Arrested Development

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.

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.