Top 10 Funniest Arrested Development Moments
Honestly… in a series this densely packed with jokes, it was REALLY hard to pick. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we'll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Funniest Arrested Development Moments.
For this list, we'll be looking at some of the greatest one-liners, hilarious scenes and memorably funny moments from this beloved series. If you don't see one of your favorite recurring bits, make sure to check out our other video, Top 10 Arrested Development Running Gags.
#10: Mayonegg "The One Where They Build a House"
Young love… it’s a wonderful thing. But it can also make you see your partner through rose-colored glasses. Though Michael might have been a little quick to judge his son’s girlfriend (and hilariously incapable of remembering that she exists), we can’t fault him for the revulsion he felt in this moment. George Michael, you should follow your heart, but your description of the process behind a “mayonegg” is indeed stomach-turning, and, no… it’s not “so cute”. Also, when trying to make a good impression with your significant other’s parents… maybe don’t whip out a hard-boiled egg?
#9: The Winky Face Medicine “Spring Breakout”
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Day drinking, familial manipulation and a refusal to answer questions she doesn’t understand - Lucille Bluth has got a lot of… let’s call them “odd quirks” and “endearing eccentricities”. But her winks… those are legendary. Her whole family abuses the knowing wink, but it’s everyone’s favorite problematic matriarch who has the single greatest winking moment in the history of the series. As we said, Lucille likes to drink, and she’s used to getting her way. So when her medication featured an image of an eye and a drink (crossed) out, she interpreted this rather straightforward drowsy eye warning as a winking suggestion to . . . have a drink. That’s... not how prescription bottles work.
#8: Buster Tells Us How He Really Feels “Bringing Up Buster”
The youngest of the Bluth siblings takes the concept of “the baby in the family” to absurd extremes - and with his charming man-childishness, he’s been at the center of many of the show’s funniest and most quotable moments. Like… when he mistook boxed wine for a big juice box! In this other particularly memorable episode, Buster and Lucille’s love-hate relationship sees Michael forced to temporarily take over the parenting duties of his younger adult brother. Everything about their dynamic in this episode is hilarious, but it’s the moment when all the siblings get together to rag on their mom that Buster really… comes out of his shell. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Michael.
#7: Fire Sale “Top Banana”
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Speaking of fan-favorite characters, how about Tobias Fünke, the psychoanalyst/therapist turned struggling actor? For a man who was once a licensed mental health practitioner, he sure seems to struggle with coming to grips with reality, seeing things objectively and reading the room - or script for that matter. Tobias’ big audition is for a simple and straightforward role, but fixating on the word “fire,” he completely misses the point and launches into one absolutely ridiculous performance. Again… this is an ad for a fire SALE. Tobias didn’t get the part, but it certainly was a pleasure for us as viewers to watch him work!
#6: The Dead Dove “Top Banana”
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As anyone who’s lived in a house with a big family or shared an apartment with roommates will tell you, it’s important to label the stuff in the fridge and freezer, or risk having it eaten. This is clearly the logic that G.O.B. was operating under when he left this clearly-labeled brown paper bag in the fridge, but you can’t really blame Michael for a doing a double-take and, in disbelief, feeling the need to investigate the note’s outlandish claims. He’s understandably horrified and disgusted when he looks inside and finds a dead dove, but it’s his one-line response that really sells the moment. Thankfully… as instructed, he does not eat it.
#5: “You Blowhard” “Ready, Aim, Marry Me”
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As we were saying, self-awareness isn’t exactly Tobias’ strong suit. So much of what comes out of his mouth when speaking to men is sexual innuendo... it’s honestly staggering. And yet, despite a career in psychoanalysis and therapy, Tobias is blissfully unaware of his many, many overt Freudian slips. At Michael’s suggestion after telling his brother in law, he records himself. When he finally listens back to the tape, he does recognize a pattern… but not the obvious one. Hammering the point home with yet another suggestive exclamation, Tobias proves that he learned nothing, and we walked away with a lesson in just how deep denial can run!
#4: Bees! “Let 'Em Eat Cake”
You know what’s nice about G.O.B.? He doesn’t need to understand something, like… at ALL, to jump onboard or get super competitive about it. Case in point: when Lindsey tries pitching a business idea involving “beads”, as in “B-E-A-D-S”, G.O.B. hears “bees” (B-E-E-S), and, seeing dollar signs…. impulsively fixates on the concept. His weird, buzzing enthusiasm is only surpassed in its intensity by his complete lack of research and forethought. Though this hilarious gag was originally limited to a single episode in season 1, it flew back into the picture in season 4 as part of G.O.B.’s storyline - making for a welcome callback.
#3: Hard-Boiled Eggs “Good Grief”
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One of the best subtle running gags in this reference-heavy series is the “Charlie Brown walk”, in which a character lowers their head and slowly walks to the melancholic music of Charlie Brown from the famed animated TV specials. In this season 2 episode, which actually takes its title from Charlie Brown, Tobias takes home the award for “best setup to a Charlie Brown walk”. Mid-lecture, while psycho-analyzing Michael, Tobias suddenly cuts himself off upon discovering that his hard-boiled eggs are missing. It’s totally random, but his sudden angry outburst, and subsequent depression, has made it one of the most quotable lines from the series.
#2: Franklin Comes Alive “Meet the Veals”
G.O.B. and Franklin have a long history of racially charged humor. It’s incredibly problematic, to say the least, to have a white magician operating a stereotypically “streetwise” black ventriloquist’s doll. Handled carefully within the context of the show however, in which everyone is aware of this fact except for G.O.B., it makes for some very funny cringeworthy moments - because G.O.B. takes Franklin and his work with Franklin very seriously. With all due respect to G.O.B. and his hilariously misguided Franklin-related material, it’s Buster who really earned Franklin a spot on this list, when he became the shocking voice of Buster’s real feelings towards his mother. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions There's Always Money in the Banana Stand I Think I'd Like My Money Back George Michael's Campaign Video
#1: Mrs. Featherbottom Various Episodes
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Oh Tobias, you poor deluded man. As an attempt to get closer with his wife and daughter, but also… you know, showcase his acting chops, the disgraced uh, “analyst-therapist,” decides to pull a Mrs.Doubtfire - with just a little dash of Mary Poppins. He fools literally nobody, but the family is happy to see him actually being useful for once, so they just go along with it. This prompts an exasperated Tobias, as Mrs. Featherbottom, to try to out himself - attempts which the family collectively ignores in the name of a clean home. Tobias’ performance as Mrs. Featherbottom is downright ridiculous, painfully funny, and has near infinite replay value. It’s “Arrested Development” at its best.
