TVSquad

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(S01E02) Many people will tell you that they got sucked into Arrested Development by its pilot. I wasn't. For some reason, I didn't watch the pilot when it first aired. But that's just fine, because the second episode, "Top Banana," was a perfect representation of everything AD ended up being. Throwaway jokes. Quick cut-aways and flashbacks. Subtle catchphrase generation. A "lesson of the week" couched in vicious barbs between members of the Bluth family. Oh, and two words that I'll never forget: "No touching!"

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

I will admit, I was super late to the Arrested Development game. It had been canceled and I'm pretty sure everything was on DVD. Actually, I remember the first time I watched an episode, it was on G4. There was that guy from Teen Wolf Too and he was talking to David Cross, who was painted like a Smurf for some reason. And then he did some things that didn't really make sense, and I laughed nervously because I was worried I had become too stupid to keep up with sitcoms. I gave up after another ten minutes of confusion and switched over to Flavor of Love or something equally brain-numbing to make myself feel better.

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

(S02E01) Here's the rundown. Michael and his son leave for Phoenix. Well, not really. Michael needs money so he ends up going back to his old life at the model home in order to track down the company check book.

While Michael tries to do something productive, the rest of the siblings are into the usual mischief. When she and Tobias decide to explore an open relationship, Lindsay falls for a real estate agent. Tobias readies himself to join the Blue Man Group, excited at this new acting opportunity. GOB, who has been put in charge of the company, finds the contracts with Saddam Hussein but inadvertently gives them to his father who is dressed up like Oscar, George Sr.'s twin brother. Buster reconnects with Uncle Oscar but gets enlisted in the army by Lucille.

And at the end of the day, the Bluths realize they all need each other. If they didn't, it wouldn't be Arrested Development.

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

(S01E01) Some shows come out of the gate with such a power that you can't help but stand up and take notice. For the far too few of us who happened to catch Arrested Development when it premiered, it quickly established that it was going to be something a little different than the other comedy fare on the television. The trend at the time was moving toward the single camera format, that's almost become the norm for comedies nowadays (The Office, My Name is Earl, hell NBC's entire Thursday night lineup).

There was a time when audiences were less receptive to this kind of television. It was funny, but minus a laugh track. So while shows like The King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond and even According to Jim had this comfortable format with the basic house set and laughter to cue us into the funny bits, AD was something a bit more challenging. Perhaps it was just a few years ahead of its time, or perhaps it was on the wrong network (FOX), or perhaps it was just too smart for its own good.

There's news about CBS's Mike Birbiglia's Secret Public Journal, and from the sounds of it, this may be a real sleeper -- that's if you believe in the quality of the casting. Joining Mike in the show are comic Bob Odenkirk, actress Rachel Blanchard and former deejay Phil Hendrie.

Mike Birbiglia's Secret Public Journal, based on his stand up comedy, includes Blanchard (7th Heaven) as his significant other, an aspiring doctor and the sensible one of the couple. Phil Hendrie, best known as a popular radio talker but was also on The Unit in a supporting role, has been cast as Mike's abrasive doctor. But perhaps the best news for this CBS project is adding Bob O to the company as Mike's big brother. In everything I've ever seen him do, Odenkirk is a riot. He's a two-time Emmy winner for his comedy writing.

As the first Futurama straight-to-DVD movie, Bender's Big Score, begins airing on Comedy Central (they'll air the movie as a four-episode blok on Sunday night), Fox has announced the name and release date of the second straight-to-DVD epic.

AnimationMagazine.net reports that Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs will be released on June 24, and they note that Fox calls it "the most tentacle-packed Futurama epic." Since it's a continuation of Bender's Big Score, I'll talk about the plot of the new movie after the jump, for the benefit of those who haven't seen the first movie yet.

The folks behind some of my favorite series of the past decade talking about the TV comedy business? Yes, please.

Golden Fiddle has a transcript of a panel discussion with David Cross (Arrested Development, co-creator of Mr. Show), Bob Odenkirk (the other co-creator of Mr. Show), Chuck Tatham (writer, Arrested Development), and Wonder Showzen creators Vernon Chatman and John Lee.

Do you like comedy? Sure, we all do. If you especially like your comedy in written and audio form, these two news items should have you clapping your hands and doing the happy dance:

First, that Comedy Death Ray CD I mentioned earlier will be out on September 12. The 150-minute CD, comprised of sets recorded during the all-night fourth anniversary Comedy Death Ray show at the UCB theater and sets from the SF Sketchfest, will feature such comedians as Patton Oswalt (King of Queens, Comedians of Comedy), Maria Bamford (Comedians of Comedy), David Cross (Mr. Show, Arrested Development), Paul F. Tompkins (Mr. Show, Best Week Ever), Doug Benson (Best Week Ever, Last Comic Standing), Brian Posehn (Mr. Show, Comedians of Comedy, Just Shoot Me, The Sarah Silverman Program), Neil Hamburger (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job), and many more.

Sometimes the best television isn't transmitting through satellites, cables or airwaves. Sometimes the best television isn't shown on any channel. Sometimes the best television is on the internet. Case in point: Clark and Michael.

Clark and Michael is the brain child of Arrested Development's Michael Cera and Clark Duke, who can be found on ABC's Greek. The project that started as Duke's college thesis has evolved into a full season of hilarity at ten-minutes-per-serving.

That's what a reporter in England is pushing for. He has started an online petition to have the Bluths come back together for an Xmas special in 2009.

So far reporter Eddie Wrenn has 3000 signatures, which, while nice, isn't enough to get anyone's attention. But it's the first step in a campaign to get Jason Bateman, Jessica Walter, Michael Cera, Ron Howard and company to come back and do a special for fans. And that's something that's a lot more realistic than some fans who try to get a show to come back full time on some network's schedule (as if actors don't move on to other projects and are just waiting around to be called back).

More shows should do this. Not only would they please fans, I think it would show some good will towards those fans and probably increase DVD sales as well. Yeah, I can imagine an Arrested Development special every couple of years.

If you've seen Blue Collar TV or any of the Blue Collar movies, you know the comedians always end the night by getting on stage together and riffing.

At Bonaroo, comedians David Cross (Mr. Show, Arrested Development), Aziz Ansari (Human Giant) and Nick Kroll (Cavemen, Human Giant, Best Week Ever) did their own version of the "old pals sitting on stools and shootin' the breeze" act with their list of criteria to determine whether or not you're a "deadneck" -- which, as far as I can tell, means a racist hippie of some sort.

Who will come out the victor when you pit actor David Cross (Mr. Show, Arrested Development) against Dinosaur Jr frontman J. Mascis in a Guitar Hero II challenge? The answer is in the video below.

Of course, I really didn't care who won, it was just fun to watch Cross riff and read the TelePrompter along with the host. Also, his comments about AOL at the end of the video almost had me on the floor (the video was made for AOL's The DL, and AOL also owns TV Squad). He should like, tell jokes in front of people for a living. Mascis seemed a little uncomfortable, but give the guy a break, he wasn't exactly in his element, being an actual muscian and all.

Considering the popularity of Guitar Hero, will they eventually make similar games for other instruments? Because I think I could totally kick ass on Clarinet Hero. Trombone Hero, not so much, but give me a woodwind and I'll rock the freakin' house down (or up, I can rock in all kinds of directions).

[via The Apiary]

David Cross has gone and mocked that Bank of America singer who made the rounds on the internet recently. Cross did it in the best possible way: by singing it straight. He basically does the same cover of the U2 song, One, that a Bank of America employee repurposed to celebrate the merger of Bank of America and MBNA.

The video is from last week during the "Hot Tub" show at Comix in NYC. Accompanying him on guitar was Johnny Marr, of The Smiths. Cross has a surprisingly good singing voice!

Video after the jump (there's another angle of it here):

(S05E06) The story for this week's episode was more involved, which is a good thing. A little plot goes a long way. When the plot gets too thin everything rides on the gags, and it is hard to pull off an episode with just gags. While the sex-ed story has been told many times, I liked the Family Guy take on it.

It gave them a good reason to bring out slutty Lois, and slutty Lois is usually pretty funny, like when she was trying to explain the wonders of sex to Meg. Or showing up for role-playing night dressed as Grimace? Good stuff.

Off-Broadway theater's accidental punchline The Blue Man Group will be making an appearance on this season's premiere of Scrubs. The blue-skinned, percussion-inclined trio will be joined on stage by Zach Braff's character J.D. at The Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino.

This is, of course, not the Blue Man's first television appearance. In addition to numerous ads and talk show appearances, the group was part of an on-going Arrested Development gag, which involved David Cross' Tobias as the group's perpetual understudy. I've got my fingers-crossed for an Arrested Development-Scrubs crossover episode. Zach Braff appeared on the beloved, canceled Fox sitcom and hinted in interviews of Tobias, a licensed therapist, making a possible stop at Sacred Heart Hospital. It's probably just wishful thinking, but a comedy fan can dream.

The Scrubs season premiere is set for Thursday, November 30th at 9PM.