List of Arrested Development characters

The following is a list of the characters from the Fox television

Fox Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

comedy

Comedy

Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...

series Arrested Development. The main characters are made up of the Bluth (icon ) and Fünke (icon ) families.

Bluth family tree

"----"= adoption

Michael Bluth

Michael Bluth (born December 14, 1967) is the second oldest Bluth son and the main protagonist

Protagonist

A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...

of Arrested Development. He is the father of George Michael Bluth.
In season 3, it is revealed that there is a typo on his birth certificate, which reads Nichael Bluth. Michael's wife Tracey died of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....

two years prior to the first season. Possibly as a result of this, he is very close to his son, George Michael, which is shown partly because, whenever an opportunity to spend more time with his son presents itself to him, he will jump at it (although this time is almost always immediately interrupted). His role in the story is that he is the one son who has no choice but to keep the family together, and he serves as the straight man

Double act

A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...

in the comedy series.

When his father George Sr. goes to jail, Michael becomes head of the family and president of the Bluth Company

Bluth Company

The Bluth Company, founded by George Bluth Sr., is a fictional company in the television series Arrested Development. As of the end of the series, the company was labeled as a Risky stock by Jim Cramer of Mad Money....

(and later CEO in Development Arrested

Development Arrested

"Development Arrested" is the 53rd episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development. It is the season finale for Season 3, as well as the series finale before the announcement of Season 4 over five years later.-Episode:...

). His authority, however, is constantly undermined by his family. Often, when agreeing to something before thinking (trying to be "a good guy"), he mouths behind the person's back, "What's wrong with me?" (e.g., with Maggie Lizer). He remained the president throughout season 1, but was replaced by Gob in season 2. As vice president, Michael was the Bluth Company's de facto

De facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...

head, doing all the work of the president while being scrutinized by the SEC for his father's crimes. During season 2, Michael regains his position as president when the Bluth company security throws Gob out of the building. In season 3, Michael was firmly in charge again, though the sibling rivalry and family interference did not completely recede. In the series finale, he escapes with his son (and, unknowingly, his father) to Cabo

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas , commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people...

, leaving most of the family to fend for themselves.

Michael is generally the straight man in the series. However, creator Mitch Hurwitz says that in some respects Michael is "the craziest one" in that he cannot see much of what happens around him.

Michael is portrayed by actor Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman

Jason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...

. Hurwitz did not know if Bateman was right for the part, as he seemed associated with more conventional sitcoms, but Hurwitz said that in trying out for the part, Bateman "gave this dry, confident performance." Bateman also explained his performance by saying he could be "naturally... dickish" like his character. Bateman said of his part, "it's the best job I've ever had, hands down," and it may have also been his most famous one. Bateman and his character were also well received by critic Robert Bianco, who wrote "the key to the show's success is the hilariously deadpan Bateman." Bateman won a Golden Globe for the role in 2005, and was nominated for several other awards, including an Emmy.

Michael Bartel plays Michael Bluth as a young man in six episodes. Ryan Slough plays Michael in an episode. In a flashback in the series finale, Brandon Killham plays young Michael Bluth.

Michael was named the #8 Top TV Dad by SocialTechPop.

Lindsay Fünke

Lindsay Bluth Fünke (born 1965 to unknown parents) is the adopted daughter of George Sr. and Lucille Bluth, who raised her and Michael to believe they are twins. She is married to Tobias Fünke and they are the parents of Mae, better known as "Maeby".

Lindsay never finished college, opting to "work" full time for the Bluth Company

Bluth Company

instead when her father offers her a job. She believes herself to be a dedicated activist

Activism

Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...

, but she's actually shallow and superficial, mainly supporting current trendy causes for the social status and regularly holding extravagant charity drives–which it is implied raise most of their money from the Bluth Company itself. These causes have included but are not limited to opposing circumcision

Circumcision controversies

Male circumcision has often been, and remains, the subject of controversy on a number of grounds—including religious, ethical, sexual, and health....

, anti-war protests

Opposition to the Iraq War

Significant opposition to the Iraq War occurred worldwide, both before and during the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, United Kingdom, and smaller contingents from other nations, and throughout the subsequent occupation...

, the removal of the 10 Commandments from a courthouse, the right to die

Right to die

The right to die is the ethical or institutional entitlement of the individual to commit suicide or to undergo voluntary euthanasia. Possession of this right is often understood to mean that a person with a terminal illness should be allowed to commit suicide or assisted suicide or to decline...

(specifically her brother Buster's), and "Graft Vs. Host" (which her husband was afflicted with). Despite her outward confidence, Lindsay has rather low self-esteem, a result of her mother's constant verbal abuse and her husband's lack of sexual interest in her. She is portrayed as extremely resentful towards her husband Tobias, to the point of allowing him to fall asleep even though he 'might die' if he does in the episode Afternoon Delight.

After agreeing to an open marriage

Open marriage

Open marriage typically refers to a marriage in which the partners agree that each may engage in extramarital sexual relationships, without this being regarded as infidelity. There are many different styles of open marriage, with the partners having varying levels of input on their spouse's...

Lindsay is portrayed as attempting promiscuity–flirting with and pursuing relationships with men–usually with little or no success. During the series she becomes interested in and dates characters such as Moses Taylor (star of TV's Wrench) and Tom Jane

Thomas Jane

Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...

(star of Homeless Dad and Junk). In season 3, Lindsay becomes interested in the family's new lawyer Bob Loblaw, taking a position as nanny to his daughter Hope in an attempt to gain his interest.

In the last episode of season 3, it is revealed that Lindsay is not actually Michael's twin sister, or even a Bluth at all. She also discovers that she is 40 years old, three years older than she had previously believed herself to be. Feeling that her youthful allure has now escaped her, she becomes desperate to marry a successful man, and divulges to Michael that they are not biological siblings and reveals her wish to divorce Tobias and marry Michael. Michael rejects her offer of marriage--he "is not that into older women."

Creator Mitchell Hurwitz

Mitchell Hurwitz

Mitchell D. Hurwitz is an American television writer and producer. He is best known as the creator of the television sitcom Arrested Development as well as the co-creator of The Ellen Show, and a contributor to The John Larroquette Show and The Golden Girls.-Birth and early life:Hurwitz was born...

came up with Lindsay as the family's liberal

Liberalism

Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...

figure, but Lindsay is also meant to represent a liberal who benefited from her politics more than she sacrificed, due to the image she built. The final episode of the series reveals that had Lindsay been adopted by Stan Sitwell, she would have been named Nellie.

Lindsay was portrayed by actress Portia de Rossi

Portia de Rossi

Portia Lee James DeGeneres , known professionally as Portia de Rossi , is an Australian-American actress, best known for her roles as lawyer Nelle Porter on the television series Ally McBeal and Lindsay Bluth Fünke on the sitcom Arrested Development...

. Having previously appeared in Ally McBeal

Ally McBeal

Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...

, she said that she was looking for a new series like it. De Rossi was also attracted to Arrested Development for what she thought was a "fresh new perspective on comedy." She played Lindsay as someone who "doesn't have much of a clue but... has a pretty good heart." She explained her approach by saying that, "with Ally McBeal, we were very rehearsed and staged. But this is a lot looser." Hurwitz felt that de Rossi made the character somewhat similar to Lucille.

GOB

George Oscar Bluth, Jr. (known by his initials "GOB", icon pronounced like the Biblical figure Job

Job (Biblical figure)

Job is the central character of the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible. Job is listed as a prophet of God in the Qur'an.- Book of Job :The Book of Job begins with an introduction to Job's character — he is described as a blessed man who lives righteously...

), is the oldest Bluth son and the father of Steve Holt.

By trade a part-time magician

Magic (illusion)

Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...

, he is a founding member of the "Magicians' Alliance", a group that was formed to preserve magicians' secrets; he was later blacklist

Blacklist

A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...

ed by them for unwittingly revealing how one of his illusions was performed. He is known for incorporating over-the-top theatrics into his magic shows, including pyrotechnics

Pyrotechnics

Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...

, dance routines, and wind machines. Gob's tricks rarely work and he often shoots lighter fluid accidentally from his shirt sleeve or collar. He plays Europe

Europe (band)

Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...

's "The Final Countdown

The Final Countdown (song)

"The Final Countdown" is a rock song by the Swedish band Europe released in 1986. Written by Joey Tempest, it was the first single from the band's third studio album which was also named The Final Countdown. It is considered by some to be the band's most recognizable and popular song. The song...

" before almost all of his major illusions. In the second season, he became president of the Bluth Company; however, he is little more than a figurehead, as he wields no real power while his brother Michael is still in charge.

George Sr. paid little attention to Gob as a child and has no respect for him as an adult. Gob's mother openly loathes him. On several occasions, Gob and Michael realized that their rivalry has been nurtured by their father and mother's manipulations. Gob is known to be the womanizer of the Bluth family. Eventually, Gob discovers that he is the father of the teenage jock Steve Holt. Toward the end of season 1, Gob marries a dealer of trained seals, played by real-life wife Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler

Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...

, in a series of escalating dares. She later becomes infatuated with Tobias Fünke, Gob's brother-in-law, and joins the army in the hopes of avoiding her attraction.

When his confidence is shattered or challenged, he will burst into tears and cry with self-loathing or take extreme measures to cease the disgust he feels in himself. Examples of this include the time when he attempted to hang himself with his belt after being questioned about topics he was ignorant in, or when he ingested a 'forget-me-now' pill in order to forget that he has a son.
When upset or excited, Gob often fails to use articles or prepositions in his sentences, saying things like "Look at Banner!" and "Still mad me, Michael?" He also has difficulty pronouncing words that begin with the letter "c," such as circumvent ("ser-sum-vrent"), capability ("crapability") and consummate ("son-summate").

Despite Gob's "womanizing" abilities, he has no real friends; his closest friends are the Hot Cops, a group of strippers that Gob once worked with before almost getting his head blown off while on the job. He uses the Hot Cops in many situations, including a fake drug bust and for fake friends at a bachelor party. His best friend is Michael, though he denies it. He desperately desires to be liked but his habits of treating people poorly and lack of any real self awareness prevent him from ever forming bonds. He wants to be looked to for decisions but is completely unwilling to accept any responsibility and most of his family regard him as an idiot.

He is also the original creator and inspiration for the Mr. Bananagrabber character. Although he retains most of the rights to the character, he gave away the animation rights to Michael. It was later made into an animated television series that became an infrequent background joke. He also briefly had a ventriloquist act with a stereotyped African-American doll named Franklin Delano Bluth. Gob and Franklin produce an album together named, "Franklin Comes Alive". He is frequently seen throughout the series getting around on a Segway which has a pouch that says "Gob" on it. Gob's often repeated lines are "Come on!" and, "I've made a huge mistake" which are also used in various forms by himself and other characters.

Gob is portrayed by Will Arnett

Will Arnett

William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...

George Michael Bluth

George Michael Bluth (born March 2, 1990) is the teenage son of Michael Bluth. He is a student, and he works at the family frozen banana stand, where he is "Mister Manager." He is straight-laced and obedient.

He is reunited with his cousin Maeby in the first episode, and develops a crush on her after she forcibly kisses him (to teach their parents a lesson for not letting them spend more time together, although it fails because their parents are entirely oblivious to it). His nervousness around Maeby and his wrestling with his emotions becomes one of the recurring themes surrounding George Michael. In the second season, he starts dating a girl named Ann, a devout Christian whom his father and Maeby dislike. Season 2 ends with George Michael and Maeby kissing, to his delight. After the incident, the two try to avoid each other for much of the third season. Later in the season, he and Maeby accidentally get married during what they believed was a fake wedding for Alzheimer's patients in hospital.

They also kiss passionately when George Michael, suspecting Maeby may be adopted, tells her they might not be related by blood. When his uncle Tobias, oblivious to their secret, proves to them both that Maeby was their naturally born daughter it becomes more cause for consternation to George Michael for the remainder of the series until the final episode when it is revealed his aunt Lindsay was herself adopted, thus eliminating any blood ties between the two erstwhile cousins. He ultimately decides to escape to Newport by stealing his uncle Gob's boat, feeling he doesn't belong there anymore. Upon learning of Lindsay's origins, he reconciles with his father and finally reveals his feelings for Maeby. Both realizing that further contact with their dysfunctional family is more trouble than it's worth, they escape to Cabo with $500,000 and a house waiting for them, not knowing that George Senior has escaped to the same destination with the same plan.

Besides his crush on his cousin, George Michael is also shown to be extremely close to his father, Michael, presumably as a result of the death of his mother.

George Michael is portrayed by Michael Cera

Michael Cera

Michael Austin Cera is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in Arrested Development, Youth in Revolt, Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Juno. Cera received the 2008 Canadian Comedy Award for best male performance for his work in Superbad.-Early...

, and in flashback sequences by Christian Lavery.

Maeby Fünke

Mae "Maeby" Fünke (born September 22, 1990) is the teenage daughter of Lindsay and Tobias. Maeby's conception is an unanswered question and running joke throughout the series. In the first season, Lucille hints that Maeby is a test-tube baby; this is again implied by Tobias in "Out on a Limb" in season 2. In the penultimate episode, Tobias confirms that Lindsay had Maeby, showing a graphic baby photo album; the final episode reveals that Maeby is biologically related to neither Steve Holt nor George Michael because her mother, Lindsay, was adopted by the Bluths. Maeby attended a progressive school before her parents moved in with Michael. When she enters the public school system, her grades plummet. She loses interest in school and looks for new ways to shock her woefully neglectful parents. In one instance, Maeby swindles her peers out of charity money by pretending to be a wheelchair-using girl named "Surely" who suffers from a rare, debilitating illness called "B.S." Maeby also cons her way into a job as a movie executive and maintains the charade (with increasing professional success) for several months. She gets fired when George Michael sends invitations to her sixteenth birthday party to all the other studio executives in her address book, but her boss wants her back when he realizes what a celebrity she's become.

Maeby and George Michael spend most of the series battling mutual feelings of romantic love for each other. Because the model home is so cramped, Maeby and George Michael share a bedroom. Forced proximity and the American remake of "Les Cousins Dangereux" lead to their first real kiss, after which the mortified kids start avoiding each other. Maeby legally marries George Michael when a "fake" wedding ceremony to entertain Alzheimer's patients goes wrong. In the penultimate episode, everyone except George Michael forgets Maeby's sixteenth birthday, and he spends most of the episode attempting to arrange a celebration for her. Maeby is touched by the kindness George Michael has shown her; when George Michael explains how she may not be related to the Bluths at all, the two share a passionate kiss (and, it is mentioned, reach Second Base

Baseball metaphors for sex

In the culture of American adolescents, the game of baseball is often used as a euphemistic metaphor for the degree of sexual intimacy achieved in intimate encounters or relationships...

). In the final episode, "Development Arrested

Development Arrested

", the two, upon discovering from Tobias that they really are related, have a brief conflict over their relationship - George Michael would like it to return to normal, but Maeby would like it to remain romantic. In the end, she pitches her life story, as an idea for a new television show, to her boss Ron Howard

Ron Howard

Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...

, who says that her story may be better as a movie.

Maeby's knack for stumbling into incestuous relationships unwittingly is a running joke throughout the series. In the first season, she sings an unintentionally provocative duet with her uncle Michael and kisses George Michael in a futile attempt to shock her parents. During her estrangement from George Michael, Maeby distracts herself by dating Steve Holt, who turns out to be Gob's son and Maeby's first cousin. Maeby ends up slipping Steve one of Gob's "forget-me-now

Flunitrazepam

Flunitrazepam is marketed as a potent hypnotic, sedative, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, amnestic, and skeletal muscle relaxant drug most commonly known as Rohypnol...

s" to avoid having sex while tricking Steve into thinking they had.

Creator Mitchell Hurwitz

Mitchell Hurwitz

named the character after his daughters Maisy and Phoebe. Hurwitz acknowledged the peculiar result of this blending, saying "It just seemed like crazy extra fun to think of weird names. I don't want us to become too self-conscious about it but, yes, we do have some strange names." Incidentally, she is often described as George Michael's "Cousin Maeby," a play on words making reference to the fact that they may not be related. Maeby was initially imagined as a pseudo-conservative

Conservatism

Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...

, to be a deliberate foil to her activist mother Lindsay, but eventually re-imagined to be a troublemaker in other ways. In making Maeby an opposite to George Michael (she is bolder and not at all reverent towards her father), Hurwitz thought this also contributed to the idea of George Michael and Maeby developing a romance.

Maeby is portrayed by Alia Shawkat

Alia Shawkat

Alia Martine Shawkat is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Maeby Fünke in the Fox series Arrested Development.- Personal life :...

. Shawkat tried out for the part with Michael Cera

Michael Cera

, who plays George Michael, in Los Angeles, and the creators thought they both did well. The two were the first to join the cast. For her role as Maeby, Shawkat won a Young Artist Award

Young Artist Award

The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...

in 2005 and was nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards

Screen Actors Guild Awards

A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...

in 2005 and 2006.

Buster Bluth

Byron "Buster" Bluth is the youngest son of George Sr. and Lucille, though it is later revealed that his biological father is actually George Sr.'s identical twin brother, Oscar. (The two share obvious personality traits and a mutual habit for awkwardly giving people shoulder massages).

Buster is a professional student, having completed coursework in cartography, Native American tribal ceremonies, 18th century agrarian business principles and archaeology. Archival footage indicates his participation in various university medical studies, such as sleep deprivation studies. As the baby of the family, he idolizes his brothers, Gob and Michael. In the second season premiere, Lucille enlists Buster in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

, although his training is unsuccessful.

Buster is immature and socially inept; but, as indicated by the narrator in Season 2, he is more intelligent than his siblings Gob and Lindsay. He has frequent panic attacks, hates both closed

Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...

and open spaces

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...

, is terrified of sheep, seals and birds and is wrathful towards his Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

n-born adopted brother, Annyong. Buster demonstrates various childlike nutritional sensitivities: for instance, he becomes hyper from the sugar in juice and irritable after eating cheese; he also takes frequent naps. He has an unhealthy attachment to his domineering mother Lucille; one of the running gags throughout the series is his quasi-incestuous, Oedipal complex

Oedipus complex

In psychoanalytic theory, the term Oedipus complex denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, via dynamic repression, that concentrate upon a boy’s desire to sexually possess his mother, and kill his father...

. For her part, Lucille won't let him go in the sun, swim in the ocean, or stand on their balcony in windy weather. George Sr. makes reference to the "claw marks" left on Lucille's womb after she gave birth to Buster. He sometimes tries to assert his independence by defying his mother's orders, as when he dates her rival, Lucille Austero. He has an alienating habit of greeting people with shoulder massages

Massage

Massage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to enhance function, aid in the healing process, and promote relaxation and well-being. The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading", or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle"...

, and commonly addresses his relatives by their relation to him (for example, Gob and Michael are greeted with "Hey, brother" and Oscar is greeted with "Hey, uncle-father Oscar." Steve Holt is greeted with "Hey, possible nephew"). In Season 2, Buster's left hand is bitten off by a "loose seal" (note the pun on "Lucille"), and in subsequent episodes he wears a trans-radial prosthetic on his left arm, first a hook and later a prosthetic hand. Despite his obvious personality flaws, Buster does care about the rest of his family more than many of the other Bluths, shown when he, unlike the rest of his siblings, does not sell the company stocks, because of Michael's request.

Buster is portrayed by Tony Hale

Tony Hale

Tony Hale is an American actor, best known for his role in the Fox comedy series Arrested Development as the neurotic Byron "Buster" Bluth.-Early life:...

. Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

selected Buster as the uncle for "The Perfect TV Family".

Tobias Fünke

Tobias Fünke is the husband of Lindsay Bluth and the father of Maeby Fünke. He was the chief resident of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...

until he lost his license for giving CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...

to a man who was not actually having a heart attack. At one point, he was licensed as both an analyst and a therapist, supposedly making him the first licensed "analrapist" . Tobias is very fond of awkwardly rolling or somersaulting into and out of certain situations mainly to show his dexterity and balance though this often backfires. Indeed, Fünke claims to command "cat-like reflexes."

At the beginning of the series, Tobias decides that his destiny is to become an actor, and he pursues this career throughout the series without any success. Highlights of his "career" include: being turned down for the role of 'Dr. House

Gregory House

Gregory House, M.D., or simply referred to as House, is a fictional antihero and title character of the American television series House, played by Hugh Laurie. He is the Chief of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, where he leads a team of diagnosticians...

'; landing the part of "frightened inmate number two" in a prison film, only to get fired for not being able to do the shower scene due to his condition (see below); and attempting to join the Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...

as a standby understudy

Understudy

In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...

and, as a consequence, spending part of the second season covered in blue make-up. In a move inspired by the film Mrs. Doubtfire

Mrs. Doubtfire

Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field and based on the novel Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup...

, Tobias masquerades as a British housekeeper/nanny named "Mrs. Featherbottom" in an attempt to spend time with his wife and daughter after Lindsay kicks him out of the model house. While the disguise fools no one, the family humors him since this gets the housework done.

Tobias suffers from "never-nude" syndrome (which, as the narrator states, is "exactly what it sounds like") and wears denim cut-off shorts at all times in order to avoid anyone (including himself and his wife) seeing his pelvic area. The condition is similar to severe gymnophobia

Gymnophobia

Gymnophobia is a fear of nudity. Gymnophobics experience anxiety from nudity, even if they realize their fear is irrational. They may worry about seeing others naked or being seen naked, or both...

, although it is portrayed humorously. He conquers this for a time in the middle of Season 1, but after a close-up picture of his genitalia is shown on the evening news (where it has been mistaken for a photo showing evidence of WMDs in Iraq), he is driven back to the cut-offs.

Although never formally admitted, he has said many things that make people question his sexuality. The hints come in the form of subtle innuendos and sexual double-entendres, to which he seems completely oblivious. Michael advises him to record himself saying these clearly homosexual statements, and after doing so Tobias acknowledges that he is a "blowhard", further showing his propensity to be completely ignorant of the implications of his utterances, (in Ready, Aim, Marry Me

Ready, Aim, Marry Me

"Ready, Aim, Marry Me" is the thirty-second episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth arrives home to find his mother Lucille in a state of agitation. She's concerned that Lucille Austero is making a power play by buying up shares of Bluth Co...

.) Lindsay, who married Tobias to spite her parents, is convinced that her husband is a homosexual. His book, The Man Inside Me, is a cult gay hit, as Tobias wrote on the topic of romantic relationships with only male pronouns, to avoid confusion. He has experienced sex

Sex

In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...

ual difficulties with his wife. This leads to their joint decision to try an "open" marriage, even though Tobias himself acknowledges that this path never works. Tobias doesn't really follow through with the "open relationship", and often stalks his wife covered in blue paint, following her around on her attempted dates hiding in areas that are blue in color in order to remain unseen. Although he continually takes very expensive acting lessons from Carl Weathers

Carl Weathers

Carl Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films...

, the actor who is mostly known from his portrayal of Apollo Creed in the Rocky

Rocky (film series)

Rocky is a boxing saga of popular films all written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, who plays the character Rocky Balboa. The films are, by order of release date: Rocky , Rocky II , Rocky III , Rocky IV , Rocky V and Rocky Balboa...

franchise as well as a CIA agent in Predator

Predator (film)

Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox....

, he mainly gets tips on frugality from Mr. Weathers. Lindsay continually pokes fun at Tobias' desperation to become an actor, and they split up and reconcile many times over the course of the series.

Tobias is played by David Cross

David Cross

David Cross is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian perhaps best known for his work on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr...

George Bluth

George Oscar Bluth, Sr., called "Pop-Pop" by his grandchildren, is the head of the Bluth family and the husband of Lucille Bluth. George Sr. was the CEO

Chief executive officer

A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

of the Bluth Company

Bluth Company

, which he founded. However, after years of "creative accounting" practices, he became the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and was imprisoned. While in prison, George Sr. continues to try to exert control over the company, often using Gob to undermine Michael's authority.

George Sr. escapes to Mexico with a briefcase filled with evidence of his dealings with Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...

. In season 2, George Sr. fakes his death in Mexico and returns to America to hide in the attic of the Bluth model home. Early in the third season, after being discovered among the Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group

in Reno, Nevada

Reno, Nevada

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

, he is placed under house arrest

House arrest

In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...

. He told Michael that he had been set up to build homes in Iraq by a group of British contractors operating out of "Wee Britain", and admits that he may be guilty of "light treason." By the end of the series, however, it is revealed that he is under the control of his wife, Lucille. He escapes to Cabo with Michael and George Michael following the party.

George Sr. is also the inventor of The Cornballer, a faulty product which has been banned in numerous countries. He has a religious awakening twice on the show, once becoming Jewish after a period of isolation and selling a video series entitled "Caged Wisdom", and once becoming a devout Christian after reading a pamphlet in a garbage bag while hiding in the attic. George Sr. was born in Cleveland, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

on 5 August 1947.

George Sr. is portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor

Jeffrey Tambor

Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...

Lucille Bluth

Lucille Bluth is the matriarch of the Bluth family.
She is the mother of Gob, Michael, Buster, and the adoptive mother of Lindsay and Hel-loh "Annyong" Bluth, as well as wife to George Sr. Her grandchildren are George Michael Bluth, Steve Holt (Gob's son) and Maeby Fünke and they call her "Gangy" (icon). She carried on an affair with George, Sr.'s twin brother Oscar.

Lucille is accustomed to an opulent and decadent lifestyle, which she funds with misappropriated Bluth Company

Bluth Company

money. She treats herself to repeated spa treatments and face lifts, and is known to abuse alcohol

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...

and prescription drugs and to mistreat her housekeepers. According to the narrator, she has never made eye contact with a waiter. Lucille is extremely manipulative, narcissistic, amoral, domineering, and emotionally abusive to her children. She furtively wrests control of the Bluth Company board from Michael. She has a tight grip on her youngest son Buster, who, as a result of his mother's dominance and sheltering, is unstable, socially inept, and prone to panic attacks. She also insinuates that her daughter Lindsay is fat and lazy. She has also admitted that she never cared for Gob. In the finale, it is revealed that she is the mastermind behind the Bluth Company's illegal actions.

Lucille is last seen making a run from the SEC on board the Queen Mary

RMS Queen Mary

RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...

, after Annyong turns in evidence against her.

Lucille is played by Jessica Walter

Jessica Walter

Jessica Walter is an American actress, known for the films Play Misty for Me, Grand Prix, and for her role as Lucille Bluth on the sitcom Arrested Development...

Narrator

The narrator, voiced by an uncredited Ron Howard

Ron Howard

, the executive producer of Arrested Development, narrates much of the Bluth family's lives, and often interjects quick comments while characters speak. He frequently brings up past footage to illustrate his points, and along with the cameramen can be excluded from the events of the story at times, in the style of a documentary narrator. The Narrator's personal feelings often inform his narration, for example in the episode "Spring Breakout

Spring Breakout

"Spring Breakout" is the thirty-ninth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:The company has a meeting with landowner Cal Cullen, who comments that the Bluths "did not come off well on last night's Scandalmakers." Michael says that they...

", the narrator repeatedly criticizes the narrator of the television show Scandalmakers for having no talent and paying no heed to facts. Likewise, Howard's own career is occasionally referenced. In the season 1 episode "Public Relations

Public Relations (Arrested Development episode)

"Public Relations" is the eleventh episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael takes his son for an interview at the prestigious Milford School, an institution famous for its credo that children should be neither seen nor heard...

", the publicist Jessie insultingly calls George Michael "Opie" (Howard's character on The Andy Griffith Show

The Andy Griffith Show

The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...

) to which the Narrator responds "Jessie had gone too far, and had best watch her mouth." In the season 3 episode "S.O.B.s

S.O.B.s

"S.O.B.s" is the forty-ninth episode of the TV comedy series Arrested Development. The episode aired less than a month after Variety announced that the episode order for season 3 had been cut from 22 to 13...

", he begs the audience to "please tell your friends about this show" after George says that begging is "sometimes… the only way to stay in the game." The narrator has implied that he knows Maeby from her time as a studio executive. Indeed, in his only on-screen appearance at the end of the final episode, Howard informs Maeby, with a hint of irony, that her life story would be better off being made into a movie as opposed to a TV series.

Ann Veal

Ann Paul Veal is the on-again/off-again girlfriend of George Michael Bluth, even though their relationship is little more than his means of distracting himself from Maeby. Her first appearance was in the episode "Let 'Em Eat Cake

Let 'Em Eat Cake (Arrested Development episode)

"Let 'Em Eat Cake" is the 22nd episode of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:The Bluth Company is in trouble. Because of the low-carb diet fad , the banana stand has been struggling. Meanwhile, the model home is falling apart because of shoddy workmanship. Lindsay thinks she has a...

", where she was played by Alessandra Torresani. In every subsequent appearance, she has been portrayed by Mae Whitman

Mae Whitman

Mae Margaret Whitman is an American television, movie and voice actress. She is known for her role as Ann Veal in the TV series Arrested Development, her role as Amber on the TV series Parenthood, her role as Roxy Richter in Scott Pilgrim vs...

.

She comes from an extremely religious family, and her father (played by Alan Tudyk

Alan Tudyk

Alan Wray Tudyk is an American actor known for his roles as Simon in the British comedy Death at a Funeral, as Steve the Pirate in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, as Sonny in the science fiction drama I, Robot, as Doc Potter in 3:10 to Yuma, as Tucker in the Tucker & Dale vs Evil and as Hoban...

) is a pastor

Pastor

The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

. Ann and her mother are often mistaken to be sisters. In "Meat the Veals

Meat the Veals

"Meat the Veals" is the 38th episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Oscar wants to throw Lucille a party to celebrate her wedding anniversary. He got the idea from Buster, who said that it would show how Oscar has been there for Lucille while George Sr. has been a...

", Ann's mother (played by Ione Skye

Ione Skye

Ione Skye Lee is an English-born American actress, who became a teen idol after the 1989 movie Say Anything.... In 2006 VH1 placed her at number 84 in the "100 Greatest Teen Stars" list.-Early life:...

) kisses Michael, which she believes to be making love to him. The kiss leads to a brawl between Michael and her husband at the end of the episode.

None of the Bluths with the exception of George Michael can remember Ann's name. In the Year Book she is listed as "Not Pictured" under her photograph, although they did print a retraction in the spring supplement. Michael refers to her variously (and always accidentally) as "Bland," "Egg," "Annabel," "Yam," "Plant," "Plain," and "Ann Hog." He once abandons her in Mexico accidentally. Maeby takes pleasure in referring to Ann as "Bland".
George Michael tells Maeby that Ann is "not bland" when forced to defend his love interest.

Ann is attracted to George Michael's Star Wars kid

Star Wars Kid

"Star Wars Kid" is an Internet meme involving a video of a high school student from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, wielding a golf ball retriever in imitation of Darth Maul's lightsaber moves from the Star Wars films....

-like lightsaber

Lightsaber

A lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...

demonstration, which led to their reconciliation after a breakup midway through the second season. George Michael wanted to get pre-engaged to Ann at the end of the second season, lost his resolve at the last moment, and was then asked by Ann to teach her his secular ways.

Ann's strict conservatism serves as a foil for Maeby's commitment to rebellion. Ann leads the protest at Maeby's premiere of the English remake of Dangerous Cousins, originally a French movie about a sexual relationship between two cousins.

Ann moved on from George Michael after coming in third place in an "Inner Beauty" pageant

Beauty contest

A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...

. Gob, who admitted a penchant for third place pageant winners, later revealed that he was dating a Christian girl, who eventually turned out to be Ann.

Appears In:

Played by Alessandra Torresani - "Let 'Em Eat Cake
Let 'Em Eat Cake (Arrested Development episode)
"Let 'Em Eat Cake" is the 22nd episode of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:The Bluth Company is in trouble. Because of the low-carb diet fad , the banana stand has been struggling. Meanwhile, the model home is falling apart because of shoddy workmanship. Lindsay thinks she has a...

"
Played by Mae Whitman - "The One Where They Build a House
The One Where They Build a House
"The One Where They Build a House" is the twenty-fourth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael plans to save the Bluth Company by beginning construction on a new model home and holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Gob, now president-in-name-only of the company, promises...

", "¡Amigos!
¡Amigos!
"¡Amigos!" is the 25th episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael tells his brother Gob of his plans to take George Michael to Legoland for the weekend. Gob says he plans to hang out with some of his friends, though Michael doubts that he has any...

", "Good Grief
Good Grief
"Good Grief" is the twenty-sixth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:The bounty hunter that Michael hired has found George Sr. supposedly died in Mexico, and George Michael is dumped by his girlfriend, Ann. Maeby seeks advice from Barry Zuckerkorn on divorcing her parents...

", "Afternoon Delight", "Switch Hitter
Switch Hitter
"Switch Hitter" is the 29th episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael schedules a meeting with Stan Sitwell, President of rival company Sitwell Housing Inc., at the house. Michael thinks that Sitwell sees that the company is in trouble and sees an opportunity whereas G.O.B...

", "Burning Love", "Out on a Limb", "The Immaculate Election
The Immaculate Election
"The Immaculate Election" is the thirty-sixth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael is surprised to find the house still a mess a week after the fumigation, which Michael had Lindsay call and arrange, long before Michael had begun hiding his fugitive father in the...

", "Meat the Veals
Meat the Veals
"Meat the Veals" is the 38th episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Oscar wants to throw Lucille a party to celebrate her wedding anniversary. He got the idea from Buster, who said that it would show how Oscar has been there for Lucille while George Sr. has been a...

", "Righteous Brothers", "Notapusy
Notapusy
"Notapusy" is the forty-fourth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:Michael Bluth is on his way to the office when he sees something he wasn't used to seeing before lunch: his sister, Lindsay. She has recently taken a job with the Bluth's lawyer, Bob Loblaw, as his...

", "Development Arrested
Development Arrested
"Development Arrested" is the 53rd episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development. It is the season finale for Season 3, as well as the series finale before the announcement of Season 4 over five years later.-Episode:...

"

Annyong

Hel-loh "Annyong" Bluth (Justin Lee

Justin Lee (actor)

Justin Lee is a Korean-American actor known for his role as Annyong Bluth in the Fox sitcom Arrested Development.-Early life:...

) is the adopted Korea

Korea

n son of Lucille and George Sr.

"Hel-loh" claims his name is the Korean word for "One day", a name given to him by his grandfather, whose idea for a frozen banana cart was stolen by George Sr. and used as inspiration for the banana stand that launched the Bluth empire; his grandfather vowed to one day get even for his stolen banana stand and ensuing deportation. Lucille adopts him midway through the first season. Apparently knowing no English, the youth greets his adoptive family by saying "annyong" (안녕), the Korean

Korean language

Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...

word for "hello." When they repeat the word, so does he. This causes Lucille to assume his name is "Annyong". Annyong becomes an articulate member of the household who often finds himself in disagreement with Buster. He also develops a crush on Maeby in the season one finale after she kisses him to make George Michael jealous. He is apparently sent to the Milford School by Lucille, who is attempting to teach him a lesson (though she forgets what). Annyong is found to be hiding in the walls of Lucille's apartment. In the third season finale it is revealed that Hel-loh (who finally reveals his name after his usual greeting of "Annyong", prompting ironic confusion among the Bluths) orchestrated the second U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) raid on the family as revenge for himself and his grandfather.

At the end of the episode "Motherboy XXX

Motherboy XXX

"Motherboy XXX" is the thirty-fifth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:"Michael Bluth got up early in the hopes of avoiding his family. His mother, however, was already dressed, made up and waiting for him...

", an Asian actor cast to play Annyong in the Scandalmakers documentary passes by Lindsay as she visits an actor's trailer.

His actual name, "Hel-loh" (하루), means "a single day" in Korean. The pronunciation of the word can be twisted slightly to sound like "hello."

Appears In: "Shock and Aww

Shock and Aww

"Shock and Aww" is the fourteenth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael is sharing his bed for the first time in years; unfortunately, it is with his younger brother, Buster. George Michael has developed a crush on his ethics teacher...

", "Staff Infection

Staff Infection

"Staff Infection" is the fifteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth had begun working weekends, but he keeps up the weekly "bike ride" with son George Michael. He receives an emergency call from Lucille and heads over to her apartment...

", "Justice Is Blind

Justice Is Blind

"Justice is Blind" is the eighteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:The episode begins with a recap of events in the previous one, "Altar Egos." At school, George Michael accosts Maeby about her second identity, her ‘twin’ Surely, a wheelchair-using sick girl suffering...

", "Missing Kitty

Missing Kitty

"Missing Kitty" is the sixteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:The local colleges are on spring break and things are heating up in Newport Beach. Gob is teaching George Michael some magic tricks, to Michael's disapproval...

", "Best Man for the GOB

Best Man for the GOB

"Best Man for the Gob" is the nineteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael meets with the company's accountant, Ira Gilligan, who informs him that the company's books do not balance, and that there is money missing. If he is asked to testify, he says, he will not...

", "Not Without My Daughter

Not Without My Daughter (Arrested Development episode)

"Not Without My Daughter" is the twenty-first episode of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:As Michael heads off to work, his son, George Michael, reminds him it is "Take Your Daughter to Work Day." Long ago, Michael brought George Michael as a joke, and has done so every year since;...

", "Let 'Em Eat Cake

Let 'Em Eat Cake (Arrested Development episode)

", "The One Where Michael Leaves

The One Where Michael Leaves

"The One Where Michael Leaves" is the twenty-third episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development, and the premiere episode of the second season.-Synopsis:...

", "¡Amigos!

¡Amigos!

"¡Amigos!" is the 25th episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael tells his brother Gob of his plans to take George Michael to Legoland for the weekend. Gob says he plans to hang out with some of his friends, though Michael doubts that he has any...

", "Mr. F

Mr. F

"Mr. F" is the forty-fifth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:Michael Bluth sneaks out of work to see a British film, "Love Indubitably," with Rita, his English girlfriend. Afterwards, they come upon a toy store, and Rita tells Michael he should buy a train set for...

", "Development Arrested

Development Arrested

Barry Zuckerkorn

Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler

Henry Winkler

Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...

) is the sluggish attorney

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

for the Bluth family.

Zuckerkorn represents George Sr., the family patriarch

Patriarch

Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...

, who has been arrested and charged with defrauding investors, and light treason (George Bluth Sr., had built homes in Iraq with Saddam Hussein.) Zuckerkorn often appears languid and distracted in his handling of the case. He does not seem particularly adept in the courtroom and multiple references have been made to him being a bad lawyer. For years, he took credit for getting Michael out of his marriage before Michael reminded him that his wife died. He also believed that a husband and wife cannot be arrested for the same crime, which led George Sr. to put Lucille in charge of the Bluth Company when George Sr. thought the SEC was coming for him. Despite his incompetence, an advertisement on a bench for his services reads "He's very good", which was a quote Lucille Bluth had previously said.

He is inevitably ill-prepared, which he usually blames on long meetings the night before. In fact, most of his nights are spent hanging out at rest stops, a behavior that is frequently mentioned and accompanied by a fast cut to an establishing shot of a dark, shady rest-stop facility.

His sexual leanings are ambiguous although it appears that he may prefer the company of male transvestite hookers and may be a tranny chaser; it is possible that he is outwardly homophobic (often making mildly negative references and comments about "the homosexuals" and then regretting his comments) while secretly homosexual. Like Tobias Fünke, Barry makes many colorful references that seem to allude to his exclusive attraction to men. They aren't explicit enough, however, to be conclusive. He has been with the Bluths for a long time and was kept only because Lucille considers him to be "part of the family." His reputation is stronger with the elder Bluths than with the children.

Despite his parents' dependence on Barry, Michael Bluth fired him on the first episode of the third season, which ended his law career, as the Bluths were his only clients. Since then, he has been acting as a transvestite prostitute, and Lindsay seeing her husband Tobias retaining Barry's "services" has prompted her to seek a divorce. Zuckerkorn was replaced as the Bluths' attorney by Bob Loblaw. He was never seen again.

Appears In: "In God We Trust", "Beef Consommé

Beef Consommé

"Beef Consommé" is the thirteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth, Lucille, George Sr., and their attorney, Barry Zuckerkorn meet at the prison to discuss George Sr.'s arraignment the next day. Barry tells them they should all show up and appear loving and...

", "Altar Egos

Altar Egos

"Altar Egos" is the seventeenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth and family gather to discuss George Sr.’s upcoming trial. They've received a plea offer, but lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn hasn’t read it yet because he is too busy picking up cross-dressing...

", "Justice Is Blind

Justice Is Blind

", "Not Without My Daughter", "Let 'Em Eat Cake

Let 'Em Eat Cake (Arrested Development episode)

", "The One Where Michael Leaves

The One Where Michael Leaves

"The One Where Michael Leaves" is the twenty-third episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development, and the premiere episode of the second season.-Synopsis:...

", "Good Grief

Good Grief

"Good Grief" is the twenty-sixth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:The bounty hunter that Michael hired has found George Sr. supposedly died in Mexico, and George Michael is dumped by his girlfriend, Ann. Maeby seeks advice from Barry Zuckerkorn on divorcing her parents...

", "Sad Sack", "Queen for a Day", "Out on a Limb", "Hand to God", "Motherboy XXX

Motherboy XXX

", "Righteous Brothers", "The Cabin Show

The Cabin Show

"The Cabin Show" is the forty-first episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development. It is the first episode of Season 3.-Synopsis:...

Kitty Sanchez

Kitty Sanchez (Judy Greer

Judy Greer

Judy Greer is an American actress, known for portraying a string of supporting female characters, including Kitty Sanchez on the Fox series Arrested Development and Cheryl on the animated comedy series Archer...

) is George Bluth Sr.'s fiercely loyal and independent assistant. She has herpes, as Gob reveals in "Righteous Brothers".

Kitty maintained a long term affair with George Sr. and a fevered yet brief liaison with Gob, despite the fact he is disgusted by her. After George Sr. was imprisoned, Kitty stayed on to work for Michael.

Despite her intense loyalty to George Sr., she did not demonstrate the same toward Michael. Michael finally got fed up and fired her, but Kitty and Michael's father both insisted he didn't have that power, the latter of whom insisting, upon Michael's observation on her sanity, that, "You don't fire crazy." Michael attempted to rehire Kitty, but her obstinacy forced him to immediately fire her again. Kitty subsequently vanished with potentially damaging information, considering her sexual history with her boss. In actuality, she did not disappear, but was working with the police in an effort to gain control of the Bluth company. After arranging a meeting with Michael, she inadvertently admitted that she had proof that George Sr. had built homes overseas without paying taxes. Michael downplayed the importance of the revelation and Kitty dropped out of sight.

Kitty re-emerged in "Let 'Em Eat Cake

Let 'Em Eat Cake (Arrested Development episode)

" to rescue George Sr. from the hospital. They escaped to Mexico together but were separated again when he was pronounced dead. Kitty caught up with him in "Spring Breakout

Spring Breakout

" and blackmailed him into staying with her, and giving her the son he had promised her (prompting George, Sr. to comment, "Never promise crazy a baby"). Michael and Gob managed to rescue their father while Lucille had a showdown with her rival. The Bluth matriarch put her years of alcohol abuse to good use by besting Kitty in a drinking contest. Seemingly defeated, the hung over mistress returned to her hotel room to discover the Bluths had inadvertently left behind the ransom she'd been asking for: 250cc's of "George Sr."

Sperm

The term sperm is derived from the Greek word sperma and refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell...

in a cooler.

Kitty returned later, claiming she had reformed, gotten into AA

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...

, and even has a famous sponsor. She won't say who it is, but she drops some pretty obvious hints of it being an ex-Night Court

Night Court

Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...

star; ("It's not Bull

Richard Moll

Charles Richard Moll is an American actor and voice artist,best known for playing Bull Shannon, the bailiff on the NBC sitcom Night Court from 1983 to 1992...

. It's not Harry Anderson

Harry Anderson

Harry Laverne Anderson is an American actor and magician.-Early life:Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Anderson was a street magician before becoming an actor.-Career:...

. And he's white."), a reference to actor John Larroquette

John Larroquette

John Edgar Bernard Larroquette, Jr. is an American film, television and Broadway actor. His roles include Dan Fielding on the series Night Court, Mike McBride in the Hallmark Channel series McBride, John Hemingway on The John Larroquette Show, and Carl Sack in Boston Legal.-Personal...

as show creator Mitchell Hurwitz was once a writer for The John Larroquette Show

The John Larroquette Show

The John Larroquette Show is a situation comedy that ran on the NBC network from 1993 to 1996. The show, created by Don Reo, was a vehicle for John Larroquette following his run as Dan Fielding on Night Court. The series took place in a seedy bus terminal in St. Louis, Missouri and focused on the...

, and Larroquette himself is a recovering alcoholic. At the end of Season 2 she and Tobias, the state of his marriage still up in the air, had jetted off to Reno, Nevada

Reno, Nevada

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

so he could pursue a plum spot in the Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group

. As we learn in Season 3, the part has already been taken by George Bluth who then proceeds to steal Kitty from his son-in-law as well. A final reference to Kitty is made when Tobias masquerades as her in an effort to win back Lindsay's affection.

The one constant in meetings between Michael and Kitty is that she reveals her breasts to him, usually with the comment, "Take a good look, 'cuz it's the last time you're gonna see these" or "say goodbye to these, Michael." Michael's reaction tends to be one of vague horror.

Appears In: "Charity Drive

Charity Drive

"Charity Drive" is the fifth episode aired, though the sixth episode in DVD continuity, of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:...

", "Visiting Ours

Visiting Ours

"Visiting Ours" is the sixth episode aired, and the fifth episode in the DVD continuity of, the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:...

", "Missing Kitty

Missing Kitty

", "Not Without My Daughter

Not Without My Daughter (Arrested Development episode)

", "Let 'Em Eat Cake

Let 'Em Eat Cake (Arrested Development episode)

", "The One Where They Build a House

The One Where They Build a House

"The One Where They Build a House" is the twenty-fourth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael plans to save the Bluth Company by beginning construction on a new model home and holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Gob, now president-in-name-only of the company, promises...

", "¡Amigos!

¡Amigos!

",
"Spring Breakout

Spring Breakout

", "Righteous Brothers", "The Cabin Show

The Cabin Show

"The Cabin Show" is the forty-first episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development. It is the first episode of Season 3.-Synopsis:...

Lucille Austero

Lucille Austero (Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli

Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....

), often referred to as "Lucille Two", is the friend, neighbor, and chief social rival of Lucille Bluth.

Lucille Austero lives in the apartment next to Lucille and Buster Bluth in the Balboa Towers. In Season 1, she and Buster end up dating after an incident at a country club auction when Buster bids on the wrong Lucille. Their relationship is looked down upon by the other Bluths. Her chronic case of vertigo

Vertigo (medical)

Vertigo is a type of dizziness, where there is a feeling of motion when one is stationary. The symptoms are due to a dysfunction of the vestibular system in the inner ear...

often causes some difficulty for the klutzy Buster.

In Season 2, she becomes the majority shareholder of the Bluth company after the family members sell their shares. To ensure the company's safety, Gob romances Lucille, who in turn names Gob the president of the Bluth Company in place of Michael. Although continuously stating that he is disgusted by her, it is seen in various clips that he is in fact infatuated with Lucille 2. Buster at the time is dating Starla, the Bluth Company receptionist. After learning his older brother is dating his ex-girlfriend, Buster leaves Starla to pursue Lucille. Eventually, Lucille leaves both of them for Stan Sitwell.

Appears In: "Key Decisions

Key Decisions

"Key Decisions" is the fourth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.- Plot :When Gob ditches his girlfriend, Marta Estrella, for a publicity stunt at the penitentiary that holds his father, Michael is left to accompany her to the Desi Awards...

", "Charity Drive

Charity Drive

"Charity Drive" is the fifth episode aired, though the sixth episode in DVD continuity, of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:...

", "My Mother, The Car

My Mother, The Car

"My Mother, the Car" is the seventh episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth, fed up with his mother Lucille's extravagant spending, says she cannot throw a lavish birthday party for herself. But when Lindsay, prompted by Lucille, suggests a surprise party, Michael...

", "In God We Trust

In God We Trust (Arrested Development episode)

"In God We Trust" is the eighth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth has called a meeting with his family's longtime attorney, Barry Zuckerkorn, to discuss his father's incarceration. But Barry proves difficult to work with. Michael and his sister, Lindsay, are...

", "Storming the Castle

Storming The Castle

"Storming the Castle" is the ninth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:While doing some business work at home, the chair Michael Bluth is sitting in collapses. Michael decides he'll get one from work, which George Michael questions...

", "Pier Pressure", "Marta Complex

Marta Complex

"Marta Complex" is the 12th episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth convinces his mother to throw what she thinks is a Valentine's Day party, but is, in fact, an anniversary party for Tobias and Lindsay. In attendance is Gob's girlfriend Marta, who is impressed by...

", "Queen for a Day

Queen for a Day (Arrested Development episode)

"Queen for a Day" is the 30th episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:As George Michael is getting ready for school he comes across a box of love letters he'd written but never sent to Maeby. Michael comes in to offer George Michael a ride to school, causing George Michael to...

", "Burning Love

Burning Love (Arrested Development episode)

"Burning Love" is the 31st episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:George Michael asks his father if they have any music he can use for the Christian music bonfire which he and Ann are planning to host at the model home...

", "Ready, Aim, Marry Me

Ready, Aim, Marry Me

Lupe

Lupe (BW Gonzalez) is Lucille Bluth's Hispanic housekeeper. Lucille is frequently abusive towards her. Lupe, and at one time the rest of her family, have been tricked into working for other members of the Bluth family (specifically Lindsay) on a number of occasions. In the second season, Lucille fires Lupe when she catches her in bed with Buster (whom Lupe refers to as "retardo" in "¡Amigos!

¡Amigos!

"), comforting him about the loss of his hand. Lupe is replaced by a robotic vacuum cleaner (specifically a Roomba

Roomba

The Roomba is a series of autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners sold by iRobot. Under normal operating conditions, it is able to navigate a living space and common obstacles while vacuuming the floor...

), which is also caught in bed with Buster.

Lupe returns as the family housekeeper without explanation in Season Three, and appears very briefly as one of the women posing as Lucille and Lindsay in rehab.

Lupe is the sister of Luz (played by Lillian Hurst

Lillian Hurst

Lillian Hurst is a Puerto Rican actress and comedienne. Hurst made her debut as a television comedian in the early 1960s. She participated in various Off-Broadway and movie productions in the United States.-Early years:...

), Lucille's original maid who was fired for supposedly taking a day off to take her daughter to the hospital.

In the Season 3 episode "For British Eyes Only

For British Eyes Only

"For British Eyes Only" is the 42nd episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:Michael Bluth and George Michael Bluth are having a last chance camp-out in the cabin before it is due to be moved. While they are sleeping, a returning George Sr. drives the cabin away for use...

" when Tobias reveals he had 4000 hair plugs inserted in his head, Lupe refers to Tobias as "Mr Gay".

Appears In: "Charity Drive

Charity Drive

"Charity Drive" is the fifth episode aired, though the sixth episode in DVD continuity, of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:...

", "In God We Trust", "Public Relations", "Marta Complex

Marta Complex

", "Staff Infection

Staff Infection

", "Missing Kitty

Missing Kitty

", "Best Man for the GOB

Best Man for the GOB

", "¡Amigos!

¡Amigos!

", "The Immaculate Election

The Immaculate Election

"The Immaculate Election" is the thirty-sixth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael is surprised to find the house still a mess a week after the fumigation, which Michael had Lindsay call and arrange, long before Michael had begun hiding his fugitive father in the...

", "For British Eyes Only

For British Eyes Only

", "Exit Strategy"

Oscar Bluth

Oscar George Bluth (Jeffrey Tambor

Jeffrey Tambor

Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...

) is George Sr.'s air-headed identical twin.

Oscar can be distinguished from the balding George by his flowing "lion's mane" hair, due to lack of stress in his life. He is a frequent user of marijuana

Cannabis (drug)

Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...

. He served as a "croc spotter" on a swift boat

Fast Patrol Craft

Patrol Craft Fast , also known as Swift Boats, were all-aluminum, long, shallow-draft vessels operated by the U.S. Navy, initially to patrol the coastal areas and later for work in the interior waterways as part of the Brown Water Navy to interdict Vietcong movement of arms and munitions,...

in the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

(yelling out "Croc!" whenever he saw a crocodile

Crocodile

A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...

), and once wrote a song for David Cassidy

David Cassidy

David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...

, "All You Need Are Smiles", that made Joan Baez

Joan Baez

Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....

call him "the shallowest man in the world." After numerous hints, in Season 2 it is revealed that he is Buster's father.

Oscar resides most often in a trailer outside Camp Pendleton. He owns about 200 acres (80.9 ha) of lemon groves and sells lemonade to the troops when their maneuvers pass by. He sells the land to Michael, who is unaware that the government has an easement

Easement

An easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...

on it so they can drive their tank

Tank

A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

s through it. Lucille takes advantage of Oscar's feelings for her and convinces him to buy the land back.

According to Michael, Oscar has lived on handouts all his life. According to his brother, he has never had to work for a living, leading to his full head of shoulder-length hair that Lucille finds irresistible. Oscar's persistence with Lucille - whom he met when she was working a USO tour - leads to a rekindling of their once torrid romance. This disturbs Buster, who discovers the adulterous pair in flagrante delicto

In flagrante delicto

In flagrante delicto or sometimes simply in flagrante is a legal term used to indicate that a criminal has been caught in the act of committing an offence...

multiple times.

After George Sr. escapes confinement, Oscar is arrested because police assume he is George. The police also impound Oscar's trailer, leaving him even more indigent than usual. Lucille allows him to live with her and Buster. Oscar's presence allows Buster to develop the many talents he'd discovered with Lucille. He lovingly brushes Oscar's hair, a ritual once reserved for Lucille. In return, Buster is treated to several uncomfortable silences upon witnessing Oscar's penchant for living loose and literally, "letting it all hang out."

Oscar's shameless exhibitionism

Exhibitionism

Exhibitionism refers to a desire or compulsion to expose parts of one's body – specifically the genitals or buttocks of a man or woman, or the breasts of a woman – in a public or semi-public circumstance, in crowds or groups of friends or acquaintances, or to strangers...

is a product of the proximity he shares with his dream woman. Once confined to a single residence, the illicit pair revive the past.

In the second season finale, to clear up his legal difficulties and punish his brother for cuckolding him, George Sr. shaves Oscar's head and turns him in. The stress of being imprisoned and mistaken for George Sr. causes Oscar's hair to not grow back. This, paired with the fact that his fingerprints have been burned off by the family Cornballer, prevents him from establishing his identity.

To convince the world of his true identity, Oscar sets up www.imoscar.com, a blog

Blog

A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...

of sorts that details his life in prison while continually asserting that he is Oscar. A real-life version of the site was maintained by Fox Broadcasting until mid-2006 .

In the third season, Oscar manages to get out of prison when George Sr. is placed under house arrest and leaves town. He returns occasionally, but these visits are usually ended when George Sr. knocks him out and switches places so he can escape again. In the series finale, George invites Oscar to the Bluth Company function to unwittingly take his place, a fact Oscar learns as soon as Lucille refers to him as George ("Oh God Oscar! When are you going to learn there's no such thing as free shrimp!")

Appears In: "Whistler's Mother", "Not Without My Daughter", "The One Where Michael Leaves

The One Where Michael Leaves

"The One Where Michael Leaves" is the twenty-third episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development, and the premiere episode of the second season.-Synopsis:...

", "The One Where They Build a House

The One Where They Build a House

", "¡Amigos!

¡Amigos!

", "Good Grief

Good Grief

", "Sad Sack", "Afternoon Delight", "Switch Hitter

Switch Hitter

"Switch Hitter" is the 29th episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael schedules a meeting with Stan Sitwell, President of rival company Sitwell Housing Inc., at the house. Michael thinks that Sitwell sees that the company is in trouble and sees an opportunity whereas G.O.B...

", "Queen for a Day", "Burning Love", "Out on a Limb", "Hand to God", "Sword of Destiny

Sword of Destiny

"Sword of Destiny" is the 37th episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:Michael Bluth is stunned to discover that a contract his company was counting on is being cut back, and is on the phone trying to persuade the client to honor the original order when Lindsay marches in...

", "Meat the Veals

Meat the Veals

", "Spring Breakout

Spring Breakout

", "Righteous Brothers", "The Cabin Show

The Cabin Show

"The Cabin Show" is the forty-first episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development. It is the first episode of Season 3.-Synopsis:...

", "Prison Break-In

Prison Break-In

"Prison Break-In" is the forty-seventh episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:Michael Bluth pays an unexpected visit to his mother. Lucille figures he wants something, since he has been ignoring the family in favor of Rita...

", "Development Arrested

Development Arrested

Steve Holt

Steve Holt (Justin Grant Wade) is a senior (taking the year for the third time) and football star at the high school George Michael and Maeby attend, who often shouts his name, "Steve Holt!", while pumping his fists in the air.

Described as a "moron jock" by George Michael and "basically a young Gob" by Michael, Steve Holt portrays Beatrice in the school's production of Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....

, dates Lindsay (after Maeby convinces him that Lindsay is a transsexual), and is student body president for four years (he declines a fifth term in order to concentrate on finding his real father). His campaign posters often read "Volt for Steve Holt." The crowd at his re-election rally can be heard chanting "Four more years."

In the Season 2 episode "The Immaculate Election

The Immaculate Election

", it is revealed that Steve Holt is the illegitimate son of Gob and Eve Holt, the product of one of Gob's many one-night stands in high school. Before realizing that she is supposedly a blood-relation, Steve has a brief relationship with his cousin, Maeby, which results in his being given a roofie to avoid any kind of intimacy. After learning of his parentage, he bonds with both his father and "Uncle Mike". He has worked as a gift-basket delivery-boy, a Bluth Banana Stand employee, and cameraman for his father's magic act.

Appears In: "Bringing Up Buster

Bringing Up Buster

"Bringing Up Buster" is the third episode of the American television series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael is making cornballs for breakfast in preparation for another tradition: the Sunday bike ride. However, George Michael is ambivalent about the plan...

", "Shock And Aww

Shock and Aww

", "Sad Sack

Sad Sack (Arrested Development episode)

"Sad Sack" is the twenty-seventh episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth is nervous about meeting with the new prosecutor of his father's criminal case, because he had found his father earlier in the week, and is currently hiding him in the attic. George Michael...

", "Burning Love

Burning Love (Arrested Development episode)

", "The Immaculate Election

The Immaculate Election

", "The Cabin Show

The Cabin Show

"The Cabin Show" is the forty-first episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development. It is the first episode of Season 3.-Synopsis:...

", "For British Eyes Only

For British Eyes Only

", "Forget-Me-Now

Forget-Me-Now

"Forget-Me-Now" is the 43rd episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:Michael, G.O.B., Lindsay and Tobias are meeting with the family's new attorney, Bob Loblaw, at the model home regarding the family's legal situation...

", "Notapusy

Notapusy

"Notapusy" is the forty-fourth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:Michael Bluth is on his way to the office when he sees something he wasn't used to seeing before lunch: his sister, Lindsay. She has recently taken a job with the Bluth's lawyer, Bob Loblaw, as his...

", "Making a Stand

Making a Stand

"Making a Stand" is the forty-eighth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:At a meeting at the Bluth Company, Michael tries to follow his father's wish that Gob be included in the business...

Bob Loblaw

Bob Loblaw (Scott Baio

Scott Baio

Scott Vincent James Baio is an American actor and television director, best known for his roles as Chachi Arcola on the sitcom Happy Days and its spin-off, Joanie Loves Chachi, and as the title character on the sitcom Charles in Charge....

) is the new family attorney, replacing Barry Zuckerkorn.

Bob Loblaw first appears in the third episode of Season 3, claiming this isn't the first time he's been brought in to replace Barry, and that he can do anything Barry can do, plus skew younger, alluding to Baio's experience with Henry Winkler

Henry Winkler

Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...

(Zuckerkorn) on the 1970s sitcom Happy Days

Happy Days

Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....

.
Contrasting Zuckerkorn's incompetence, Loblaw is a no-nonsense attorney who is always in the company of his stenographer

Court reporter

A court reporter, stenotype reporter, voice writing reporter, or transcriber is a person whose occupation is to transcribe spoken or recorded speech into written form, using machine shorthand or voice writing equipment to produce official transcripts of court hearings, depositions and other...

, who records all of his meetings.

He advertises his services with slogans such as "Why should you go to jail for a crime someone else noticed?" and "You don't need double talk; you need Bob Loblaw." As is evidenced by this, his name is meant to sound like "blah-blah-blah". Underneath his commercial advertisement is the phrase "Bob Loblaw No Habla Español".

Adding to the tongue twister-like aspect of the character's name, the third season episode "S.O.B.s

S.O.B.s

" includes a newspaper headline that reads "Bob Loblaw Lobs Law Bomb" and later in the season "Bob Loblaw Launches Law Blog" (viz. The Bob Loblaw Law Blog).

He has a daughter named Hope.

Appears In: "Forget-Me-Now

Forget-Me-Now

", "Notapusy

Notapusy

", "Mr. F

Mr. F

", "Making a Stand

Making a Stand

Carl Weathers

Actor Carl Weathers

Carl Weathers

Carl Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films...

portrays himself as a thrifty, mooching Hollywood movie star

Movie star

A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...

whom Tobias hires to teach him his craft.

Tobias meets Carl Weathers on an air porter destined for Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...

. Tobias once traveled to San Francisco to attend Carl Weathers' stage-fighting workshop. The actor failed to show because, as he informed Tobias, he was bumped from the flight. However, he discovered that they pay $300 to people who are inconvenienced in this manner. Carl Weathers called this "a crazy loophole in the system that the wrong guy discovered." Ever since then, Carl Weathers has been getting himself deliberately bumped from flights and subsequently cashing in.

Carl Weathers does not enjoy paying very much for anything. He is obsessed with thrift, exemplified by his claims that he acquires all of his cars from police auctions and his seeming obsession with "getting a stew going" using leftover pieces of food. He takes Tobias on as a client and is thereby introduced to the Bluth experience. Lucille Bluth uses Carl Weathers to get back at her youngest son, Buster, who has become involved romantically with her chief rival, Lucille Austero. She simply introduces Carl Weathers to Lucille 2. and suggests that they should have dinner together with Buster. Buster, however, reminds his mother that he has class that day. Lucille suggests that Carl Weathers and Lucille II would just have to dine alone, in that case. When Buster finally decides to move in with Lucille II, he discovers her and Carl Weathers "getting a stew going" and is greatly disturbed.

In the episode "Motherboy XXX

Motherboy XXX

", Weathers meets with Tobias at Burger King

Burger King

Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...

, and explains he is directing an episode of Scandalmakers and needs Tobias to sign over the rights for the story of his family. The whole scene satirizes product placement (Burger King is a major sponsor of both the real Arrested Development and fictitious Scandalmakers), with Weathers joyfully remarking that all soft drink refills at Burger King

Burger King

are totally free. At one point, Weathers appears dressed to play the role of ICE in the Scandalmakers documentary.

Appears In: "Public Relations", "Marta Complex

Marta Complex

", "Motherboy XXX

Motherboy XXX

Doctor Fishman

Doctor Fishman (also called Doctor "Wordsmith" and the Literal Doctor; played by Ian Roberts

Ian Roberts (actor)

Ian Michael Roberts is an American actor, comedian and writer best known as a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe.-Life and career:...

) is a doctor who has a tendency to be too literal. He has, for example, said that Buster would be "all right," when he lost his left hand. Also, that "it looks like he's dead," when he in fact means that Tobias literally looks as if he is dead, but is in fact alive, and that it "looked like they'd lost" George, Sr. when he actually escaped through the window.

Appears In: "Let 'Em Eat Cake

Let 'Em Eat Cake (Arrested Development episode)

", "The One Where Michael Leaves

The One Where Michael Leaves

"The One Where Michael Leaves" is the twenty-third episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development, and the premiere episode of the second season.-Synopsis:...

", "Hand to God", "Sword of Destiny

Sword of Destiny

Gene Parmesan

Gene Parmesan (Martin Mull

Martin Mull

Martin Mull is an American actor who has starred in his own television sitcom and acted in prominent films. He is also a comedian, painter, and recording artist...

) is a mediocre private detective and master of quick-change

Quick-change

Quick-change is a performance style in which a performer or magician changes quickly within seconds from one costume into another costume in front of the audience.-Modern Quick-Change Artists:...

occasionally hired by Lucille Bluth. She hires him to find George Sr. in the second season episode, "¡Amigos!

¡Amigos!

". Parmesan always reports to Lucille by approaching her in a disguise and then dramatically revealing himself; Lucille invariably screams in delight every time. He is highly regarded as one of the best detectives by Lucille but is said in the narration, however, to be "far from the best."

The episode "Out on a Limb" has Michael talking briefly to Gene on his cellphone, having hired him to investigate Maggie.

Appears In: "¡Amigos!

¡Amigos!

James Buck

James Buck (Rocky McMurray) is warden of George's prison until he is replaced by Stefan Gentles. Buck is aggressive and unappreciative of the Bluths, though he allows Gob to try to perform an escape act from the prison, which largely fails, leading Gob to write a "strongly worded letter" to Buck, for which he is detained against the trailer George Sr. and Lucille are having sex in.

Appears In: "Key Decisions

Key Decisions

", "Visiting Ours

Visiting Ours

"Visiting Ours" is the sixth episode aired, and the fifth episode in the DVD continuity of, the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:...

Officers Taylor and Carter

Officers Taylor (Jay Johnston

Jay Johnston

Jay Johnston is an American actor and comedian best known for his work as a writer and cast member on the HBO sketch comedy series Mr...

) and Carter (Jerry Minor

Jerry Minor

Jerry C. Minor is an American actor, comedian and writer known for his comedic roles in numerous television programs such as Mr. Show, Saturday Night Live, Delocated, Crossballs, Carpoolers and Lucky Louie....

), are two police officers (white and black, respectively) who frequently appear, memorably at George Bluth's hearings, and at the Bluth Company in search of Kitty Sanchez after her disappearance. They, like Michael Bluth, practice bring-your-daughter-to-work day, mentioning their daughters as named Tammy and Monica who are unseen, having apparently run off (demonstrating their lack of good attention, implying their incompetence in their search mission for Kitty). They are revealed to be a gay couple in the episode "Hand to God", in which lawyer Maggie Lizer pretends to be pregnant, having hired her to have their baby. The baby is in fact carried by Maggie's pregnant client, who gives birth to the child later in the episode.

Appears In: "The One Where Michael Leaves

The One Where Michael Leaves

"The One Where Michael Leaves" is the twenty-third episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development, and the premiere episode of the second season.-Synopsis:...

", "Not Without My Daughter", "Missing Kitty

Missing Kitty

", "Out on a Limb", "Hand to God"

J. Walter Weatherman

J. Walter Weatherman (Steve Ryan) is a one-armed man used by George Bluth to frighten his children into good behavior.

Weatherman, a former employee of George Sr.'s who lost his arm in a Bluth Company construction accident, is recruited by George Sr. to fake accidents and appear to have lost his arm as a result of the Bluth children's misbehavior. The lesson ends with J. Walter turning to the children and saying "and that's why you don't...", finishing the sentence with whatever action George Sr. is trying to stop. Examples include: not leaving notes and yelling. When Michael asks his father put him in touch with Weatherman to teach George Michael a lesson, George Sr. tells him that he "killed him when he left the door open with the air conditioner on." (a reference to an unseen 'lesson') This is shown to be untrue when George Sr. hires Weatherman back to teach Michael a lesson about teaching lessons to his son. Buster later uses the same trick on both Michael and George Sr. as well as Gob, using his fake hand, to teach them a lesson about not using amputees to teach lessons.

Appears In: "Pier Pressure", "Motherboy XXX

Motherboy XXX

", "Making a Stand

Making a Stand

John Beard

John Beard is the news anchor for the fictional Fox 6 news station, which often covers the Bluth family's problems on the news, and in one case ("Missing Kitty

Missing Kitty

") almost became "part of the story." His announcements of news stories often end with "what that means for your weekend," regardless of whether the story would actually affect the general public's weekend. Played by John Beard, who is a real life news anchor (now at WGRZ in Buffalo).

Appears In: "Pilot

Pilot (Arrested Development episode)

"Pilot" constitutes the first episode and the series premiere of the Fox sitcom Arrested Development. The episode originally aired on November 2, 2003. George Sr. is about to announce his retirement when he is arrested for using his company's funds for personal expenses...

", "Extended Pilot", "Top Banana

Top Banana (Arrested Development episode)

"Top Banana" is the second episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development. The story takes place a week before the banana stand is burned down. George Sr. attempts to control the Bluth company from prison using his cellmate T-Bone.-Plot:...

", "Key Decisions

Key Decisions

", "Public Relations

Public Relations (Arrested Development episode)

", "Missing Kitty

Missing Kitty

", "Let 'Em Eat Cake

Let 'Em Eat Cake (Arrested Development episode)

", "The One Where Michael Leaves

The One Where Michael Leaves

"The One Where Michael Leaves" is the twenty-third episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development, and the premiere episode of the second season.-Synopsis:...

", "The One Where They Build a House

The One Where They Build a House

", "Sad Sack

Sad Sack (Arrested Development episode)

", "Burning Love

Burning Love (Arrested Development episode)

", "Sword of Destiny

Sword of Destiny

", "The Cabin Show

The Cabin Show

"The Cabin Show" is the forty-first episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development. It is the first episode of Season 3.-Synopsis:...

", "For British Eyes Only

For British Eyes Only

", "Mr. F

Mr. F

", "S.O.B.s

S.O.B.s

Mort Meyers

Mort Meyers (Jeff Garlin

Jeff Garlin

Jeffrey "Jeff" Garlin is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, voice artist, director, writer and author, best known for his role as Jeff Greene on the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm...

) is a studio executive who works with Maeby. Although he has a wife, Mort often hits on Maeby, believing that she is older than she really is.

Appears In: "Switch Hitter

Switch Hitter

", "Queen for a Day

Queen for a Day (Arrested Development episode)

", "Sword of Destiny

Sword of Destiny

", "Spring Breakout

Spring Breakout

", "Righteous Brothers", "Mr. F

Mr. F

", "Making a Stand

Making a Stand

", "Development Arrested

Development Arrested

Phillip Litt

Phillip Litt (Zach Braff

Zach Braff

Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his...

) is the director of the film series Girls With Low Self-Esteem (a parody of Girls Gone Wild

Girls Gone Wild

The Girls Gone Wild franchise, created by Joe Francis, is a video series by the production company Mantra Films, Inc., which is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.-Content:...

); while the series is often referenced in the show, Litt only appears after Gob's failed magic act is included in the newest release. He, along with Tobias, is a never-nude. Braff was likely cast due to his resemblance to Girls Gone Wild

Girls Gone Wild

The Girls Gone Wild franchise, created by Joe Francis, is a video series by the production company Mantra Films, Inc., which is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.-Content:...

creator Joe Francis

Joe Francis

Joseph R. "Joe" Francis is an American entrepreneur, known as the founder of GGW Brands which produces the Girls Gone Wild and Guys Gone Wild DVD series....

.

Appears In: "Spring Breakout

Spring Breakout

", "S.O.B.s

S.O.B.s

Stan Sitwell

Stan Sitwell (Ed Begley, Jr.

Ed Begley, Jr.

Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor and environmentalist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He is best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich, on the television series St...

) is a real estate tycoon who runs the company Sitwell Enterprises, which competes with the Bluth Company.

He has a disease that prevents him from growing hair on his body, alopecia universalis

Alopecia universalis

Alopecia universalis or alopecia areata universalis is a medical condition involving rapid loss of all hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes. It is the most severe form of alopecia areata, with an incidence of .001%...

. Lucille incorrectly refers to him as an alpaca

Alpaca

An alpaca is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in appearance.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, northern Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile at an altitude of to above sea level, throughout the year...

. Stan Sitwell begins dating Lucille Austero. His outlandish wigs and fake facial hair are a bit of an inside joke, since in real life Ed Begley Jr. is known for his mane of thick blonde hair. Because of his condition he can't actually drive the Corvette that Michael Bluth gave him in return of making a bid on his daughter Sally Sitwell at the Country Club

Country club

A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...

auction because it is a convertible, which causes him to lose his wig and fake eyebrows. When Stan Sitwell fires Gob Bluth from his company, Gob gets revenge on Sitwell by stealing his fake dressy eyebrows. He runs his business in a very straight forward, professional manner in contrast to the lying and manipulation of the Bluths. He is also a generous philanthropist and contributes to numerous charities, contrary to the Bluths as well.

Appears In: "Switch Hitter

Switch Hitter

", "Queen for a Day

Queen for a Day (Arrested Development episode)

", "Burning Love

Burning Love (Arrested Development episode)

", "Ready, Aim, Marry Me

Ready, Aim, Marry Me

", "Development Arrested

Development Arrested

Starla

Starla (Mo Collins

Mo Collins

Maureen "Mo" Ann Collins is an American actress and comedian. Collins is perhaps best known for being a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series MADtv. She became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show...

) is the Bluth company secretary that Gob hires as his "business model" in season two after seeing her at a boat show. Starla often proves to be quite incompetent as a secretary, and claims that she had an affair with producer Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones

Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...

, a claim backed up with the display of several of his gold records along the walls of Starla's house but disputed by spokespersons for Mr. Jones. On trying to gain entrance to his grounds, she is supposedly attacked by guard dogs, and is subsequently treated for rabies. Near the end of Season 2, Buster and Starla have a brief relationship, which abruptly ends when Buster misses his old flame Lucille Austero.

Appears In: "The One Where They Build a House

The One Where They Build a House

", "¡Amigos!

¡Amigos!

", "Switch Hitter

Switch Hitter

", "Queen for a Day

Queen for a Day (Arrested Development episode)

", "Ready, Aim, Marry Me

Ready, Aim, Marry Me

", "Sword of Destiny

Sword of Destiny

Stefan Gentles

Stefan Gentles (James Lipton

James Lipton

James Lipton is an American writer, poet, composer, actor and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He is the executive producer, writer and host of the Bravo cable television series Inside the Actors Studio, which debuted in 1994...

) takes over as the prison warden where George is being detained after the previous warden, James Buck, leaves. He is less strict (though one of his favorite punishments involve beating people with a pillowcase full of batteries), and is a lover of the arts. Gentles showed this by not only allowing Tobias to research his role as Frightened Inmate Number 2, but enthusiastically encouraging it, suggesting that shadowing feared prisoner White Power Bill would help Tobias find the inspiration for the role. He writes a screenplay called The New Warden, which is rejected by everyone including Maeby while she works as a film executive. With some editing by Lucille Bluth, he is able to get an elementary school to perform the adult-themed story as a school play.

Appears In: "Staff Infection

Staff Infection

", "Altar Egos

Altar Egos

", "Missing Kitty

Missing Kitty

", "Prison Break-In

Prison Break-In

Tom Saunders

Tom Saunders (Tom Saunders) is an employee of the Bluth Company

Bluth Company

. His sad-sack personality and downtrodden looks are frequently the butt of jokes.

Appears In: "Afternoon Delight

Afternoon Delight (Arrested Development episode)

"Afternoon Delight" is the 28th episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:Michael Bluth finds the frozen banana stand vandalized by teenagers, a local holiday tradition, and heads home to find his son, George Michael, to engage in their tradition of rebuilding the stand...

", "The Cabin Show

The Cabin Show

"The Cabin Show" is the forty-first episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development. It is the first episode of Season 3.-Synopsis:...

", "Making a Stand

Making a Stand

", "Family Ties

Family Ties (Arrested Development episode)

"Family Ties" is the fifty-first episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:Michael thinks he has made a shocking discovery when he finds a picture of himself as a baby with a girl named "Nellie." He shows it to Lindsay and they theorize that their parents had given up...

Tony Wonder

Tony Wonder (Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller

Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....

) is a professional magician who commonly works at the Gothic Castle and is known for baking himself into a loaf of bread and emerging. Many of his "illusions" are direct mocking references to David Blaine

David Blaine

David Blaine is an American illusionist and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. He has set and broken several world records...

.

Gob idolizes Wonder, but he believes that he came up with the idea for being baked into food first (he had the idea of being boiled into a bisque ten months earlier). Tony Wonder has a "W" for a goatee, and seems to specialize in illusions featuring food. He is also producing a DVD, which he dubbed "Use Your Allusion" after discovering his preferred title, Use Your Illusion

Use Your Illusion

Use Your Illusion is a Guns N' Roses compilation album that is mixed from the Use Your Illusion I and II albums. It has only been released in the United States, consisting entirely of songs without profanity . However, not all songs without profanity were chosen to appear on this compilation...

, was unavailable due to copyright issues.

He also becomes quite taken by Buster's act during the "Sword of Destiny" illusion where Buster acted as the magician with Gob as the assistant (on account of Gob's banishment from the Magician's Alliance).

Gob reveals in Season 3 that Tony Wonder lost a testicle to a live dove in his pants.

Appears In: "Good Grief

Good Grief

" (photo only), "Sword of Destiny

Sword of Destiny

", "S.O.B.s

S.O.B.s

Trisha Thoon

Trisha Thoon (Stacey Grenrock-Woods

Stacey Grenrock-Woods

Stacey Grenrock-Woods is an American writer, actress, and former correspondent on The Daily Show...

) is the field reporter for Fox 6 news throughout season one. She often covers stories pertaining to the Bluth family.

Appears In: "Pilot

Pilot (Arrested Development episode)

", "Key Decisions

Key Decisions

", "Public Relations

Public Relations (Arrested Development episode)

", "Let 'Em Eat Cake

Let 'Em Eat Cake (Arrested Development episode)

", "Extended Pilot"

Wayne Jarvis

Wayne Jarvis (John Michael Higgins

John Michael Higgins

John Michael Higgins is an American actor whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's The Late Shift, and a starring role in the American version of Kath & Kim....

) is a lawyer who can describe himself in one word: "professional." Michael tries to hire Wayne to replace Barry Zuckerkorn but Wayne refuses once Michael and Lindsay try to use him to get back at their mother. Later Wayne becomes the prosecutor of the Bluth Company; when confronted with an accusation of a conflict of interest he replies, "It's called the PATRIOT Act

USA PATRIOT Act

The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001...

, read it." Wayne Jarvis is "almost always" serious, a fact that caused him to once be called "the worst audience participant Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...

ever had" because he "did not find their buffoonery amusing."

Appears In: "In God We Trust

In God We Trust (Arrested Development episode)

", "Sad Sack

Sad Sack (Arrested Development episode)

", "Righteous Brothers", "Fakin' It", "Exit Strategy"

Wife of Gob

Wife of Gob (Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler

; the fact that Gob does not know her name is a running joke) is a certified seal

Pinniped

Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...

salesperson who married Gob as part of an evening of escalating dares (meant to be a one-night stand). She is portrayed by Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler

, who in real life is married to Will Arnett, who plays Gob. Poehler's real name is used in a scene where Gob talks about the fact that he doesn't know her name and, when he learns it, he will mock it: "Bad example, if her name is Amy, I'll call her Blamey." He guesses her name as "Crindy" and "Saul Zentsman" (the latter turning out to be her lawyer), and when he meets her again misreads the "U.S. Army" label on her uniform as being her name, calling her "Usarmy". She sells trained seals

Pinniped

(selling sick ones to third-world countries) and convinces Gob to wear bright, colorful sweaters. Possibly the only fan of Dr. Fünke's 100% Natural Good-Time Family Band Solution, she saw their show in the late '90s

1990s

File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...

and was comforted by the fact that they sang about every side effect she was going through. When she realizes she is in love with Tobias, she decides to end her marriage to Gob to join the United States Army

United States Army

to make use of her propensity for daring behavior. She frequently takes photos while smoking and pointing at crotches, a clear parody of Lynndie England

Lynndie England

Lynndie Rana England is a former United States Army reservist who served in the 372nd Military Police Company. She was one of eleven military personnel convicted in 2005 by Army courts-martial in connection with the torture and prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad during the occupation...

, a central figure in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal

Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse

Beginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...

. She is seen in season one and does not appear again until the 13th episode of season two in her final appearance. In this appearance, she returns to break up with Gob and to reclaim the seals that she "gave" to him while in the army but is told that he does not have them because he set them free. One of the loose seals recently bit off Buster's left hand. She and Gob finally consummate their marriage just minutes before signing the divorce papers.

Appears In: "Altar Egos

Altar Egos

", "Justice Is Blind

Justice Is Blind

", "Best Man for the GOB

Best Man for the GOB

", "Whistler's Mother

Whistler's Mother (Arrested Development episode)

"Whistler's Mother" is the 20th episode of the first season of the Fox TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:Michael is making plans for some Bluth company funds that recently became available. He is approached by successive family members, who each want some of that money. Lindsay wants...

", "Motherboy XXX

Motherboy XXX

Adelaide

Adelaide (Bronwen Masters) falls in love with Buster Bluth for his "limp form," while he is pretending to be in a coma in Season 3. She has an Australian accent and has fallen in love with other male coma and paralyzed patients in the past. Adelaide appears in the earlier Season 3 episode "Notapusy

Notapusy

" where she and Tony Hale

Tony Hale

Tony Hale is an American actor, best known for his role in the Fox comedy series Arrested Development as the neurotic Byron "Buster" Bluth.-Early life:...

are shown in a scene from the 1941 fake British wartime film "A Thoroughly Polite Dustup". The film is used to explain that, in Britain, calling someone a "Pussy" is a term of endearment, and therefore differs in context to its American use as an insult. The word "Fag" is also used in the film short, which means "cigarette" in the UK. This film is also later parodied in the episode "Exit Strategy" with both actors playing the main characters, Nurse Adelaide and Buster Bluth.

Appears In: "Notapusy

Notapusy

" (as 1941 wartime Nurse), "Fakin' It", "Family Ties

Family Ties (Arrested Development episode)

", "Exit Strategy"

Cindi Lightballoon

Cindi Lightballoon (Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch

Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...

) is an undercover agent working for the federal government to uncover George's secret dealings. Posing as a fan of his Torah videos (which she actually is), she eventually falls in love with George, who only enjoys tweaking her nipples.

Appears In: "Shock and Aww

Shock and Aww

", "Altar Egos

Altar Egos

Ice

Ice (Malik Yoba

Malik Yoba

Abdul-Malik Kashie Yoba , better known by his stage name Malik Yoba, is an American actor and occasional singer. He is perhaps best known for his starring role as NYPD Detective J.C. Williams on the FOX police drama series New York Undercover or as Yul Brenner in Cool Runnings...

) is a bounty hunter

Bounty hunter

A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...

and professional caterer.

Ice is initially employed by Gob to follow Michael, although a recurring joke is that Gob views Ice as his friend. (Michael later pays Ice to spend the weekend with Gob).

Ice commits a series of blunders and is easily persuaded by money. He first follows Michael to Mexico while under the employment of Gob, and then is hired by Michael to find George Sr. Ice is given a blueprint with a picture of George Sr. on it, but is confused and tackles Tobias because he is wearing blue paint, and thus resembles the blue tint of the picture. ICE then returns to tracking Michael until Michael finally pays him to spend time with Gob and resume the search for George Sr. In the following episode, Ice ascertains that George Sr. was killed by a prison guard in Mexico.

Throughout these events, Ice consistently ignores or is oblivious to Lindsay's attempts to attract him. At one point, Lindsay pretends to be talking to George Sr. on the phone so that Ice will follow her to get to George Sr., but this plan proves futile.

When Ice notifies the family of George Sr.'s plight, he displays his party-planning talents by catering the event and leaves a business card with them to help jumpstart his alternate career of party-planning, referred to as his "first love."

Carl Weathers mentions to Tobias in Season 2 that, in a show called Scandal Makers that he was directing to portray the Bluths, he had decided to play Ice.

Appears In: "¡Amigos!

¡Amigos!

", "Good Grief

Good Grief

Larry Middleman

Larry Middleman (Bob Einstein

Bob Einstein

Stewart Robert "Bob" Einstein is an American actor and comedy writer best known for his portrayal of the fictional stuntman Super Dave Osborne.-Life and career:...

) is a professional surrogate, hired by George Sr. to act as his eyes and ears so that he can continue influencing the family's dealings while under house arrest. "The Surrogate", as Larry is called, is always on the job, wearing a suit and tie at all times, with a baseball cap displaying the word "Surrogate". The cap carries a small camera and microphone, which transmit audio and video feeds in real-time to George Sr's computer and/or television. George Sr. has a voice feed back to the surrogate, so that he can tell Larry what to do, what to say on his behalf, where to go, etc. At one point, he also misinterprets George Sr.'s sarcasm as a compliment ("Another brilliant idea, Einstein").

Larry is a consummate professional, never allowing his own persona to come through except on rare occasion, such as when he sometimes inserts self-promoting comments ("He's worth every penny") among George Sr.'s actual words, and another occasion where he hit G.O.B. for insulting him. Larry does occasionally misinterpret George Sr.'s instructions, usually with amusing consequences.

Larry appeared at the beginning of season three, and stayed on for several episodes before being fired remotely in front of a mirror by George Sr. after a very poor judgement call regarding what was meant to have been a sotto voce

Sotto voce

Sotto voce means intentionally lowering one's voice for emphasis. The speaker gives the impression of uttering involuntarily a truth which may surprise, shock, or offend...

comment, or perhaps unspoken altogether. He reappeared in "S.O.B.s

S.O.B.s

" as a surrogate for a business associate of George Sr.

Appears In: "Forget-Me-Now

Forget-Me-Now

", "Notapusy

Notapusy

", "Mr. F

Mr. F

", "The Ocean Walker

The Ocean Walker

"The Ocean Walker" is the 46th episode of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael informs George Sr. and Lucille that he plans to marry Rita. Michael's parents are skeptical about his decision....

", "S.O.B.s

S.O.B.s

Maggie Lizer

Maggie Lizer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....

) is considered to be the most feared prosecuting attorney in all of Orange County.

Michael Bluth meets Maggie in a bar. When she introduces herself, she says her name is Maggie Lizer, as in Maggie Lies-her ass off. After she mistakes Michael for an attorney, he says his name is Chareth Cutestory and that he practices maritime law

Admiralty law

Admiralty law is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. It is a body of both domestic law governing maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between private entities which operate vessels on the oceans...

, a reference to a role as a lawyer that Michael held in a school musical, The Trial of Captain Hook

Captain Hook

Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations. The character is a villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger brig, and lord of the pirate village/harbour in Neverland, where he is widely feared. Most...

. Maggie and Michael return to her home after drinking at the bar. He spends the night and wakes up perplexed as how to proceed. When he realizes she is blind, Michael decides to continue seeing her out of guilt.

Maggie is prosecuting the government's case against the Bluths; Maggie knew who Michael was but chose not to reveal this. Instead she gave him what she described as "a summary of everything the government has against the Bluths so far", which was actually a wish list, in an attempt to manipulate him. Michael continues seeing her despite the conflict of interest, until he learns that she is not blind, but had used this as a manipulation technique to pass her law school exams and gain sympathy during trials. As a result of the deception, Maggie is taken off the case. Her guide dog

Guide dog

Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...

, "Justice," is revealed to be actually blind.

Maggie returns for two episodes in season 2, eight and a half months pregnant

Pregnancy

Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...

--eight and a half months after her relationship with Michael. She later admits the child is not Michael's, having volunteered to be a surrogate for two homosexual police officers - though this also turns out to be a deception, as she "outsourced" the pregnancy to a client who was suing a restaurant for making her fat. Realizing that the two of them cannot be in a relationship as they crave complications in their lives, they decide to part ways after a final fling. Ironically, a throwaway gag at the end of the episode reveals Maggie became pregnant as a result.

Appears In: "Altar Egos

Altar Egos

", "Justice Is Blind

Justice Is Blind

", "Out on a Limb", "Hand to God"

Marta Estrella

Marta Estrella is the Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n soap opera star of El Amor Prohibido that Gob dates in season one. In her first two appearances, Marta was played by Leonor Varela

Leonor Varela

Leonor Varela Palma is a Chilean actress, and model. She played the character Cleopatra in the 1999 film Cleopatra...

. She was played by Patricia Velásquez

Patricia Velásquez

Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún is a Venezuelan actress and fashion model. She is often considered to be the first Latin supermodel.-Early life:...

for all following episodes with one minor exception: during a flashback in the episode "Forget-Me-Now" of Michael's past experiences with women, she is played by a third actress. She has two sons: Amable (played by Oliver Patrick Sandino) and Cortesio (played by Casey Sandino). Marta is attractive, moral, and holds family to be very important. Although Marta was dating Gob, she and Michael Bluth soon develop feelings for each other. Marta eventually chooses Michael over Gob, but she ends up leaving both of them after she catches them fighting over her.

Appears In:

Leonor Varela
Leonor Varela
Leonor Varela Palma is a Chilean actress, and model. She played the character Cleopatra in the 1999 film Cleopatra...

- "Bringing Up Buster
Bringing Up Buster
"Bringing Up Buster" is the third episode of the American television series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael is making cornballs for breakfast in preparation for another tradition: the Sunday bike ride. However, George Michael is ambivalent about the plan...

", "Key Decisions
Key Decisions
"Key Decisions" is the fourth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.- Plot :When Gob ditches his girlfriend, Marta Estrella, for a publicity stunt at the penitentiary that holds his father, Michael is left to accompany her to the Desi Awards...

"
Patricia Velásquez
Patricia Velásquez
Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún is a Venezuelan actress and fashion model. She is often considered to be the first Latin supermodel.-Early life:...

- "In God We Trust", "My Mother, The Car
My Mother, The Car
"My Mother, the Car" is the seventh episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth, fed up with his mother Lucille's extravagant spending, says she cannot throw a lavish birthday party for herself. But when Lindsay, prompted by Lucille, suggests a surprise party, Michael...

", "Storming the Castle
Storming The Castle
"Storming the Castle" is the ninth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:While doing some business work at home, the chair Michael Bluth is sitting in collapses. Michael decides he'll get one from work, which George Michael questions...

", "Marta Complex
Marta Complex
"Marta Complex" is the 12th episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth convinces his mother to throw what she thinks is a Valentine's Day party, but is, in fact, an anniversary party for Tobias and Lindsay. In attendance is Gob's girlfriend Marta, who is impressed by...

", "Beef Consommé
Beef Consommé
"Beef Consommé" is the thirteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth, Lucille, George Sr., and their attorney, Barry Zuckerkorn meet at the prison to discuss George Sr.'s arraignment the next day. Barry tells them they should all show up and appear loving and...

"
Uncredited Actress, "Forget Me Now"

Rita Leeds

Rita Leeds (Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...

) is an English woman to whom Michael Bluth was attracted and briefly engaged.

Rita first appeared in the second episode of Season 3, "For British Eyes Only

For British Eyes Only

".

There are a number of somewhat subtle indications that she may have some sort of mental or learning disability throughout episodes 2 and 3 of Season 3; however, Michael either misinterprets this as charming eccentricity (attributing certain behavior to her being British) or does not seem to have noticed. Some of these indications might be the fact she goes to pre-school and also carries around various stuffed animal shaped backpacks, including a duck and a seal. In "Forget-Me-Now

Forget-Me-Now

" Rita is drugged by Gob and left on a bus bench. The bench had an advert for Wee Britain, and the letters covered up by Rita's body leaves the clue that she has a "Wee Brain".

Rita wears a bracelet that says "MR F", and unintentionally implies to Michael that Mr. F is her uncle Trevor, who Michael believes is stalking him. Meanwhile, the Bluth Company also notifies him of a suspected mole, apparently going by the name of "Mr. F". Later on, it is revealed that MR F is an abbreviation for "mentally-retarded female", and that Tobias actually was a mole, the Mr. F in question — though he himself thought it was an audition.

In "Mr. F

Mr. F

", Rita was confirmed to be mentally handicapped. She also was given a proposal of marriage by Michael Bluth.

In "The Ocean Walker

The Ocean Walker

", Michael, upon discovering Rita's mental handicap, ends his relationship with her. In the same episode, Trevor tells Rita, "It's not your fault your parents were cousins, but here we are. I’ve been charged with taking care of you, and I’m bloody well gonna do it."

It is later revealed that Rita finds a job at a competing movie-studio from Maeby's, producing a project called "The Ocean Walker" (she thinks that people can walk to England, and walked across a pool not knowing that Gob had rigged the pool with clear platforms for one of his illusions), although the film's development status is arrested.

She was last seen in the series finale on the cover of a newspaper.

Appears In: "For British Eyes Only

For British Eyes Only

", "Forget-Me-Now

Forget-Me-Now

", "Notapusy

Notapusy

", "Mr. F

Mr. F

", "The Ocean Walker

The Ocean Walker

Sally Sitwell

Sally Sitwell (Christine Taylor

Christine Taylor

Christine Taylor-Stiller is an American actress.- Early life :Taylor was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joan, a homemaker, and Skip Taylor, an owner of a security company. She grew up in neighboring Wescosville, Pennsylvania...

) is Stan Sitwell's daughter and Michael's childhood sweetheart. In adulthood, she is briefly Michael's girlfriend.

Appears In: "Burning Love", "Out on a Limb"

Uncle Trevor

Uncle Trevor (Dave Thomas

Dave Thomas (actor)

David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...

) is an English man and the uncle of Rita Leeds. He helped raise Rita, whose parents were cousins, which he implied might be a cause for her retardation.

Uncle Trevor first appeared in the second episode of Season 3, "For British Eyes Only

For British Eyes Only

", in which he is first seen not letting Michael access legal files which are "for British eyes only". After Michael meets Rita, he is seen swerving his Austin-Healey

Austin-Healey

Austin-Healey was a British sports car maker. The marque was established through a joint-venture arrangement, set up in 1952 between Leonard Lord of the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation and the Donald Healey Motor Company, a renowned automotive engineering and design...

into the Bluth's staircar, threatening Michael with regard to his prior interaction with Rita. Michael misinterprets the threat, thinking it has to do with the search for information regarding his father, and that Trevor has been stalking him.

He is last seen in "The Ocean Walker

The Ocean Walker

", the sixth episode of Season 3. In this episode, after learning of Rita's intention to attend a "sleepover" with Michael, he visits the Bluth residence and informs them of Rita's "millions" and her ownership of Wee Britain. He later leaves for England with Rita at the end of the episode.

He also appears to be a fan of cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

, having apparently collected cricket magazines and even being in possession of a cricket bat

Cricket bat

A cricket bat is a specialised piece of equipment used by batsmen in the sport of cricket to hit the ball. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624....

, which was also seen in the cover of his secret magazine, Bumpaddle.

Appears In: "For British Eyes Only

For British Eyes Only

", "Forget-Me-Now

Forget-Me-Now

", "Notapusy

Notapusy

", "Mr. F

Mr. F

", "The Ocean Walker

The Ocean Walker

White Power Bill

White Power Bill (David Reynolds) is a massive, bald, white supremacist

White supremacy

White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...

inmate with George Bluth Sr. at the Orange County

Orange County, California

Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

Prison. The character is based on Harold Blum, an acquaintance of Mitchell Hurwitz.

White Power Bill is incensed when confronted with George's jailhouse conversion to Judaism

Judaism

Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

. He is particularly upset at George's gesture of giving Little Justice, an inmate of the prison, a kippah

Kippah

A kippah or kipa , also known as a yarmulke , kapele , is a hemispherical or platter-shaped head cover, usually made of cloth, often worn by Orthodox Jewish men to fulfill the customary requirement that their head be covered at all times, and sometimes worn by both men and, less frequently, women...

for protection and giving him the new name, David Ben-Avram. He responds by hitting Little Justice with a pipe, knocking off his kippa. George diplomatically states that ."..both of our religions have a lot to offer. There's the Jewish notion

Jewish eschatology

Jewish eschatology is concerned with the Jewish Messiah, afterlife, and the revival of the dead. Eschatology, generically, is the area of theology and philosophy concerned with the final events in the history of the world, the ultimate destiny of humanity, and related concepts.-The Messiah:The...

of heaven

Heaven

Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...

, and that it can be obtained here on earth, and there is your belief in the cleansing power of the pipe."

When Gob incarcerates himself in Orange County Prison (to break out as his greatest trick) he performs an "illusion" on Bill and pulls a quarter out of Bill's ear, thus giving him his new nickname: "Dirty Ears" Bill. Bill becomes furious and later stabs Gob (right after he is finally able to have a game of catch with his father in a prison yard), yelling "White Power," which gets the necessary response of, ."..but...I'm white..." from Gob.

Upon meeting Tobias, Bill refers to him as a "little kike

Kike

Kike is a derogatory slur used to refer to a Jew.-Etymology:The source of the term is uncertain. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it may be an alteration of the endings –ki or –ky common in the personal names of Jews in eastern Europe who immigrated to the United States in the early...

." Tobias, oblivious ("It's been quite a while since anyone called me a tyke!"), is at the prison researching the role of "Frightened Inmate #2" in a prison drama. He leads Bill in a counseling session which unintentionally culminates in Bill's suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

after Tobias suggests that Bill's inner rage stems from a hatred of himself ("You hate White Power Bill"); Bill jumps from the cell-block landing and dies saying "I hate White Power Bill..."

Appears In: "Key Decisions

Key Decisions

", "Staff Infection

Staff Infection

", "Missing Kitty

Missing Kitty

Franklin Delano Bluth

Franklin Delano Bluth is Gob's black puppet.

The character is first introduced in the Season 2 episode "Meat the Veals

Meat the Veals

", in a flashback to a Bluth family gathering years before. In an effort to hip-up his act, Gob briefly introduced the puppet

Puppet

A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....

in a poorly executed ventriloquist act (Gob's mouth moves every time Franklin speaks, even once Gob abandons actual ventriloquism in favor of an audio recorder hidden in Franklin's mouth). Franklin is a fiery-tempered, adulterous, obscenity-spewing, street-wise puppet.

Gob discarded Franklin up in the attic, most likely due to the severe beating Gob received in a night club in Torrance after performing a show with Franklin. During "Meat the Veals

Meat the Veals

", Gob digs up his old friend and uses Franklin in a kidnapping plot with George Sr. Gob soaks Franklin's lips with ether, so that a kiss will incapacitate his mother, and any witnesses (in this case, Buster). Franklin is again soaked in ether two episodes later in "Righteous Brothers" in order to incapacitate George Sr. It's also revealed in "Meat the Veals

Meat the Veals

" that whoever is in possession of Franklin begins speaking like him (cf. when George Sr. finds Franklin in the attic, he blurts, "Hey, man, you're gonna get your sorry white ass thrown in jail!" and "Get your loser hand out of my ass!" when Gob finds Franklin, and when Buster uses Franklin as a hook replacement and Lucille tells him he can't take Franklin to the country club). This phenomenon appears to be involuntary, and surprises the person holding Franklin as much as those around them, evidenced by the quizzical stare which Buster directs at the puppet following the aforementioned outburst by the usually reserved Buster.

Then Gob records a music CD with Franklin called "Franklin Comes Alive", a spoof of Frampton Comes Alive by Peter Frampton

Peter Frampton

Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...

. Gob hoped that the CD would "break down racial barriers and maybe be a crossover hit." The song tracks include "It Ain't Easy Bein' White" and Gob's cover of Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...

' song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You

(Everything I Do) I Do It for You

" I Do It for You" is a power ballad performed by Bryan Adams and co-written with Michael Kamen and Robert John "Mutt" Lange, featured on the soundtrack album from the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and on Adams' album Waking Up the Neighbours...

" which Gob performed especially for Michael. Unfortunately Franklin's musical career is cut short during "Righteous Brothers" when a laundry accident results in Franklin getting bleached. Franklin says, in what is now a stiff, slightly British accent, "You've ruined the act, Gob," and as Gob later tells Michael, Franklin has become "all puckered and white."

Franklin returns in some season 3 episodes, most prominently in "Fakin' It", after he is re-dyed and rested; as a publicity stunt, Gob manages to get Franklin on the witness list for George Sr.'s trial. (A deleted scene reveals that Gob legally adopted Franklin as his son to achieve this.) Gob also finds a way to give Franklin a voice without moving his lips by using voice promos from a magazine advertisement for Mock Trial with J. Reinhold

Judge Reinhold

Judge Reinhold is an American actor, perhaps best known for co-starring in movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Ruthless People, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Santa Clause trilogy.-Early life:...

. At the end of the episode, Franklin's dramatic testimonial on the witness stand effectively ends the prosecution's case against the Bluths. Franklin also appears in the next episode "Family Ties

Family Ties (Arrested Development episode)

" as "Frank", a pimp for whom Nellie works.

Franklin is a portrayal of the 1950s-1980s stereotype of blacks. As part of the political satire, Franklin also wears a "George Bush doesn't care about black puppets" t-shirt in "Fakin' It", a reference to Kanye West

Kanye West

Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

's "George Bush doesn't care about black people" remark. No matter who is controlling him, Franklin often curses and uses racial slurs to describe others in the Bluth Family.

The name Franklin Delano Bluth borrows from the 32nd President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but the reason for this is that in the 1970s Sesame Street

Sesame Street

Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...

introduced what some claimed to be an "insultingly stereotypical African-American" puppet named Roosevelt Franklin

Roosevelt Franklin

Roosevelt Franklin was a Muppet featured on the children's television series Sesame Street during the early 1970s. He is purple with shaggy black hair that stands on end. His name is word play on the name of US President Franklin Roosevelt...

(though the puppet's actual intended ethnicity was ambiguous and its 'skin' was purple); the character was eventually dropped from the show's line-up. Franklin could also be another tribute to the Peanuts cartoons, as this show also featured an African American character named Franklin

Franklin (Peanuts)

Franklin is a character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. Introduced on July 31, 1968, Franklin was the first African-American character in the strip. He goes to school with Peppermint Patty and Marcie. In his first story arc, he met Charlie Brown when they were...

. It is also probable Franklin is inspired at least in some way by Chuck's dummy Bob on the television show Soap

Soap (TV series)

Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such...

shown on ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

from 1977 to 1981.

The running gag with Franklin is that despite being a mere puppet, he is actually treated as a real person. This can be seen in "Meat the Veals

Meat the Veals

", where the Security Guard treats him with respect and the police regarded him as threat despite being immobile at the vehicle in the same episode.

Appears In: "Meat the Veals

Meat the Veals

", "Spring Breakout

Spring Breakout

", "Righteous Brothers", "Forget-Me-Now

Forget-Me-Now

", "Prison Break-In

Prison Break-In

", "Fakin' It", "Family Ties

Family Ties (Arrested Development episode)

Mr. Bananagrabber

Mr. Bananagrabber is a Hamburglar-inspired character invented by Gob.

Mr. Bananagrabber was conceived by Gob after his brother, Michael Bluth, told him that he could not have a free Bluth Banana. Dejected, Gob decides to get a candy apple

Candy apple

Candy apples, also known as toffee apples outside of North America, are whole apples covered in a hard sugar candy coating. While the topping varies from place to place, they are almost always served with a stick of sorts in the middle making them easier to eat...

at one of the other shops on the boardwalk

Boardwalk

A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....

. When Gob bites into the candy apple, it breaks his tooth and Gob develops a whistle

Whistling

Human whistling is the production of sound by means of carefully controlling a stream of air flowing through a small hole. Whistling can be achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips and then blowing or sucking air through the hole...

anytime he says a word with an "s

Voiceless alveolar fricative

The voiceless alveolar sibilant is a common consonant sound in spoken languages. It is the sound in English words such as sea and pass, and is represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as . It has a characteristic high-pitched, highly perceptible hissing sound...

" in it (a key characteristic of Bananagrabber). Gob and Michael then meet again, and Michael says Gob can have a free Bluth Banana and in exchange, Gob gives Michael the animation rights to Mr. Bananagrabber (Michael makes Mr. Banana Grabber look a lot like Gob from his hair, to his missing-tooth whistle, to his Segway. When Gob sees the commercial, he says "I never should have given up animation rights.").

Mr. Bananagrabber appeared on the 5/3/09 episode of Sit Down, Shut up! in a nightmare/flashback sequence.

Michael Bluth discussing the Mr. Bananagrabber character: "I guess it would just be a guy who, you know, grabs bananas and runs. Or a banana that grabs things. I don't know. Why would a banana grab another banana? I mean those are the kind of questions I don't want to answer."

Mr. Bananagrabber's first appearance was in "Charity Drive

Charity Drive

"Charity Drive" is the fifth episode aired, though the sixth episode in DVD continuity, of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:...

". At the end of the episode, we see the first incarnation of Mr. Bananagrabber as an animated character. The short animation

Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

clip scene was designed and animated by Evan Spiridellis, one half of the animation duo JibJab

JibJab

JibJab is a digital entertainment studio based in Venice, California. Founded in 1999 by Evan and Gregg Spiridellis, it was noticed during the 2004 US presidential election when their video of George W. Bush and John Kerry singing "This Land is Your Land" became a hit. The company creates,...

.
Mr. Bananagrabber also appears briefly in the episodes "Whistler's Mother

Whistler's Mother (Arrested Development episode)

", "The Immaculate Election

The Immaculate Election

" and "Spring Breakout

Spring Breakout

". Although images do not exist, a Mrs. and Baby-Bananagrabber are mentioned by Gob.

Like Gob, Mr. Bananagrabber rides around on a Segway

Segway PT

The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing transportation machine invented by Dean Kamen. It is produced by Segway Inc. of New Hampshire, USA. The name "Segway" is a homophone of "segue" while "PT" denotes personal transporter....

human transporter, which is referred to as "Gob's scooter" on the show.

Appears In: "Charity Drive

Charity Drive

"Charity Drive" is the fifth episode aired, though the sixth episode in DVD continuity, of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:...

", "Whistler's Mother

Whistler's Mother (Arrested Development episode)

", "The Immaculate Election

The Immaculate Election

", "Spring Breakout

Spring Breakout

Mrs. Featherbottom

Phylidia Featherbottom is an alter-ego of Tobias Fünke, dressed in drag

Drag (clothing)

Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...

and speaking in falsetto

Falsetto

Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...

with an English accent.

Tobias, having moved out of the model home due to his marital problems with Lindsay, returns (poorly) disguised as a British nanny to spend time with his daughter and prove to his wife that he has what it takes to become an actor. The disguise fools no one, but the Bluths play along with the charade because Mrs. Featherbottom is an excellent cleaner, working for free.

Narration explains that the idea behind Mrs. Featherbottom is lifted directly from the film, Mrs. Doubtfire

Mrs. Doubtfire

, with elements of Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is a series of children's books written by P. L. Travers and originally illustrated by Mary Shepard. The books centre on a magical English nanny, Mary Poppins. She is blown by the East wind to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London and into the Banks' household to care for their...

. She comes from the fictional Blackstool (a play on the English town Blackpool, Lancashire) and has previously worked for "the Roger Moore

Roger Moore

Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...

's." Mrs. Featherbottom's faux-British speech combines with Tobias’ penchant for homosexual innuendo: "Would you like a banger in the mouth?"

Mrs. Featherbottom is introduced in "The Immaculate Election

The Immaculate Election

" and is seen additionally working for Lucille at her home at the end of this episode. At the beginning of "Sword of Destiny

Sword of Destiny

", Tobias's "desire to be discovered as himself was becoming bothersome," and he was pretending to be Mrs. Featherbottom while unshaven and without makeup. However, Lindsay is still reluctant to expose him, because Mrs Featherbottom "is the only one who can hand-wash [her] delicates." In "Meat the Veals

Meat the Veals

", Mrs. Featherbottom injures her ankle by "attempting an entrance that he hoped would enchant his daughter," jumping from the halfway down the staircase to the ground floor with an umbrella in his hand, collapsing and destroying the coffee table. Mrs. Featherbottom loses her wig and is finally exposed at the conclusion of "Meat the Veals

Meat the Veals

", to no one's surprise.

Appears In: "The Immaculate Election

The Immaculate Election

", "Sword of Destiny

Sword of Destiny

", "Meat the Veals

Meat the Veals

Surely Fünke/Woolfbeak

Surely Fünke is Maeby Fünke's imaginary twin and second identity that she uses to raise sympathy from the public and thus swindle money from them at fraudulent fundraising events.

In Maeby's many schemes she often uses the alter-ego, Surely (the word being an antonym

Antonym

In lexical semantics, opposites are words that lie in an inherently incompatible binary relationship as in the opposite pairs male : female, long : short, up : down, and precede : follow. The notion of incompatibility here refers to the fact that one word in an opposite pair entails that it is not...

of maybe), to fool schoolmates and the community, in an attempt to make money from fundraisers for Surely, who Maeby presents as wheelchair-bound and ill, suffering from the imaginary rare, debilitating illness, "B.S." Posters are seen at the school in episode "Shock and Aww

Shock and Aww

", but it isn't until several episodes later that Maeby's grift is revealed. In "Altar Egos

Altar Egos

," George Michael attends the fundraiser for Surely Fünke, where he discovers that Maeby has been posing as the fictional dying girl.

In "Notapusy

Notapusy

", Maeby pretends to be Surely Woolfbeak and enters an inner beauty pageant to prove there really is no such thing as a true inner beauty pageant. Surely Woolfbeak was essentially the same as Surely Fünke (who was apparently "killed off" two seasons earlier, as per Maeby's plan). The only real difference between them was that as Woolfbeak, Maeby wore the ugly prosthetic nose worn by Nicole Kidman in "The Hours" that actor Jamie Kennedy had purchased for her at an auction, in hopes that she would use him in a remake of a film she was producing.

Frank Wrench (Moses Taylor)

Frank Wrench is the protagonist of Wrench, a fictional television series about a rule-abiding police detective. He is played by actor Moses Taylor, who is also a vocal gun activist, frequently brandishing a realistic prop gun that shoots out a flag imprinted with the Second Amendment

Second Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...

. Lindsay briefly begins an affair with Taylor which is interrupted when she is shot by a tranquilizer dart. From the perspective of a group of onlookers, Taylor, who is holding his prop gun, looks like he has murdered her; he quickly carries her to a bench where he leaves her and flees the scene. His voice is later heard outside the door to the bathroom on the set of Wrench, which Tobias has entered, believing it to have a real, functioning toilet. On Arrested Development, Moses Taylor and his character-within-a-character Frank Wrench are played by Rob Corddry

Rob Corddry

Robert William "Rob" Corddry is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a former correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and for his starring role in the comedy film Hot Tub Time Machine...

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