Arrested Development: 10 Insane Details You Definitely Missed
2. There’s A Familiar Franchise In Iraq
When Arrested Development first aired in 2003, the United States had been involved in military operations in Iraq for less than a year. This placed the Middle Eastern nation on the forefront of controversy, which the series' writers used to their advantage in setting up George Bluth's "light treason."
The original run of Arrested Development came to an end in 2006, but the show aired a fifth season in 2019. Still, the show didn't budge on this thread, and several scenes were filmed with the Michael and G.O.B. traveling to Iraq to uncover the truth about their father.
While they're in Iraq (years after the war), G.O.B. ends up being tasered by the local police, and just behind them on the wall is a sign reading, "T.A.I. Friday." There's some Arabic text underneath, which says the same thing, but the English font is somewhat familiar.
Viewers who were familiar with the restaurant T.G.I.F. likely had a chuckle seeing the sign. T.G.I.F. stands for "Thank God It's Friday," which suggests that "T.A.I. Friday" translates into "Thank Allah It's Friday." It's a clever little joke few people noticed the first time watching the episode.