TVSquad

For some reason, I don't remember much about It's Your Move. It was on for one season, 1984-85, and I remember thinking that it should have been on much longer. I don't remember anything about the particular episodes. But here's what still sticks in my mind after not having seen it in over twenty years: Jason Bateman played one fantastic smart-ass.

People forget about that, don't they? I mean, these days, Jason is playing the "good guy" roles in shows like Arrested Development and The Jake Effect (the pilot for that is now showing on BrilliantButCancelled.com). Granted, the roles have some wise-ass edge to them -- Michael Bluth's straight-faced diggs at his family were one of my favorite running jokes in AD -- but back in the eighties, Jason was known for playing the smooth-talking teenager who stopped at nothing to get his way. And his role as Matthew Burton in IYM went a long way towards establishing that persona.