Second season of Arrested Development laced with dry humor and witty jokes

Oct. 11 marked the release of Arrested Development Season 2 on DVD. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, join the crowd; Arrested Development is the best comedy you've never seen.

When George Bluth (Jeffrey Tambor) is indicted on charges of shady dealings with his housing development firm, his son Michael (Jason Bateman) is forced to take control as president of the failing business and patriarch of his manically-dysfunctional family.

His brother Gob (Will Arnett), the failed magician, wants the respect he feels he deserves as the oldest brother. Twin-sister Lindsay (Portia di Rossi) needs money and help with her failing marriage to Tobias Funke (the hilarious David Cross). Mother Lucille (Jessica Walter) is a manipulative drunk who plays with her children's emotions and coddles her youngest son, the dimwitted naive Buster.

And finally there is George Michael (Michael Cera), the innocent and well-meaning son with a destructive crush on his mischievous and shortsighted cousin Maeby (Alia Shawkat.)

Still not interested? No surprise there. On paper it sounds like another throw-away sitcom, and this is likely why the show has been marred with abysmal ratings despite across-the-board critical acclaim. Season two was cut short from 22 episodes to 18 to avoid sweeps-week (the period of the year when shows are rated to determine their advertising potential) and rumors of sudden cancellation were looming until August of this year when another season was ordered. So why bother?

Winning five Emmys in 2004 and nominated for 11 in 2005, Arrested Development features sharp writing and character-perfect performances. But what really sets Arrested Development apart is an attention to detail for jokes that go far beyond what the characters are literally saying.

For instance, in the episode "Sword of Destiny" the plot revolves around a company crisis when a housing order of 22 is reduced to 18, a reference to the reduced number of episodes for season two. I've seen that episode three times and I just got that joke. In one episode the family lawyer (played by Henry Winkler) jumps over a beached shark. In another, a picture of Tobias' testicles is mistaken by the Pentagon as a storehouse for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. These types of jokes mean that on your third viewing of an episode you will be laughing harder than you did the first time. The more you watch the funnier it gets.

So what about the second season DVD's? Season two picks up right where season one left off, with Gob taking over as president of the company as Michael is investigated for the charges leveled at his father, that he illegally built homes in Iraq. The second season delves into weirder situations than the first.

Tobias tries unsuccessfully to become one of the Blue Man Group (after mistaking it for a support group for depressed men), George's twin brother Oscar moves in with Lucille to try and rekindle and old romance while his brother is in jail, and George Michael starts dating a plain-looking christian fundamentalist named Anne (Mae Whitman), much to his father and cousin's mutual discomfort.

The episodes and jokes fly at a rapid pace and after a few weak episodes at the start, the show goes above and beyond the quality of the first season.

If you liked the first season, buy these DVD's now. If you haven't seen the first season though, buy and watch that first. You'll be closer to the characters and you'll be able to catch more of the references to jokes from the first season (like Gob's chicken dance, and whistling teeth at the company softball game). As for extras, the DVDs are sparse, with a blooper reel and a variety of deleted scenes as the highlights. The episode commentary should have been a great addition but, like the first season DVD's, too many commentators create a mess of confusion and giggling.

Do yourself a favor, ignore my review. It is hard to illustrate how the acting and sharp comedic writing can make this show worth watching. It is even harder to understand how continuity and attention to detail can make a comedy funny. Go out and buy or rent the first season of Arrested Development ($27 at Amazon.com) and watch the first three episodes. You'll get it then. And you won't want to stop watching.

Arrested Development is currently in its third season, and new episodes air Mondays at 8 p.m on FOX network.