Parent reviews for Arrested Development

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Based on 17 reviews
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Based on 67 reviews
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July 30, 2012
Great show! But not for your kids.
This is a great show, but definitely not for kids. Depending on your child, seniors in high school who are around 18 may be old enough for this very adult comedy. Any child younger than that should be kept from this series. There are very few positive characters, and even those who try to do good often find themselves following right along with the others. Even though there isn't excessive violence or sex in this show, it is filled with adult concepts and ideas that most kids won't understand and may misinterpret.
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June 4, 2011
Witty, mature comedy for older viewers only
This show is positively excellent! Arrested Development is witty, dark, intensely funny, and full of astute observations on American culture. The Bluth family's mindless consumerism, low intellect, and dysfunctional relationships provide most of the laughs. It's chock full of great moments, a few heartwarming scenes, and lots and lots of mature humor. It definitely needs the right audience. I've watched every episode, and content certainly varies. There is extremely inappropriate language (which is bleeped, but clever references in following sentences let the viewer know EXACTLY what was being said). There is lots of sexual content that deals with incest (several major plot points center on incestuous and oedipal relationships), womanizing, masturbation, coercion, affairs, and etc. (nothing is shown, but the dialogue runs the gamut of topics). There is vapidity, lots of drinking, intense consumerism, and mind-blowing arrogance that make almost all members of the cast horrendous role models (which, of course, is the point). Finally, the way that the members of the Bluth family treat both their own and others is careless and crass. While the content is ok for older high school students, the older the viewer, the more they pick up on the nuances of the story.
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June 28, 2022
Funny, but really, for adults.
Two decades on, it's still one of the funniest series on TV, but it's decidedly adult humor. This is a series where very dysfunctional adults do terrible, manipulative things for seemingly trivial reasons, and it is all framed in a comedic manner. It's designed and written for maximum hilarity but younger teens and children will not have the experience to view this in the right context.
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January 18, 2019
One of the greatest shows of all time. There is no violence the language gets much worst in season 5 the sex gets worst in season 5. Overall this show is one of the classic comedies and is a great show for kids 13 and up.
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June 16, 2018
Should have stopped with Season 2
Just like The Godfather, this show should have stopped with their second outing; the writing was witty and sharp, the situations uniquely humorous and the acting was spot on.
Starting in season 3, it was obvious that the show had started to run out of steam; situations seeemd contrived and jokes rehashed. Situations switched from being bizarrely funny to just creepy; all the borderline incestuous situations with George Michael and his cousin that seemed to go on and on, were totally unnecessary and far from humorous.
Netflix reprising this show will prevent it from being considered a funny and unique sitcom for the ages.
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July 31, 2017
Really funny, somewhat iffy
I really enjoyed the humor in Arrested Development--it's a shame that it ultimately didn't do very well. Overall, while it's certainly a show geared for adults, the questionable content is limited to semi-rough language ("damn," "son of a b-tch," "hell") and sexual references (an ongoing joke about incest, oblique double entendres). Some drinking. Should be fine for mature teens.
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June 14, 2015
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April 12, 2014
Funniest comedy I've ever seen
Absolutely hilarious. Trying to think back, but I don't think it's all that bad. I'd suggest using your own judgement for kids under 12, but teens I think could definitely handle it.
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May 22, 2011
Not good for anyone.
It's just hairbrained and has no redemning qualities/
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October 13, 2010
Arrested Greatness
This show is a dark comedy sitcom. Though it's very well done. The reason this isn't a family sitcom is because it shows all the characters, except George-Michael, deliberatly trying to ruin the lives of each other. I love it, it's funny, and very useful. 100,000,000 stars.