“Arrested Development,” one of the quirkier comedies of the early 2000s, premiered 20 years ago to the very day.
Despite an all-star cast, including Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Jeffrey Tambor and Ron Howard as the narrator, and six Emmy wins, the show was canceled after just three seasons. It was brought back for a fourth and fifth season years later on Netflix.
The show, which was executive produced by Howard and was influential in its early use of single-camera work for a sitcom, revolved around the wealthy, self-absorbed and eccentric members of the Bluth family who are rattled by the arrest of patriarch George Bluth, played by Tambor, on fraud charges.
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The cast of “Arrested Development.” (L. Cohen/WireImage)
Jason Bateman
Bateman played Michael Bluth, who struggles to keep his family together after his father’s arrest. He won a Golden Globe for best actor for his work on the show. Since “Arrested Development,” Bateman has starred in several movies like “Juno,” “Hancock,” Couples Retreat,” “The Switch” and “Horrible Bosses.”
More recently, he starred in Netflix’s “Ozark” and the Nike/Michael Jordan movie “Air.”
Bateman married actress and producer Amanda Anka, Paul Anka’s daughter, in 2001, and the couple share two daughters: Francesca, 17, and Maple, 11.
Jason Bateman has starred in several movies since “Arrested Development.” (Frederick M. Brown/Paula Lobo/ABC)
Jeffrey Tambor
Tambor played George Bluth, who was arrested for fraud in connection to his real estate empire in the first episode and investigated for “light treason” for building homes for Sadaam Hussein but eventually exonerated. He also played his identical twin Oscar.
Tambor had roles in shows and movies like “City Slickers,” “The Larry Sanders Show” and “There’s Something About Mary” before landing “Arrested Development,” and he went on to star in Amazon’s “Transparent”—for which he received an Emmy – after the sitcom was canceled.
He also worked in 2009’s “The Hangover.”
Tambor was fired from “Transparent” in 2018 after sexual harassment allegations were lobbed against him, but he returned as George Bluth when the show moved to Netflix.
Tamor denied the accusations, saying, “I’m not this guy.”
He added at the time, “I apologize now, if I made anyone, anyone feel vulnerable and I’m sorry.”
Jeffrey Tambor starred in “Transparent” after the show was canceled. (Jon Kopaloff/JB Lacroix/WireImage)
Will Arnett
Arnett played G.O.B. (which his character insisted was pronounced like the Bible’s Job), Michael Bluth’s older brother, a struggling professional magician.
After “Arrested Development,” Arnett continued to star in comedies, including “Blades of Glory,” “30 Rock,” “BoJack Horseman” and the CBS sitcom “The Millers.”
He also voices Batman in the “Lego” movie franchise and narrates Reese’s Peanut Butter cup ads.
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Arnett married comedian Amy Poehler in 2003, and they share two sons Archie and Abel. After the couple divorced in 2016, the 53-year-old began dating Alessandra Brawn, and the couple welcomed son Alexander in 2020.
Will Arnett went on to star in a number of comedies after “Arrested Development.” (Jon Kopaloff/Bruce Glikas/WireImage)
Portia de Rossi
Portia de Rossi, 50, who played Michael’s entitled twin sister Lindsay, had just come from legal dramedy “Ally McBeal” when she landed the part.
She later went on to “Better Off Ted,” a recurring role on “Nip/Tuck” and played Elizabeth North on “Scandal.”
De Rossi came out as gay in 2005, and she married comedian Ellen DeGeneres in 2008.
Portia de Rossi moved on to shows like “Scandal” and “Nip/Tuck.” (Bill Davila/FilmMagic/Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for RH)
Michael Cera
Michael Cera, 35, played Michael’s awkward teenage son George Michael who has a secret crush on his cousin.
George Michael not only struggles with the loss of his mom at a young age, but was also traumatized after he watched the HBO prison show “Oz” thinking it was the musical “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Arrested Development” eventually led to other awkward teen roles for Cera, including “Superbad,” “Juno” and “Scott Pilgrim v. the World.”
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More recently, he did the voice of Robin opposite Arnett’s Batman in “The Lego Batman Movie,” voiced the lead character in the animated comedy “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” last year and was in the “Barbie” movie.
Cera also married his wife Nadine, who is a producer, in 2018, and they welcomed a son in 2021.
Michael Cera was most recently in the “Barbie” movie. (Jim Spellman/WireImage/Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage)
Jessica Walter
Jessica Walter, who played Michael’s out-of-touch mother Lucille Bluth, started her career in the 1960s with roles on shows like “Route 66,” “The Fugitive” and “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.”
She also starred in 1971’s “Play Misty for Me” opposite Clint Eastwood and in 1966’s “Grand Prix” with James Garner. She voiced mom Fran Sinclair on the 1991-1994 comedy “Dinosaurs” that used animatronics.
Following “Arrested Development,” she played mom Elaine Robbins on “Retired at 35” and voiced Malory Archer, the mother of the titular character on the adult animated comedy series “Archer” and the former CEO of the spy agency where they worked from 2009 to 2021.
In 2021, Walter died at her home at 80 years old.
Walter was married to actor Ron Leibman from 1983 until he died in 2019 and shared a daughter Brooke, 51, with her first husband Ross Bowman.
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Jessica Wlater died in 2021. (Barry King/WireImage/Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
Tony Hale
Mama’s boy Buster Bluth was played by comedian Tony Hale, 53, who later went on to a recurring role in “Chuck,” “The Heat” with Sandra Bullock, “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip,” “The 15:17 to Paris,” and he played personal aide Gary Walsh to Julia Louis-Dreyfus on “Veep” from 2012 to 2019.
He also played would-be victim Mayor Traske in the 2022 sequel to “Hocus Pocus” and the beloved Forky in “Toy Story 4.”
He married makeup artist Martel Thompson in 2003, and they share a daughter born in 2006.
Tony Hale also played the beloved Forky in the fourth installment of “Toy Story” in 2019. (Barry King/Wireimage/Monica Schipper)
Ron Howard
Howard, who also executive produced the show, got his start as a child actor on shows like “The Andy Griffith Show.” He moved on to “Happy Days” and “American Graffiti” as a teen but eventually turned to producing and directing as an adult.
He directed the Tom Hanks-led “Apollo 13” in 1995 and won two Oscars for best director and best picture for 2001’s “A Beautiful Mind.”
He most recently directed “Thirteen Lives” a film starring Viggo Mortensen about the Thai cave rescue and “We Feed people,” a documentary about chef José Andrés’ work feeding global disaster victims.
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Narrator and former child actor Ron Howard mostly works behind the camera now. (John Sciulli/WireImage for The jLINE Group, Inc./Randy Shropshire)
Howard married his actress wife Cheryl in 1975, and they share one son and three daughters, including “Jurassic World” star Bryce Dallas Howard.
