History YMMV / ArrestedDevelopment

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: Subverted at first in "Making a Stand", where a montage of stills is put to several different songs made for the series in an attempt to "make it funny". At one point, TheNarrator mentions that it was "pretty funny to ''Yellow Submarine''... but who could afford it?", at which point the music cuts out. Parodied later in the episode with a second montage set to a similar-sounding "Yellow Boat".

* FriendlyFandoms: With ''Series/{{Succession}}''. Both shows are comedies about the dysfunctional children of a wealthy business magnate and their inability to function in the real world, albeit ''Succession'' is a bit more on the serious side. The characters themselves even have similar counterparts to ''Arrested Development'' (though not exact, as Kendall Roy is a bit more incompetent than Michael, Tom a flailing suck-up rather than a barely closeted failed psychiatrist in Tobias).

** In season 4, one of the running jokes is a terrible, cheaply shot, early '90s movie about the Fantastic Four. Many fans assume it's completely made up, but that's an [[Film/TheFantasticFour actual movie]], and in fact the circumstances of production in-universe are similar to what actually happened, although the actress who played Sue Storm is actually named Rebecca Staab.

* SpiritualSuccessor: In addition to being a hilarious sitcom in its own right, ''Arrested Development'' is also probably the best comedic reimagining of Classical Greek tragedy that you'll see on the small screen. It could easily be a modern retelling of Creator/{{Aeschylus}}' ''Theatre/TheOresteia'' (with a few elements of [[Theatre/OedipusTheKing the]] [[Theatre/OedipusAtColonus Theban]] [[Theatre/{{Antigone}} trilogy]] thrown in), with the Bluths standing in for the House of Atreus. All the tropes are there: intergenerational conflict, random mutilation and disfiguration, a powerful BigScrewedUpFamily's fall from grace, a complex web of backstabbings and infidelity, an [[EvilMatriarch ambitious scheming matriarch]] manipulating a clueless patriarch behind his back, an OnlySaneMan son trying to right his parents' wrongs, boatloads of IncestSubtext, and a surreal courtroom trial at the climax--all set against the backdrop of a brutal war in Asia Minor (though one involving [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror battle tanks]] instead of [[UsefulNotes/TheTrojanWar a big wooden horse]]).

** Lucille's jokes about Lindsay being fat sound especially mean since Creator/PortiaDeRossi admitted to suffering from eating disorders.

* WTHCastingAgency:
** Creator/SethRogen playing a younger George Bluth Sr. in flashbacks in Season 4, due to bearing little resemblance to Jeffrey Tambor. That said, those who have seen Tambor in his younger days in films such as ''Film/AndJusticeForAll'' will note that he did bear at least a passing resemblance to Rogen. It really doesn't help that his scenes usually have him opposite Creator/KristenWiig, who is absolutely ''uncanny'' as a young Lucille.
** Even more pronounced in the second half of season Season 5 with Creator/TaranKillam as a young George Sr., and especially Creator/CobieSmulders as a young Lucille. It later turns out that this is actually from a ShowWithinAShow, making it an in-universe example of both this trope and AdaptationalAttractiveness.

* SpiritualAdaptation: In addition to being a hilarious sitcom in its own right, ''Arrested Development'' is also probably the best comedic reimagining of Classical Greek tragedy that you'll see on the small screen. It could easily be a modern retelling of Creator/{{Aeschylus}}' ''Theatre/TheOresteia'' (with a few elements of [[Theatre/OedipusTheKing the]] [[Theatre/OedipusAtColonus Theban]] [[Theatre/{{Antigone}} trilogy]] thrown in), with the Bluths standing in for the House of Atreus. All the tropes are there: intergenerational conflict, random mutilation and disfiguration, a powerful BigScrewedUpFamily's fall from grace, a complex web of backstabbings and infidelity, an [[EvilMatriarch ambitious scheming matriarch]] manipulating a clueless patriarch behind his back, an OnlySaneMan son trying to right his parents' wrongs, boatloads of IncestSubtext, and a surreal courtroom trial at the climax--all set against the backdrop of a brutal war in Asia Minor (though one involving [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror battle tanks]] instead of [[UsefulNotes/TheTrojanWar a big wooden horse]]).

** "Here's some money, go see a Star War" is funnier now that Ron Howard [[{{Film/Solo}} is directing a Star War]], also including a lead named Tobias. Not to mention that Season 4 revolves around a large celebration on May 4th ("Cinco de Quatro"), a date informally observed as a holiday by many ''Star Wars'' fans (as in "[[{{Pun}} May the Fourth be with you]]").

* AlternateJokeInterpretation: In the pilot, Lucille claims to love her children equally even though some time ago she admits she doesn't care for GOB. First interpretation of the joke is she simply has a low opinion of GOB. The other interpretation is because she said she loved her children "equally", she's really saying she loved them as much as she loves GOB, which is not at all.

* FriendlyFandoms: With ''Series/Succession''. Both shows are comedies about the dysfunctional children of a wealthy business magnate and their inability to function in the real world, albeit ''Succession'' is a bit more on the serious side. The characters themselves even have similar counterparts to ''Arrested Development'' (though not exact, as Kendall Roy is a bit more incompetent than Michael, Tom a flailing suck-up rather than a barely closeted failed psychiatrist in Tobias).

** Maggie Lizer, played by Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus, is one of the most popular minor characters in the show due to her hilarious pathological liar traits. Many fans wished she was in more episodes.

* SeparatedAtBirthCasting: Jeffrey Tambor and Tony Hale look like the same person with a couple of years difference.

** The Living Classics pageant where actors dress up and reenact classic paintings sound like another one of the show's trademark DanBrowning jokes right? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cfBwnP81rY It's a parody of a real event]].[[note]]It's called a "Tableau Vivant," and it was a legitimate and popular form of entertainment for many years.[[/note]]

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** As a result of Michael's long standing UnintentionallyUnsympathetic status, the writers got the hint and made him a blatant {{Jerkass}} as seasons went on, as well as giving the UnintentionallySympathetic Gob a bit more of sympathy.
** Pretty much everything about the Season 5 announcement screams, "Yeah, we'll try and keep the Bluths together more." The season 4 remix opening even changes to state such:
--->'''Narrator''': Now the story of what happens when the one man who was holding his family together finally let go. And the separate journey that eventually gave them no choice but to come back together.
** The main criticism of Season Four was that the cast have separate long-winded adventures, barely interact with each other, and the AnachronicOrder has the story make no sense until the last third of the season where they finally explain a lot of [[BrickJoke hanging jokes and plot points]]. A ReCut of the entire season called "Fateful Consequences" attempts to assemble the season into a more chronological order, placing more emphasis on developing 2 or 3 plotlines in each episode while also being quicker to reveal certain twists (Lindsay and Tobias both going to India for a retreat is covered in the same episode, rather than revealing Tobias was also in India two episodes later). This, in addition to shorter episode runtime but more episodes total, makes it more in line with the style of the earlier seasons.
** The genuinely shocking and dramatic last seconds of Season 4 are very much diluted by Season 5's reveal of the aftermath, which is awkward and a little sad, but nowhere near as destructive as the abrupt presentation of the scene had implied.

** Are all of George Sr's HeelFaceTurn attempts faked, or does he try to change and fail?

* ValuesDissonance: "Sad Sack" from Season 2 ages poorly due to a plotline that comes off as transphobic: Lindsay is interested in Steve Holt at the same time as Maeby, but because she lost her voice, Maeby tries to make Steve lose interest by claiming Lindsay is a poorly-passing trans woman, even calling her a "tranny" and giving her a shirt to read that says "shemale", both of which are considered anti-trans slurs. None of the jokes are portrayed in a way to condemn the ignorant mindset unlike the way the show treats racial and ethnic bigotry.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: The show actually got a decent amount of network support, it lasted 3 years despite being rather expensive to produce, but some theorize that FOX simply did not know how to effectively advertise the show, Emmy winning or not. Basically it's a show about a family of egotistical yuppies where [[OnlySaneMan only one man is trying to do the right thing]], the rest are either [[ExtremeDoormat pushovers]], flawed to the point of being TheLoad, or outright [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist unsympathetic characters]]. The complex narrative, intricate business subplots, and IncestSubtext out the wazoo complicates things further. This was [[LampshadeHanging pointed out]] in the third season by Michael: "Maybe we aren't as likable as we think we are."
** [[WordOfGod Mitch Hurwitz]] also himself gave a reasonable accounting for the show's lack of success in [[https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/feb/12/arrested-development-mitch-hurwitz-sitcom-cancelled an article written in The Guardian]], framed as a guide on how to get a sitcom cancelled. It gives such "tips" as to [[EightDeadlyWords make all the characters unlikeable]], stuff 20-minute episodes with convoluted overlapping plotlines, and focus greatly on incest, with the final piece of "advice" being: "Make a show for British sensibilities and then show it in America."

* VindicatedByHistory:
** The show never really caught on when it was first airing, rave reviews kept it going for three tumultuous seasons. But after it ended the show exploded as one of the highest DVD sales and even managed a few UsefulNotes/{{syndication}} deals (100 episodes are considered the standard for a syndicated show, 65 at minimum, Arrested Development had 53). This lead to be revived as a Netflix show for the fourth season.
** Season 4 itself. When it premiered many fans said the show should have stayed dead. However, this backlash eventually died down. This may be at least partially due to how [[BrickJoke many jokes were structured to make sense only after the full season had been viewed.]] Once the season got a {{Recut}}, many viewers began to appreciate the twists and [[RewatchBonus Rewatch Bonuses]] that were lost when watched in chronological order.

* UncannyValley: Something about pre-haircut Lindsay in Season 4 is just ''off'', with some combination of her wig showing off a lot of forehead and what seems to be really unhealthy-looking makeup, which makes Portia de Rossi look very different. This may be intentional, considering that Lindsay is supposed to have had some work done, but it's still odd.

* ValuesDissonance: "Sad Sacks" from Season 2 ages poorly due to a plotline that comes off as transphobic: Lindsay is interested in Steve Holt at the same time as Maeby, but because she lost her voice, Maeby tries to make Steve lose interest by claiming Lindsay is a poorly-passing trans woman, even calling her a "tranny" and giving her a shirt to read that says "shemale", both of which are considered anti-trans slurs. None of the jokes are portrayed in a way to condemn the ignorant mindset unlike the way the show treats racial and ethnic bigotry.