With Jason Bateman killing it in the Netflix crime drama Arrested Development so compelling.
When the pilot was made, it was unknown if the show would be picked up for even one season, but it helped launch its cast into superstardom and came to be regarded as one of the best sitcoms of all time. It turns out there's plenty of fascinating backstory to the pilot that makes its success all the more interesting.
Fox Paid For The Pilot Before Anyone Knew If The Show Would Be Picked Up
When Ron Howard and Mitchell Hurwitz came up with the idea of a uniquely-shot fast-paced sitcom about a unique cast of characters known as the Bluth family in 2002, it was unknown how well it would do in the age of fixed camera sitcoms. Despite that, they managed to sell the idea to Fox shortly after.
As Ron Howard told the Television Academy, Fox actually agreed to pay for the pilot fully, meaning they had to quickly set to work coming up with a script and casting roles. Fortunately, the pilot was so effective at demonstrating the creators' vision for the show that it wasn't long after they submitted that the show was picked up.
Jason Bateman & Will Arnett Got The Roles As Soon As They Auditioned
While many roles in Arrested Development were cast through audition tapes, some of which can still be found online, several of the main roles had live auditions. This included the roles of two of Arrested Development's most iconic characters, Michael and G.O.B Bluth and, as UPROXX reported, creator Mitchell Hurwitz knew immediately after seeing Jason Bateman and Will Arnett's audition that they were perfect.
Unfortunately, he also itted that this led to an awkward moment during auditions. Hurwitz was so sure that Arnett was right that he told him he had the part on the spot, inadvertently saying as much in front of two other actors who had yet to audition for the part. Even more hilariously, one of those actors was Rainn Wilson, who later found huge success on The Office.
The Pilot Was Inspired By Low-Cost Reality TV-Style Filmmaking
Though it may be hard to believe about a show that came to be one of the most expensive sitcoms ever made when it returned in 2013, Ron Howard's vision for Arrested Development was inspired by the innovative filmmaking style coming out of reality TV at the time, which had an extremely grounded and relatively cost-effective approach.
It also meant that the usual time constraints forced on other shows, especially sitcoms with a live studio audience, didn't apply, and they were able to take the time to develop each scene and experiment with different ideas. It also gave the show its grounded feel that helped inspire so many mockumentary sitcoms after.
The Pilot Script Was So Strong That The Stars Barely Had To Improvise
One advantage of Arrested Development's unique way of doing things is that it allowed a lot of opportunities for the actors to improvise and play around with jokes in their own way. This was something that the show's creators were keen on, as Ron Howard told the Television Academy.
However, as he went on to explain, there was one problem with this that arose whilst filming the pilot. The script that Mitch Hurwitz had penned was so good that the actors didn't want to improvise. Instead, they largely just played the script as it was written and it ended up working out for the best.
The Pilot Was Directed By The Russo Brothers
Before the MCU had even begun to take shape and long before Anthony and Joseph Russo would direct the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time in the form of Avengers: Endgame, they were honing their craft as television directors. One person who spotted their talent was Ron Howard who, as the brothers told GQ in a recent interview, called them up and quickly explained his idea for a new sitcom.
The brothers loved his idea for a more grounded, cost-effective way of making sitcoms and quickly added their own ideas for being efficient and keeping costs down, which included a list of strict rules for the cast. They also made the bold decision to shoot the pilot on digital cameras, something that was almost unheard of for sitcoms at the time.
Ron Howard Was Only Meant To Be A Stand-In Narrator
One of the things that ensured Arrested Development could keep up its incredibly fast pace was the iconic narrator who, despite being one of the most prominent narrators in TV history, went uncredited in all the show's five seasons. The reason for this is that this narrator was only meant to be a temporary stand-in for the purposes of the pilot.
In fact, it was the show's executive producer, Ron Howard, who performed the narration for the pilot, which turned out to work so well with audiences that he ended up a permanent fixture. According to Howard himself in his interview with the Television Academy, he just got in the habit of going uncredited and realized too late that it may have been a mistake.
The Model Home Set Is Completely Different In The Rest Of The Series
One problem with making a pilot for a show, not knowing if it would be picked up, is that a lot of things can end up changing if it is given the green light to continue. This includes several of the most important sets of Arrested Development, which all ended up being completely different in the show from how they were in the pilot.
The model home where Michael lives, Lucille's apartment, and even the prison where George Sr. is being held, are all notably different. Compared to how little the cast changes between the show's beginning and end, the look of the show's main locations changed a huge amount.
An Uncensored Extended Version Of The Pilot Exists
Whilst most sitcoms avoid the matter entirely, it only makes Arrested Development funnier and helps sell the mockumentary feel of the show that it includes bleeped-out swears, at times. The pilot is no exception to this, but what sets it apart is that an uncensored version was actually released as a DVD extra.
The uncensored edition, which was included on the DVD boxset for season 1, also includes extended scenes that introduce each character more thoroughly, making it a treat worth seeking out for hardcore Arrested Development fans.
It Set Up Some Of The Series' Longest-Running Jokes
One of the things that have helped Arrested Development age surprisingly well is the wickedly clever writing that means even the smallest joke or reference may come back to set something else up later. Many have pointed out how well set up Buster losing his hand is and it's possible they even began the hints from the pilot, with Lucille finding her fox fur has had its foot cut off.
References to lost limbs aside, the pilot also sets up several other jokes that become running gags throughout the series, including Michael's desire to move to Phoenix, G.O.B's hidden dove illusion, and Buster attempting to give everyone shoulder rubs.
The Pilot Won Emmys
It's obvious that the Arrested Development pilot was unique and innovative and this didn't go unnoticed by critics. Not only did it receive a ton of acclaim but, for the pilot alone, the Russo brothers received an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Mitchell Hurwitz won the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series category.
This formed the beginning of the show's run of earning huge acclaim and countless awards, even as ratings fell to the point where it would be eventually canceled. Throughout it all, they were able to get across what would make the show so special and so beloved from the very first episode.