"Pilot" is the first episode of the American television satirical sitcom Arrested Development. It premiered on Fox in the United States on November 2, 2003. It introduces the Bluth family, which consists of Michael (Jason Bateman), his twin sister Lindsay (Portia de Rossi), his older brother Gob (Will Arnett), his younger brother Buster (Tony Hale), their mother Lucille (Jessica Walter) and father George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), as well as Michael's son George Michael (Michael Cera), and Lindsay and her husband Tobias' (David Cross) daughter Maeby (Alia Shawkat). In the episode, George Sr. is about to announce his retirement from the Bluth Company, when he is arrested for using his company's funds for personal expenses. Aspects of "Pilot" have been likened to Allegory of the cave by the Greek philosopher Plato.
| "Pilot" | |
|---|---|
| Arrested Development episode | |
 Michael Bluth (center) smiles for a photo with part of his family. | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Anthony Russo Joe Russo |
| Written by | Mitchell Hurwitz |
| Cinematography by | James Hawkinson |
| Editing by | Lee Haxall |
| Production code | 1AJD79 |
| Original air date | November 2, 2003 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
Arrested Development was created by Mitchell Hurwitz, who pitched the series as a satirical take on the American family. Jason Bateman, along with Portia de Rossi, read and auditioned for the series as the main protagonist, and Michael's sister, respectively, and both were considered perfect. Katie O'Connell, who worked closely with the series' production, gave praise towards Hurwitz's script for the episode, noting it's similarities to scandals like the fall of Enron, which occurred during the episode's production.
"Pilot" received positive reviews from critics, who praised its unique humor, lack of a laugh track, and wit. Some criticism of the episode came from the unusual crush that George Michael develops on Maeby, his cousin. An uncensored, extended version of the episode was released as a special feature on the DVD home release.
Plot
editFor ten years, Michael has been waiting for his father, George Sr., to make him a partner in the family's real estate development company. After dropping his son, George Michael, off at the frozen banana stand the family also owns, Michael goes to see his oldest brother, Gob, to ask for his check to cover party expenses. Gob informs Michael that their sister Lindsay has been staying at the Four Seasons for a month with money from the company. Upset by the lying his family has done, Michael goes to tell his mother, Lucille, that the company checkbook is closing. At the banana stand, George Michael's cousin Maeby suggests they kiss at the boat party to teach their parents a lesson that their family should see each other more often, giving George Michael strange thoughts. Back at the hotel, Lindsay's husband, Tobias, mistakes a group of garishly dressed men for pirates, and boards a van of homosexual protesters.
George Sr. gives his retirement speech and appoints Lucille the new CEO. The dismayed Michael decides it is time to move on. The SEC raids the ship. Lindsay takes command of the boat and Lucille tells Buster, her youngest son, to find a channel to the ocean on the maps, to no avail. The SEC hauls George Sr. away, leaving the family in turmoil. At the police station, Tobias, following a visit to a local theater, informs the family that he has decided to become an actor. Michael then tells the family that their dad is being kept in jail, and the SEC is putting a halt on the company's expense account. Lucille decides to put Buster in charge.
Michael, tired of doing everything for his family, accepts a job in Arizona with a rival development company. When Buster discovers his academic pursuits didn't prepare him for running a big company, the family turns to Michael, begging for his help. Visiting his father in jail, George informs him that he put Lucille in charge on the false grounds they cannot arrest a husband and wife. At the model home, Lindsay is trying to steal some belongings that she can grab and sell when she comes across George Michael. He opens up, saying he wishes the family could see each other more often, and when Michael sees this, he decides to stay in California and try to save the family business.
Production
editDevelopment
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Initial discussion of the series began in the summer of 2002, when Ron Howard conceived the original idea to create a comedy in the style of hand-held cameras and reality television, but with an elaborate, highly comical script that also incorporates traditions of single camera television.[1] Howard met with David Nevins, the president of Imagine Television, Katie O'Connell, a senior vice president, and two writers, including Mitchell Hurwitz, who would go on to create the series.[1] In light of recent corporate accounting scandals, such as Enron and Adelphia, Hurwitz suggested a story about a "riches to rags" family.[1] Howard and Imagine were immediately interested in using this idea, and signed Hurwitz on to write the show.[1] O'Connell described Hurwitz's script for accurately lampooning current events, being written shortly following the "fall of Enron".[1]
The idea was pitched and sold to Fox in the third quarter of 2002.[1][2] There was a bidding war for the show between Fox and NBC, with the show ultimately selling to Fox as an already agreed upon put-pilot, with a six-figure penalty if chosen not to air.[2] Over the next few months, Hurwitz developed the characters and plot of the series. The pilot script was submitted in January 2003 and filmed that March.[1] Tony Hale, the actor who portrays Buster, recalled that "we didn't really improv that much, because we knew [Mitchell Hurwitz] had a specific way he wanted it done".[3] "Pilot" was first released on home video in the United States on October 19, 2004 in the Complete First Season DVD box set, which also included an uncut version of the episode as a bonus feature.[4]
Casting
editThe most difficult part for casting the series involved finding people who would be believable as a family.[1] Alia Shawkat was the first person cast; Michael Cera, Tony Hale, and Jessica Walter were cast from video tapes and flown in to audition for Fox.[1] Jason Bateman and Portia de Rossi both read and auditioned for the network and were immediately chosen.[1] The character of Gob was the most challenging to cast. When Will Arnett auditioned, he depicted the character with a "macho" streak different from expectations; he was chosen immediately.[1] The characters of Tobias and George Sr. were originally going to have minor roles, but David Cross's and Jeffrey Tambor's portrayals mixed well with the rest of the characters, and they were given more significant parts.[1] Ron Howard, the executive producer, provided the narration for the initial pilot but meshed so well with the tone of the program that the decision was made to stick with his voice.[5] Howard also aided in the casting of "Lucille 2"; the producers told him that their dream actress for the role would be Liza Minnelli but assumed nobody of her stature would take the part. However, she agreed when Ron Howard asked her himself, because they were old friends; she had been his babysitter when he was a child and she was a teen.[5]
Themes and analysis
edit"Pilot" establishes the series' dry, deadpan humor and offbeat satire, and lays the groundwork for aspects that later became part of the series' identity.[6][7] It has been likened to Plato's Allegory of the cave, with Michael's excitement about assuming being made a company partner drawing comparisons to him "living in the cave with his family".[8] The episode lampoons corporate greed, being described as "squarely in the zeitgeist" of issues like the Enron scandal.[1] The episode also tackles average sitcom ideals, by having the "disciplines of multi-camera comedy" but using a mockumentary-type approach akin to the film stylings of Christopher Guest.[1][9] The attitude of "Pilot" has been described by Paste writer Carly Silverman as an "early adapter to the changing economic mood [towards America] in the 2000s".[10]
Reception
editIn the United States, the episode was watched by 7.98 million viewers on its original broadcast.[11]
"Pilot" was well received with critics, notably for its deadpan humor and lack of a laugh track.[6][12] The New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley wrote that any possible comparisons to The Royal Tenenbaums were unfair, noting that Arrested Development dropped the "highbrow precociousness" of that film.[6] She praised the "dry, deadpan tone" and "offbeat satire", saying that the "humor lies in balancing the characters' loopiness with sly, satisfying digs at the rich."[6] Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle praised the "film quality" and "comic beauty" of the series, while lauding Bateman's performance as "stunningly great".[13] Goodman also said the series was too funny to survive, comparing it to the recently cancelled series Andy Richter Controls the Universe.[13] Matt Roush of TV Guide said that the pilot demonstrated it was "sophisticated and invigorating in its barbed wit and freewheeling blackouts and flashbacks" and praised the lack of a laugh track.[12] Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote a largely positive review, exalting the performances of the entire ensemble cast, but called Bateman the standout. He, did, however, feel the series went too far outside the norm with the cousin storyline between George Michael and Maeby, referring to it as "alarming".[14]
The A.V. Club writer Noel Murray wrote that the series premiere used its time well, saying that "between the on-screen titles, the narration, the quick insert shots, the brief flashbacks, and the rapid-fire dialogue, creator Mitchell Hurwitz and his team of writers, directors, and editors impart massive amounts of information in a short span of time."[9] In 2019, Brian Tallerico from Vulture ranked the episode as the fifth best of the whole series,[7] while in 2015, Megan Walsh from Screen Rant ranked the episode as one of the best ten episode of the show, writing, "From the very first minute of the first episode, the tone of the show was perfectly set."[15]
Accolades
editThe pilot was honored at the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.[16] Mitchell Hurwitz won Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for writing the pilot episode.[16] Joe and Anthony Russo also won Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for their directorial work on this episode.[17] In addition, the episode was nominated for Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series, and editor Lee Haxall won Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Interview: Katie O'Connell". November 24, 2005. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
- ^ a b Lotz, Amanda (2007). The Television Will Be Revolutionized. NYU Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-8147-5232-6.
- ^ Miller, Liz (May 19, 2018). "'Arrested Development' Season 5 Premiere: Why the Cast Trusts the Creator, and the Night's Most Awkward Moment". IndieWire. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- ^ "Arrested Development: Season One". DVD Talk. October 13, 2004. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
- ^ a b (2004-08-20). "Friends in high places", Evening Standard, p. 13.
- ^ a b c d Stanley, Alessandra (October 31, 2003). "All in the (Rich, Dysfunctional) Family". New York Times. Archived from the original on April 10, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ a b Tallerico, Brian (March 18, 2019). "Every Episode of Arrested Development, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ^ Irwin, William (November 8, 2011). Arrested Development and Philosophy: They've Made a Huge Mistake. Wiley. ISBN 9781118146262.
- ^ a b Murray, Noel (June 1, 2011). "Arrested Development - "Extended Pilot/Top Banana"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ "Arrested Development Turns 20: Now the Story of a Wealthy Family Who Lost Everything". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
- ^ Kissell, Rick (November 4, 2003). "B'casters' post-baseball blues". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ^ a b Roush, Matt (November 3, 2003). "Relative-ly Hilarious". TV Guide. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ a b Goodman, Tim (October 31, 2003). "Latest Fox comedy 'Arrested Development' is so funny it's doomed". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ Bianco, Robert (October 30, 2003). "'Development': Not Your Father's Family Sitcom, Thankfully". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ Megan Walsh (November 12, 2015). "10 Best Episodes of Arrested Development". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Arrested Development". Television Academy. Archived from the original on March 18, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (September 19, 2004). "'Sopranos' hits a high note". Variety. Retrieved March 18, 2012.