tv meme, day 1: a show that should never have been canceled

Well, thanks to a heads-up from two of my favorite bloggers out there, Andrew and Simon, I'm about to embark on a rather exciting meme, of which I'm not sure the origins. But nonetheless, it's a great list, and it'll give me a chance to celebrate the oft-forgotten venue of television for the next 30 days. First up, the Day 1 theme is "A show that should never have been canceled." For me, that was an easy choice: say hello to Arrested Development.

It's hands-down one of my favorite shows to ever grace the airwaves, and it's for a variety of reasons. It had a killer cast with amazing chemistry - it's very rare that not one person in a cast can be denoted the "weak spot," but that is certainly the case here. On top of that, the writing is impossibly witty and brilliant. I can't quite fathom how they manage to fit in so many zingers along with all the smart throwbacks to prior episodes and story arcs as well as poke fun at their own low ratings within the dialogue. Which brings me to the issue at hand. Though the show was showered with critical praise and awardage, by the end of season 2, it was highly unlikely that the low-rated steamboat would be picked up for season 3. In fact, it was made clear that they should count their blessings when they were given the grace to do another season. So what did these dastardly writers do in response? They spent the entire third season taking shots at the FOX network and doing a hell of a job at it.

I'm not sure what would've been in the cards for the Bluth family had the show lasted more than its short three-season run, but it seems inevitable that it would've bucked the trend of most well-received shows and never lost steam. I can't pinpoint a single episode that stuck out as weak for the duration. And though the finale (which was presented in an insane event-like rush to the finish line with four final episodes being shown in a row on one night) was in the spirit of everything Arrested Development stood for, I can't help but want more material to circulate in my constant rotation of re-watching this gem. Give me more Bluth! Give me more Fünke! And remember, there's always money in the banana stand...