Development: A rest from the mundane

There's quirky, there's goofy, and there's just plain bizarre. Then there is Arrested Development, a hilarious and original amalgam of all three adjectives and then some. In some parts Malcolm and the Middle and others a modified television version of The Royal Tenenbaums, this new FOX comedy brings the dysfunctional to life, proclaiming that nothing is sacred in the family unit.

Told through the eyes of Michael Bluth (Jason Batemen), Arrested Development is all about his family, a ridiculous collection of caricatures who somehow manage to coexist in the fractured world of television. At the top of the family is George Bluth, Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), a spendthrift and grandstanding real estate mogul who has recently bestowed the family empire upon his vapid, yet fashionable, wife Lucille (Jessica Walter), much to the chagrin of the hardworking and loyal Michael. Unloved and underappreciated, Michael lives in the attic of a model home with his socially awkward prepubescent son George Michael (Michael Cera), waiting for his chance to finally make it big in his father's company.

But his father's financial carelessness does not go unpunished, as a celebratory banquet cruise is crashed by the FBI, SEC, and IRS, all ready to pounce on George Sr. for countless violations of many federal laws. Now, without their father's piggy bank, the rest of the family must cope with its newfound helplessness while Michael looks on in disgust and embarrassment. Leading the crowd of siblings is Portia de Rossi as the flamboyant activist Lindsay. Though she's hounded from the beginning by the Jewish Defense League for creating HOOP (Hands Off Our Penises), a group fighting against circumcision, Lindsay develops an even greater headache when her hotel penthouse, paid for by Daddy's expense account, is no more.

Michael's two other brothers, George III (Will Arnett) and Buster (Tony Hale), are equally inept. The former is a failed magician, blackballed by his former associates for mistakenly revealing the trick behind one of his illusions, and the latter has wasted his father's money learning about ancient skills and cultures, though he knows nothing about everyday modern life. Even Buster's lessons in cartography fail to serve him well, as when the family attempts to flee the federal agents, he looks at the map and claims that "this blue area here is land."

In the end, it's the simple randomness and quirky behavior of all the Bluths that will drive this show to its ultimate success. Whereas the dry humor of The Royal Tenenbaums singled out the extraordinary eccentricity of its titular family, Arrested prides itself on the underwhelming pathos of the Bluths. When George Senior's accounts are frozen, the family must move in together in the only vestige left of his real estate empire. The humorous conceit of Arrested should center on the loony and wacky behavior of this similarly characterized family.

Writer and creator Mitchell Hurwitz (The Ellen Show) has designed a beautifully fractured and cartoonish version of the grown-up American family. If Malcolm and his brothers grew up rich, this would be their adult life. Hurwitz's brilliant script is exceptionally realized by the fantastic cast that producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer have assembled.

As the narrator and focus upon which all the other skewed familial lines meet, Batemen is perfect in his role as Michael Bluth. His role is probably the simplest, as he is the straight, sane man to his kooky siblings and parents. Even his son, played with the right amount of subtlety by the young Cera, outshines Batemen when he anxiously awaits rooming with his attractive adolescent cousin.

As the father figure, Tambor places a loveable face on the Kenneth Lays and Bernard Ebbers of the world. His ability to fill the broad shoulders of such a falsely magnanimous character comes across in George Senior's carefree behavior.

The actors who play his children are also well cast, especially Portia de Rossi (Ally McBeal) as Lindsay. Initially portrayed as a spoiled brat with little to do but support frivolous causes like HOOP, Lindsey still harbors a deep love and admiration of her brother, the sort that is usually found in cheesy afternoon sitcoms.

Her husband, former doctor Tobias Funke (former because he attempted CPR on a sleeping tourist) is played by perennial sitcom guest star staple David Cross. Recognizable from his roles on The Drew Carey Show and Just Shoot Me!, Cross steals each scene he is in with his natural and infectious good-humored goofiness.

Arrested Development is the triumphant culmination of the recent trend of dysfunctionality in television families. The Bluths follow in the footsteps of the most well known modern and clich?©d "dysfunctional family," the Simpsons, while combining their charm with contemporary cynicism and quirkiness. The Tenenbaums may have had extraordinary academic or physical skills, but the Bluths are mediocre in everything but their eccentricity.