I'm onto the second boxset of AD and it's awesome! I've enjoyed the odd episodes of CYE I've seen but it's AD for me.
CYE vs AD Page 2
Quote: chipolata @ March 2 2009, 1:12 PM GMTAs much as I hate to agree with Stotty, Arrested Development is infinitely better. Curb's good, but Arrested is on another level. And the episode with Martin Short is hysterically funny.
Infinitely better is a tad over the top, in my view. Obviously if you're looking to watch singular episodes Curb is far more suited, but a few at a time in sequence it's AD. I think in terms of which show has the higher ceiling it's probably AD, but in all seriousness it's close enough to call even.
AD was more consistent, more rounded, there was more layers to the plotline etc but both shows aren't that similar if truth be told. AD was virtually flawless, but I don't think they'd have necessarily been able to have maintained that skyscraping level forever given the format of the show and sheer volume of topics and storylines they covered. I think the creative well could've eventually dried up 2 or 3 down the line had it continued. Most of Curb is fantastic though there were the odd weak episode and a cluster of merely good ones, then again it's harder to be consistent over say 6 plus seasons.
I used the term infinitely better because Arrested Development (to me) is one of those, like Fawlty Towers, that has the ability to make me squirm with laughter. Curb is a show I like a lot, but I tend to just smile wryly at it, rather than laugh out loud.
Arrested Development was jam packed with ideas though, that is why Season 3 suffered because Fox cut it down to 13 episodes when it was suppose to have 18/20(?). So they had to tie up lots of plots more quickly and even had to scrap other plots.
It definitely could have gone another series at the same quality I think.
Lets just hope the movie is a satisfying follow up. 
Oh and another great thing about AD, is that you can rewatch episodes and pick up on gags that you missed the first or even second time around. Some gags don't even make sense until you have watched them back with hindsight!
CYE by a mile. Arrested Development is in my eyes, quite overrated. Ok, but too over the top and American for me. CYE is just great...Larry David is a comedy god.
A big part of a great comedy show for me is that it is in a sense, realistic. That is, it could happen. I just don't feel like people like Michael Scott or Dwight from the US Office, or pretty much any of the characters in AD could ever exist in real life. And when it gets cheesy and over the top like that, it becomes less real, and thus loses its comedic impact for me. I realize it's comedy, not drama, and shouldn't need to be realistic, but that's just my personal taste.
Curb on the other hand, is full of characters I could genuinly see existing and behaving like that in real life. What's more it gets much more into every day situational comedy... stuff like Larry David whining about "over testers" at an ice cream shop, or ordering "some vanilla bullshit" at Starbucks... George Carlin put it well when he said good comedy often comes from talking about the stuff that everyone goes through, but nobody talks about. This is of course what Seinfeld was based upon.
This is just my taste, and why I will always prefer shows like Seinfeld, CYE, Peep Show, UK Office etc over shows like Arrested Development, the US Office etc.
Edited by Aaron.
Quote: Sal Paradise @ March 3 2009, 8:47 AM GMTI will always prefer shows like Seinfeld, CYE, Peep Show, UK Office etc over shows like Arrested Development, the US Office etc.
Quote: Sal Paradise @ March 3 2009, 8:47 AM GMTA big part of a great comedy show for me is that it is in a sense, realistic.
I was watching an episode of Seinfeld last night where George on a motorised scooter is chased down the street by three pensioners on motorised scooters. To me one of the joys of the show is that it's not realistic, it does have a sense of the absurd.
Seasons 8 and 9 of Seinfeld are amongst the shows very best in my opinion. The first two seasons appart they're all consistently great. My absolute favourites are: 5, 8, 4, 9 and 6 - in that order.
Both Curb and Seinfeld are highly absurd, especially in Seasons 8 and 9 of Seinfeld and Curb has often had moments of weirdness, but they take nothing away from the show.
The reason I put Arrested Development first (above Curb that is, not Seinfeld) is because of how much it achieved in a short space of time in terms of comedy. Such a wide range of humour packed in to an episode, witty lines, satire, parody, slapstick, character humour, traditional set-up/punchline gags and so on. The characters are fantastically engaging too and I think one of the main points is that the Bluth family are insane and that we are suppose to feel for Michael or maybe for George Michael more as the series develops.
They are both brilliant shows, but to me Curb suffers from repetition, but that has a lot to do with the amount of episodes. But you know the format, Larry gets himself in to an awkward situation and tries to get himself out of it which causes much hilarity. That is a very simplistic view, I know that the plotting is much more complex more often than not, but with Curb if the situation turns out not to be too funny it can often drag an episode down.
Season 6 of Curb was a big improvement on 5 though, which I thought lost it a little. The first three series are still the best though I feel.
Quote: Martin Holmes @ March 4 2009, 7:22 PM GMTSeason 6 of Curb was a big improvement on 5 though, which I thought lost it a little. The first three series are still the best though I feel.
I agree. To me that first season of Curb is the best, when it felt so shiny and new.
Quote: chipolata @ March 5 2009, 1:16 PM GMTwhen it felt so shiny and new.
*Warm fuzzy memories*
Quote: chipolata @ March 5 2009, 1:16 PM GMTI agree. To me that first season of Curb is the best, when it felt so shiny and new.
Yeah, to be honest, even though I still really like it, there isn't enough to the show to keep it at that high level it began with for series after series. And his wife is one of the most unlikeable characters ever to appear in a sitcom.
I've always rated Arrested Development as my favourite American sitcom ever, with Blackadder my favourite British one.
Curb Your Enthusiasm is great in terms of good plotting, dealing with regular stuff people experience and believable characters, but AD pips it (and others like 30 Rock, Seinfeld, Frasier, The Larry Sanders Show) because it just packed everything in, layer on layer, with so many references - a personal like of mine - in-jokes, slapstick, wit, satire...every type of humour possible.
I still think we haven't found the British equivalent of AD yet, but hopefully it'll arrive soon.
Quote: Gluben @ March 5 2009, 6:40 PM GMTI've always rated Arrested Development as my favourite American sitcom ever
Even in 2002?
Quote: Aaron @ March 6 2009, 10:50 AM GMTEven in 2002?
Oh yeah. It was THAT good.