The second season of ''

Arrested Development ''Arrested Development'' is an American satire, satirical television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. It follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family and is presented in a Serial (radio and television), serialized format, inco ...

'', an American television series created by Mitchell Hurwitz, began airing on November 7, 2004, on Fox, a U.S.

broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

television network A television broadcaster or television network is a telecommunications network for the distribution of television show, television content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations, pay television providers or ...

. It comprises 18 episodes, each running approximately 22 minutes in length, and concluded its initial airing on April 17, 2005. The second season received acclaim from critics, who lauded it as overwhelmingly better than the first. It was nominated for multiple awards, notably for 11

Emmys The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

, the highest amount a single season of the series ever received. The show's storyline centers on the Bluth family, a formerly wealthy, habitually dysfunctional family and is presented in a continuous format, incorporating hand-held camera work, narration, archival photos and historical footage. It was released on DVD in region 1 on October 11, 2005, in region 2 on January 23, 2006, and in region 4 on March 15, 2006.

Production

After the first season's airing, Fox picked up a full 22-episode second season, but its production order was later cut down to 18 episodes.

Cast

Jason Bateman Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox / Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development'' (2003–2019) and Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama s ...

as Michael Bluth * Portia de Rossi as Lindsay Bluth Fünke *

Will Arnett William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix sitcom '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and the titular ch ...

as Gob Bluth *

Michael Cera Michael Austin Cera ( ; ; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor. Over his career he has received nominations for a British Academy Film Award, three Critics' Choice Movie Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award. Cera beca ...

as George Michael Bluth * Alia Shawkat as Maeby Fünke *

Tony Hale Anthony Russell Hale (born September 30, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is most known for his comedic leading roles in the Fox series '' Arrested Development'' as Buster Bluth, and as Gary Walsh on the HBO series '' Veep''. For the ...

as Buster Bluth * David Cross as Tobias Fünke *

Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank ...

as George Bluth, Sr. / Oscar Bluth * Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth *

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

as Narrator (uncredited)

Episodes

The second season of ''Arrested Development'' consists of 18 episodes, which are listed below as ordered on the DVD collection and not in their original production order.

Reception

Critical reception

In its second season, ''Arrested Development'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the season has an approval rating of 94% with an average score of 8.3 out of 10 based on 18 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Arrested Development''s second season doubles down on the absurd antics and densely layered gags, cementing the Bluths as TV's best worst family." On the review aggregator website

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the second season scored 88 out of 100, based on 17 reviews, indicating "Universal acclaim."

Awards and nominations

In 2005, the second season received eleven

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

nominations in seven categories with one win. It was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (

), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (

), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series ( Jessica Walter), Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Barbie Adler for "Sad Sack" and Brad Copeland for "Sword of Destiny"); Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series; Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series (three nominations). The episode " Righteous Brothers", written by Mitchell Hurwitz and Jim Vallely won for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. The second season also received two

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

nominations in two categories with one win. It was nominated for Best Series Musical or Comedy, and Jason Bateman won for Best Performance in a Musical or Comedy.

Home media

The second season was released on DVD in region 1 on October 11, 2005, in region 2 on January 23, 2006 and in region 4 on March 15, 2006. Special features include commentary by series creator Mitchell Hurwitz and cast members on " Good Grief", " Ready, Aim, Marry Me!" and " Righteous Brothers"; deleted and extended scenes; " Season One in 3 Minutes" overview; blooper reel; " The Immaculate Election" campaign videos.

References

External links

* {{TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy 2004 American television seasons 2005 American television seasons