Yet another show that floundered on Fox, Arrested Development revolves around the dysfunctional Bluth family, with Ron Howard narrating the exploits of Michael (Jason Bateman), his son George Michael (Michael Cera), and the remainder of their demented extended family. Their hilarious lack of regard for each other forms the crux of the show's comedy, but what really sets the show apart from anything else is its style: Mitch Hurwitz has high expectations of his audience, that they're going to be able to keep up with the break-neck pace, as cut-aways and references to earlier episodes are slotted in, often without a great deal of explanation. As a result, the show doesn't lend itself to toe-dipping every now and then: if you try to watch a random episode of Arrested Development, you're probably going to struggle and may not find it very funny. As a result, it requires a much greater level of commitment than most comedies, but that investment will be rewarded with some of the most intelligent writing and brilliant cast chemistry on TV. After its 2006 cancellation, the show was revived by Netflix last year, and while it may not have been its finest hour, it still provided plenty of hysterical meta-jokes and mostly delivered on what we were hoping for.
6. Louie
They say that the golden rule of writing is to write what you know, and Louis C.K. certainly followed that maxim with his marvelous FX comedy Louie. Louis C.K. plays an (apparently) fictionalised version of himself, a divorced comedian who tries to juggle raising his children with finding romantic happiness. The results vacillate frequently between hilarity and undeniable sadness, but there's one consistent element: it at all times feels stingingly, devastatingly true. C.K. writes, directors, edits and produces the series, and FX have clearly granted him a high degree of creative control, such that he is able to tackle controversial topics, and also indulge some fancy stylistic tricks, such as extremely long takes during surreal monologues. If Woody Allen were ever to make a TV series, it would surely contain the spirit of Louie, an alternately depressing and uproarious look at the life of a middle-aged plain Joe.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
