Arrested Development might be saved!
DjArcadian
3,632 Posts
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051214/en_nm/arrested_dcOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Will the pay-TV environs of Showtime be a friendlier place for the Emmy-winning comedy "Arrested Development," which just got canceled by Fox?Word around town this week is that Showtime is in talks to pick up the comedy about a chaotic family. Sources stressed that the talks are still exploratory and that it would be a big financial commitment on Showtime's part to pick up the show in its current form with a large ensemble cast that includes Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Portia de Rossi, Jessica Walter and Will Arnett."Arrested" was an instant hit with critics following its debut on Fox in late 2003, but the show never pulled in much of a crowd, even after it won the Emmy for best comedy series in 2004. Last month, Fox threw in the towel, cutting its episode order for "Arrested's" third season from its initial 22-episode ticket to 13.Representatives for Showtime, and the series' producers 20th Century Fox TV and Imagine TV declined comment late Tuesday.Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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regardless, great news.
werent you on broadband now? just get a gfx card with tv-out!
explain this please
Showtime, ABC Try Getting "Arrested"[/b]
by Gina Serpe
Dec 14, 2005, 12:10 PM PT
Although Fox has stunted Arrested Development's development, the show's obituary might have to wait: Both Showtime and ABC have expressed interest at heading into the wild Bluth yonder.
The two networks are in preliminary talks to pick up the critically acclaimed yet consistently low-rated show after it ends its run on Fox early next year, per trade reports.
All three networks have refused to comment on the talks, except to say that no formal negotiations have taken place.
And for good reason: Fox has yet to officially cancel the show.
Though the network recently cut the series' season order from 22 to 13, no official axing has taken place, making it difficult for producer 20th Century Fox Television to engage in any closed-door deal-making.
Besides, there are other potential hiccups to the Emmy-winner's would-be network jump.
The Jason Bateman-led series comes with a hefty $1.6 million price tag per half-hour. According to Daily Variety, the high cost mean the studio's in the hole $400,000 per episode produced, which is part of the reason why the season's episodes were so drastically cut.
That, and the fact that the show averages just 4 million viewers per week, despite recent efforts to boost the ratings with the stunt castings of Scott Baio, Charlize Theron and most recently, Justine Bateman.
But 4 million viewers is nearly twice the amount that a bona fide cable hit draws, a key should the series jump to Showtime and keep its audience intact. But Showtime would likely try to find a way to rein in the per-episode cost.
To help offset the cost, 20th Century Fox TV may push for any bidders to pick up at least 22 episodes. The studio needs just 36 more to reach 88 total--the magic number required to sell into syndication. (Of course, a lucrative syndication deal is not guaranteed.) There's also speculation 20th Century Fox TV might be willing to share home-entertainment revenues as an enticement--Development is a strong performer on DVD.
News of networks putting out feelers for Arrested Development comes just two weeks after executive producer Brian Grazer told CNN he was working to make sure this season wouldn't be the series' last.
"I can't tell you anything other than I'm hoping it works out in the way that we want it to," Grazer said. "But I'm optimistic."
The cast, meanwhile, has mixed feelings about a possible network jump.
"Obviously, we would all do it 'til we're dead," Jason Bateman told E! Online last week. "But you don't want to be the last guy at the bar.
"I think we're getting out just in time," he continued. "We may have screwed it up if we stayed any longer."
Barring any last-minute reprieves, Arrested Development's season--and series--finale is expected to air on Fox in late January or early February.
i agree that the british shit needed to go. but monday nights episode was the series' first certified terd.
but that's like judging an incompleted album with tracks release posthumously. yeah i think the rita stuff sucked,but there were a couple of gems this season like the one where george michael wears the jet back and fights tobais as mole. but i would reserve my judgement till the end. i though the day before yesterday's episode was so-so initially, till i read reviews that a lot of the plot was related to the show Prison Break (which i've never watched).
anyhow if you're an arrested development fan, you should really really check this forum out, its made the show 35% more enjoyable for me, if that possible (simply because every last detail is explained/discussed and i didnt realize how much sheit went over my head)...its a bunch of nerds that take things like a show arrested development too seriously
http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showforum=695
i initally agreed with you and then read some of this, i got to rewatch it
http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3133770
i'm not sure what this link is supposed to prove - the prison break stuff? that's the sort of wink wink unfunny pop culture bullshit that makes family guy awful. but you love that show as well.
i was reminded that they made a "podcast" joke, which i think solidifies my point about it being a terd.
yeah i am a family guy fan, and i find that stuff funny, i remember though thats precisely what u werent feeling about family guy... but the reason why i brought that link up was because prison break is almost a competitor of arrested development..well competitor is not the best word, but they're on the same network, and one of the reasons for arrested development's demise(not discussing the continuity factor) i would say is the lack of promotion. there is no doubt that "prison break" gets a ton of more promotion than arrested development,(a couple of weeks ago arrested development was taken off its slot to show a rerun of prison break,because of horrid ratings...though the show was obviously made before that, but there's still irony there), and i think that was Arrested Development's way of sort of making cheap shot jokes against it. To further that point of a plot referencing the state of the show itself, here's an excerpt of an upcoming episode;
^HBO of course being one of the networks people are hoping with snatch up Arrested Development.
oh and the podcast thing isnt just a cutesy pop culture joke, its in contrast to the imoscar website http://www.imoscar.com/ and with podcasts being "all the rage" right now, i think thats hilarious. kind of like making your own company website in 1999 using Flash splash pages. but different strokes for different folks, i will agree that the show isn't on the same level as season 1, but i dont think it has to be.
this is exactly what a cutesy pop culture joke is! there's no punchline, he's not making a joke about podcasts, he's merely acknowledging that podcasts are something popular that some viewers will identify with. "aren't our writers hip?" (Besides I'm not even convinced that podcasts are "all the rage", I've never met anyone in the real world who knows what they are. In fact I'm not entirely clear on their purpose. )
and yes i'm aware of the shows relationship with prison break, and those gags would qualify as "wink wink pop culture bullshit". i don't like having to do a google search to get a joke.
like i said, you like this kind of thing (family guy), i don't. but don't act like what you're laughing at is anything but a cutesy pop culture joke.
Please to break down all other kinds of jokes?
I mean really, callin' someone out over the "type" of jokes they laugh at? funny's funny or it ain't , ya know?
I thought Monday's ep was kind of slow but GOB's video redeemed it in my eyes. Shit was hilarious. "You mean all he has to do is cut his hair!?" "I'd rather give to TBA!"
Anyone know how I can get a copy of the episode from 12/5? I missed that shit.
well we agree to disagree then. his point of mentioning the podcast was that he got busted by the warden for his blog/website, protesting his innocence, as the warden wouldnt allow him to have the imoscar blog anymore once he found out about it.
therefore the podcast would have been a better idea for not blowing up Oscar's spot, as its an audio download and as you mentioned not something as obvious as having a url. yes the term "podcast" would be a pop culture reference, but the fact that it's a different and lesser known medium from the way more accessible/popular blog format makes it a joke with a punchline, beyond a cutesy pop culture joke, so no need for me to act.
and when cnn has podcasts, http://www.cnn.com/services/podcasting/, as do 13 year old girls and people that garden, id say it's big and not exclusive to those in the know. there's quality ones for all sorts of topics, from science to design. all they are is audio files saved as an mp3 files,that anyone can do at home, i guess u could say an audio version of a blog... but with the success of the ipod, u can guess where the name came from.
peace
can u hookup a link/usendit?
i was about to buy season one on dvd today, but bestbuy was sold out. bought the carter ii instead. thanks boss for my super spectacular $100 gift certificate to bestbuy instead of actual cash for a bonus.
http://ts.searching.com/torrent/493761/Arrested_Development_3x08_HDTV_LOL_VTV
excellent choice
"got an offer from our mexican friends from colombia"