The Best Episodes of Arrested Development

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
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   REVEAL THE WINNER
   

   8.9/10(3336 votes)

   #1 - Afternoon Delight

   S2:E612/19/2004

   Gob stages mass firings after being inadvertently roasted at the Bluth Company Christmas party. Michael is forced to rebuild the Banana Stand, and Buster plays hooky from the Army at an arcade game.

   Director:Jason Bateman

   Writers:Abraham Higginbotham, Chuck Martin

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   Director:Jason Bateman

   Writers:Abraham Higginbotham, Chuck Martin
2. 

   8.8/10(3074 votes)

   #2 - Amigos

   S2:E311/21/2004

   Michael is increasingly frustrated over being abandoned by the family, and when the staircar is found in Mexico, Michael vows to find his father and give him a piece of his mind. Also, Buster spends time with Lupe's family and thinks he's in Mexico.

   Director:Lee Shallat Chemel

   Writer:Brad Copeland

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   Director:Lee Shallat Chemel

   Writer:Brad Copeland
3. 

   8.8/10(3251 votes)

   #3 - Good Grief

   S2:E412/5/2004

   Lucille hires a bounty hunter, Ice, to find George Sr., who may be closer than everyone thinks. Gob tries to pull off an elaborate illusion, Maeby tries to set Lindsay up with Ice, and Michael tries to mend George Michael's broken relationship.

   Director:Jeff Melman

   Writer:John Levenstein

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   Director:Jeff Melman

   Writer:John Levenstein
4. 

   8.8/10(3096 votes)

   #4 - Meat the Veals

   S2:E164/3/2005

   George Sr. tries to find a way to attend an anniversary dinner for Lucille while Michael deliberately offends Ann's devout Christian parents. Tobias goes overboard performing his "Mrs. Featherbottom" persona.

   Directors:Joe Russo, Anthony Russo

   Writers:Barbie Adler, Richard A. Rosenstock

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   Directors:Joe Russo, Anthony Russo

   Writers:Barbie Adler, Richard A. Rosenstock
5. 

   8.7/10(4095 votes)

   #5 - Pier Pressure

   S1:E101/11/2004

   Buster realizes that medical marijuana will help cure Lucille 2's vertigo, and pays George Michael to get it for him from Gob. Lindsay sends Maeby to spend a day with Lucille to punish her for bad grades. Michael thinks George Michael is on drugs and attempts to teach him a lesson.

   Director:Joe Russo

   Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely

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   Director:Joe Russo

   Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely
6. 

   8.7/10(2668 votes)

   #6 - Hand to God

   S2:E123/6/2005

   Michael tries to find out who's the father of Maggie's baby, or if it's just another of her lies; Gob tries to find out whether he was responsible for Buster's accident.

   Director:Joe Russo

   Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Chuck Martin

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   Director:Joe Russo

   Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Chuck Martin
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7. 

   8.7/10(3357 votes)

   #7 - Development Arrested

   S3:E132/10/2006

   After returning home from Iraq, George Sr. is finally cleared of all charges, and Michael is relieved to be the head of a successful company for a change. The real brains behind the madness is revealed, and just as the family begins to celebrate their victory, a whole new set of problems emerge.

   Director:John Fortenberry

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:John Fortenberry

   Writer:Unknown
8. 

   8.6/10(2961 votes)

   #8 - Let 'Em Eat Cake

   S1:E226/6/2004

   In the first season finale, George Sr. has a heart attack, and Maeby is jealous when George Michael likes another girl. Meanwhile, Lindsay decides to leave Tobias until a book he wrote a long time ago becomes a gay bestseller, and Buster and Annyong compete over women.

   Director:Paul Feig

   Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely

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   Director:Paul Feig

   Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely
9. 

   8.5/10(3001 votes)

   #9 - Altar Egos

   S1:E163/17/2004

   Michael attempts to have a one-night stand with an attorney whom he doesn't know is not only blind, but the prosecutor who is trying to put his father in jail. Also, Gob gets married on a dare, Maeby pretends to be a girl with a made up disease, and George Sr.'s admirer turns out to be an undercover SEC agent who has truly fallen for him.

   Director:Jay Chandrasekhar

   Writer:Barbie Adler

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   Director:Jay Chandrasekhar

   Writer:Barbie Adler
10. 

    8.5/10(3141 votes)

    #10 - Justice Is Blind

    S1:E173/21/2004

    Gob steals a file on the government's case against the Bluth Company that Maggie had given to Michael. Tobias is sent to Maggie's house to get evidence, George Michael tries to prove Maeby's fraud, and Lindsay fights to remove the Ten Commandments from the courthouse lawn.

    Director:Jay Chandrasekhar

    Writer:Abraham Higginbotham

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    Director:Jay Chandrasekhar

    Writer:Abraham Higginbotham
11. 

    8.5/10(2878 votes)

    #11 - Not Without My Daughter

    S1:E214/25/2004

    Michael takes Maeby to work with him on Take Your Daughter to Work Day. After being slighted by Michael, Tobias, George-Michael and Gob all go to the mall to prove that they are just manly. Oscar takes Lucille and Buster to Annyong's soccer game.

    Director:Lee Shallat Chemel

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Richard A. Rosenstock

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    Director:Lee Shallat Chemel

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Richard A. Rosenstock
12. 

    8.5/10(2708 votes)

    #12 - Sad Sack

    S2:E512/12/2004

    George Sr. fears he's losing Lucille to Oscar. Gob motivates Buster for the Army while Lindsay spends more time with Maeby to get closer to Steve Holt and Tobias starts working out.

    Director:Peter Lauer

    Writer:Barbie Adler

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    Director:Peter Lauer

    Writer:Barbie Adler
13. 

    8.5/10(2688 votes)

    #13 - Motherboy XXX

    S2:E133/13/2005

    Lucille abducts George Michael for a mother-son dance, Buster adjusts to having a hook for a hand and Gob reunites with his estranged wife. Also, Tobias stars as George Sr. in a biopic about the Bluth family, which causes Lindsay to become more attracted to him.

    Director:Joe Russo

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely

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    Director:Joe Russo

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely
14. 

    8.5/10(2711 votes)

    #14 - The Righteous Brothers

    S2:E184/17/2005

    Gob hides George Sr. while the model home's plumbing is checked; George Michael helps Ann protest Maeby's new movie; Tobias takes a liking to Kitty after Michael asks him to keep an eye on her.

    Director:Chuck Martin

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely

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    Director:Chuck Martin

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely
15. 

    8.5/10(2602 votes)

    #15 - Forget-Me-Now

    S3:E310/3/2005

    George Sr. is placed under house arrest by the family's new attorney Bob Loblaw, and finds that it's not exactly a walk in the park. Michael sets up his first date with Rita, but Rita has an unfortunate encounter with the family beforehand.

    Director:John Amodeo

    Writer:Tom Saunders

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    Director:John Amodeo

    Writer:Tom Saunders
16. 

    8.5/10(2559 votes)

    #16 - The Ocean Walker

    S3:E612/5/2005

    After Michael announces he's marrying Rita, George Sr. worries that she's after the family's money. But when Rita's Uncle Trevor tries to stop the wedding by revealing some surprising information about Rita, Michael must decide if he wants to walk down the aisle.

    Director:Paul Feig

    Writers:Jake Farrow, Sam Laybourne

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    Director:Paul Feig

    Writers:Jake Farrow, Sam Laybourne
17. 

    8.4/10(2936 votes)

    #17 - The One Where Michael Leaves

    S2:E111/7/2004

    Michael and George Michael leave for Phoenix but go back to ensure the family misses them. Lindsay wants to have an open marriage, which causes Tobias to try to join the Blue Man Group under the impression that they are a support group for depressed men. Lucille signs Buster up for the Army after being goaded by a Michael Moore look-alike. Gob becomes president of the Bluth Company.

    Director:Lee Shallat Chemel

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Richard A. Rosenstock

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    Director:Lee Shallat Chemel

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Richard A. Rosenstock
18. 

    8.4/10(2603 votes)

    #18 - The Immaculate Election

    S2:E143/20/2005

    George Michael runs for student body president, which Gob manages to ruin. Buster has an affair with Lupe, who is being sought after by Lindsay and Tobias attempts to move out of the model home, then develops a new persona when he regrets his decision.

    Directors:Joe Russo, Anthony Russo

    Writers:Barbie Adler, Abraham Higginbotham

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    Directors:Joe Russo, Anthony Russo

    Writers:Barbie Adler, Abraham Higginbotham
19. 

    8.4/10(2656 votes)

    #19 - Sword of Destiny

    S2:E153/27/2005

    Gob and Buster team up for some magic tricks with the help of Buster's fake hand, but when Tony Wonder, a rival magician, starts to mentor them, somebody gets the finger. Meanwhile, Michael is forced to delegate some work when he's hospitalized and Lindsay teaches George Michael how to drive using the staircar.

    Director:Peter Lauer

    Writer:Brad Copeland

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    Director:Peter Lauer

    Writer:Brad Copeland
20. 

    8.4/10(2757 votes)

    #20 - Mr. F

    S3:E511/7/2005

    Michael must deal with a huge mole problem in order to salvage a major real estate deal with Japanese investors. In an effort to help Michael, Gob and Buster team up with George Sr.'s surrogate, Larry, to devise a plan and save the deal, but their plan falls apart in a big way. Meanwhile, Tobias mistakes a CIA agent for a CAA agent and inadvertently betrays the family, and Michael makes Rita a proposal she can't refuse. Frankie Muniz makes a cameo as himself.

    Director:Arlene Sanford

    Writers:Richard Day, Jim Vallely

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    Director:Arlene Sanford

    Writers:Richard Day, Jim Vallely
21. 

    8.3/10(3185 votes)

    #21 - Shock and Aww

    S1:E143/7/2004

    Michael falls for his George Michael's ethics teacher, whom his son also has a crush on. Meanwhile, Lucille adopts a 14-year old Korean boy, and George Sr.'s "Caged Wisdom" tapes have given him a new admirer.

    Director:Joe Russo

    Writers:Jim Vallely, Chuck Martin

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    Director:Joe Russo

    Writers:Jim Vallely, Chuck Martin
22. 

    8.3/10(2856 votes)

    #22 - The One Where They Build a House

    S2:E211/14/2004

    Michael is driven crazy by Gob when he impresses the board as the new company figurehead due to Michael's legal troubles. Meanwhile, George Sr. is arrested in Mexico for a crime Oscar committed, and Buster witnesses something that utterly shocks him.

    Director:Patty Jenkins

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely

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    Director:Patty Jenkins

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely
23. 

    8.3/10(2736 votes)

    #23 - Ready, Aim, Marry Me

    S2:E102/13/2005

    With the company in dire financial straits and the Bluths no longer the primary shareholders, Michael must turn to old family friend "Uncle" Jack Dorso for financial assistance. Uncle Jack, however, wants something in return.

    Director:Paul Feig

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely

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    Director:Paul Feig

    Writers:Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely
24. 

    8.3/10(2543 votes)

    #24 - Out on a Limb

    S2:E113/6/2005

    Just as Michael's relationship with Sally starts to flourish, Maggie Lizer returns nine months pregnant, and Michael immediately assumes he's the father. George Michael attempts to break up with Ann, and Buster learns he's being deployed to Iraq.

    Director:Danny Leiner

    Writers:Jim Vallely, Chuck Martin

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    Director:Danny Leiner

    Writers:Jim Vallely, Chuck Martin
25. 

    8.3/10(2532 votes)

    #25 - Spring Breakout

    S2:E174/10/2005

    Gob confronts the editor of the videos that showcased his magic mistakes. Michael tricks Lucille in to rehab, and then attempts to get her out after George Sr. is kidnapped.

    Directors:Joe Russo, Anthony Russo

    Writers:Barbie Adler, Abraham Higginbotham

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    Directors:Joe Russo, Anthony Russo

    Writers:Barbie Adler, Abraham Higginbotham