Arrested Development - Season 3 [DVD]

I have recently purchased all three seasons of Arrested Development on dvd and to my mind this has to be without question one of best and slickest tv comedies of all time.Great writing and great performances by all concerned.Highly recommended.I can only agree with the very commendable reviews of the previous contributors.In fact I never wanted it to end.How this fantastic piece of television came to be cancelled by so called TV moguls must remain one of the greatest mystery's and biggest blunders of all time.If there is any justice in this world.............bring it back !

Arrested Development's third and final season could have been doomed by the fact that, halfway through filming of the series, Fox cut the amount of episodes ordered from 22 to 13. In the hands of other programme makers, this could have been the death knell for the series. However, series creator Mitch Hurwitz and his talented cast and crew managed to keep the show afloat, and arguably funnier than ever before, for its remaining episodes. To be able to tie up the many dangling plot threads in such a limited time can't have been an easy feat, but it is managed brilliantly, as you will see when watching the DVD.

There are appearances from a host of popular recurring characters (Barry, Kitty, Oscar, Franklin etc) and famous faces, the stand out being Charlize Theron, who appears in 5 episodes as the mysterious (and hilarious) British babe Rita. The story-arch involving Rita gives the producers several opportunities to spoof the James Bond films, and the surprise culmination, in which we learn the truth about Rita, has to be seen to be believed! Another standout episode is S.O.B.s, which was filmed after the news that the show had been cancelled. S.O.B.s has thinly-veiled attacks on Fox, not to mention those TV programmes that go to extremes to increase viewers (such as killing a character, a live episode or celebrity cameos). It is a brilliant example of why 'Arrested' became a standout critical hit in its first season.

This DVD package contains 13 episodes over 2 discs, with standout extras including several commentaries (featuring cast and crew); 19 deleted and extended scenes; and a featurette which deals with the last day of location filming for the show.

The episodes in this final season are:

1. The Cabin Show

2. For British Eyes Only

3. Forget Me Now

4. Notapussy

5. Mr.F

6. The Ocean Walker

7. Prison Break In

8. Making A Stand

9. S.O.B.s

10. Fakin' It

11. Family Ties

12. Exit Strategy

13. Development Arrested

"I have made a huge mistake" should be gratified onto the office door of the Fox Executives that cancelled one of the greatest comedies of all time. Arrested Development is/was original, relevant and extremely funny. It is a show that anyone and everyone can escape to and find something to laugh about in. Full of fantastic comic performances and scripts even more intricate than the first two series of this is my favourite tv show. The jokes come thick and fast and knowledge of the first two series is essential to get proper enjoyment from the complex self referential humor. The episodes are also better on second viewing as you spot the more subtle jokes that litter each one.

One of the joys of Arrested Development are the grand narrative jokes, that you sense building up over an entire series and in this shorter series there are two fantastically worked plot twists. Arrested Development makes fantastic use of music, visual and physical comedy but its true heart lies in its characters. If you have the first two series you simply have to get this series to complete the set. Uncle Gob, Uncle Tobias and Uncle Buster are waiting for you. "Come On!"

And if you haven't seen any Arrested Development (so jealous, you have so much goodness to come) buy the first series now!

Joshua Davidson