Previously, On Arrested Development

NPR's guide to the running gags from the show.

Miscellaneous

pointed narration

The Narrator is determined to avoid shoddy narration, but occasionally inserts his opinion.

  • Occurrence of a joke
  • Joke in the background
  • Foreshadowing
  • Combined joke

10 episodes feature this joke:

Season 1

  • 11: Public Relations

    Jessie, to George Michael: "Daddy lost his shot at happy, and it's all your fault, Opie." Narrator: "Jessie had gone too far ... and she had best watch her mouth."

Season 2

  • 13: Motherboy XXX

    Michael: "Okay, that would be disgusting if you’d actually slept with her, but I don’t think you did." G.O.B.: "I did. And it was disgusting." Narrator: "They didn’t, but it would have been."

  • 14: The Immaculate Election

    The Narrator makes fun of Buster's videotape of himself dancing to the Hot Cops theme song.

  • 17: Spring Breakout

    "This inattention to detail was typical of the laziness the show’s narrator was known for."

    "Real shoddy narrating. Just pure crap."

Season 3

  • 2: For British Eyes Only

    "No one was making fun of Andy Griffith. I can't emphasize that enough."

  • 9: S.O.B.s

    The Narrator pleads with the audience to tell their friends about the show.

  • 10: Fakin' It

    A hand turning the page of magazine has a ring that reads "RH" (Ron Howard).

  • 11: Family Ties

    Michael: "And you did things with her?" Narrator: "He didn’t." G.O.B.: "I did." Narrator: "Well, if you consider crying like a girl doing something."

  • 12: Exit Strategy

    The Narrator did not attend Maeby's birthday party.

Season 4

Sources: Joke data compiled by Adam Cole / NPR. Episode metadata from The TVDB via a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States (CC BY 3.0 US) license.