3. Arrested Development "The Greatest Comedy Thats Ever Existed" Fans
I like Arrested Development nowhere near as much as the next man, because the next man probably has never watched it. I like Arrested Development a normal amount, whereas the 1 of the 20 men next to me in this incredibly laboured metaphor holds Arrested Development as the pinnacle of all comedies ever created. Its funny in places; but the best comedy show ever? Hmm. One issue I find with shows like Arrested Development is the fact it wasnt very successful in the rating side of things and the fans it does have undertake a "siege mentality" approach to the show, defending it with their lifeblood and pitching it to the many people who dont watch it as the greatest thing ever, elevating it to a pedestal which many non-original fans fail to see. The love of this cult show drives fans to many strange ends, such as the people who criticised David Cross for taking a role in Alvin and the Chipmunks because it was branded as selling out and abandoning his cult comedy roots. Now Im all one for respecting fans, but whats the problem with accepting a well paid job? Does the person who accepts a job at Subway over the lower paid job at a hipster sandwich shop get criticised? No...hes being incredibly sensible. One of the issues with a show like Arrested Development is that it had a small, loyal fanbase. It never reached a broad spectrum, and those who loved the show surrounded it in defence of it, bigging it up to ridiculous proportions and attacking comedy that didn't match it. See Community fans for a modern reference. On top of this my run-ins with Arrested Development fans have ended with my comments of "Its good, enjoyable, not the best comedy ever," being met with angry comments about mainstream comedy not being as good as Arrested Development; which isnt really the topic of conversation. Criticising The Big Bang Theory doesnt make Arrested Development better, nor does it change the fact The Big Bang Theory is the highest rated comedy show in the world. Passion is to be respected but passion about a subject that leads to the abuse of irrelevant ones is what makes a fanbase inaccessible to outsiders and puts people off the show.