It’s the final countdown

It takes a special show to come back from the dead after seven years. It takes a racist puppet, a loose seal, a Segway, some afternoon delight, some kissing cousins, some ill-received hair plugs, some terrible magic tricks, and some even more terrible parenting. It takes Arrested Development.

Let’s be clear. No one’s clamoring to revive Alias. I haven’t heard any rumors of a That 70s Show reunion. And everyone seems to have made peace with losing Six Feet Under.

Maybe it’s because this show has some serious acting talent. And we should support them. By giving them plenty of backend.

There’s something about the show that inspired an incredibly loyal (read: rabid) fan club – a small cadre of people who welcomed the dry, smart, under-the-radar humor and over-the-top situations with open arms.

May 26 is the new Christmas.

Season 4. 15 episodes. Netflix. May 26. Whoohoo.

Banana Stand on Tour.

I love it so much, it took me a while to watch the last episode of Season 3. It was just so….final. When the time eventually came, I cracked open a bottle of Absinthe for the occasion. Michael Bluth gets nothing but the best from this loyal (rabid) fan.

I love it so much, when I saw that Applebee’s was turning into Club Bee After-Hours, all I could think was “Tobias, tuna melt’s up, and you need to flip the cushions in the grind room.”

I love it so much, that at some point, thanks to Buster, I stopped using articles in everyday conversation without even realizing it.

4 days, you guys.

Mitch Hurwitz’s mind is a wonderland.

Maybe it took 7 years to get to Season 4 because it was before it’s time. It’s a show based on rewatchability before many shows were available on DVD. There’s just so much packed in here. It never gets old.

So you, too, can experience the joy of discovering a new joke on your 973rd viewing of an episode.

The running jokes are so intricately inter-woven, it’s a lot to take in. Thankfully, NPR has made AN INCREDIBLE SITE to help you sort it all out.

And, if you’re one of those hopeless souls that hates happiness, and you just “haven’t really gotten into it” yet, here’s a CHEAT SHEET so you still have friends on May 26.

Of course, no one’s more passionate about the show than it’s creator, Mitch Hurwitz. Here’s a LOVELY INTERVIEW with the brain behind it all.

On the next Arrested Development…

This season has a different format, with each episode focusing on a single character, showing what they’ve been up to since the conclusion of the third season. You can watch them in any order, or, as one may prefer, every possible order.

It’ll be a thunder-masking good time – THEIR WORDS.

Plus, Michael Cera helped write it. So that’s pretty cool.

Coo-coo-ca-cha.

Maybe I’ll find a new favorite moment in Season 4, but for now, my favorite remains:

Apparently, Hurwitz gave them no direction – the script just called for them to badly impersonate a chicken. And that’s what happened. All I can say is, I hope this season comes with a BLOOPER REEL.

And now, I leave you with a drinking game.

Taste the Happy: An AD Snob Drinking Game

Block off your calendars, pour the vodka martinis (or boil up a pot of hot ham water- whatever suits your fancy), and take a drink every time you…

Silently cheers yourself because you’re pretty sure no one else in the room gets ALL the related references to that one thing that just happened.
Come up with a genius new plot line for the movie.
See Conan. BECAUSE THAT’S HAPPENING.
Find yourself judging a new plot line. Remember: you’re toughest on the ones you love.
See Lucille or Michael WINK.
Involuntarily sigh because it’s just so good.
Take a bite of the frozen banana you’re (inevitably) eating.