't even hate the show, I've been watching it and will continue to do so, but it is very much a poor man's version of AD and CYE.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The only thing that series needed to do was to have Lucille in jail saying "I'm having the time of life" in the epilogue.

 

Alongside Frasier, AD has been my favorite comedy series ever.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
And I am glad that, really, they had a chance to do a final, wonderful series finale. It didn't just end like Freaks and Geeks.

 

Um, they actuallly intended that to be how F & G ended (I'm assuming you're talking abouy Lindsay leaving to follow the Greatful Dead for the summer.) They knew they were getting canceled. In fact, the finale was the 13th episode they filmed because they wanted that to be the ending and were paranoid about NBC breaking their promise and shutting them down before they could finish the 18 that were ordered.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This will probably spawn a number of copycats in about 2-3 years that completely fail to match it.

 

Sons and Daughters says hello!

 

As does "Free Ride" :P (which is actually pretty funny, but nowhere close to AD)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Michael Cera will go on to really great things. I posted something about how I thought he was one of the best guys on the show a while ago.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×