List of Arrested Development characters

Arrested Development is an American television sitcom that originally aired on Fox from November 2, 2003, to February 10, 2006. A fourth season of 15 episodes was released on Netflix on May 26, 2013, and a fifth season was released in two parts on May 29, 2018, and March 15, 2019. Created by Mitchell Hurwitz, the show centers the Bluth family. The Bluths are formerly wealthy and a habitually dysfunctional family. It is presented in a continuous format, and incorporates hand-held camera work, narration, archival photos, and historical footage. The series stars Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jessica Walter. In addition, Ron Howard serves as the series narrator and an executive producer on the show.

The main characters of Arrested Development can be divided into the Bluth ( ) and Fünke ( ) families.

Bluth family tree

<small>† denotes a deceased character<br>

Dashed lines denote adoption</small>

Cast table

{|class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2" style="width:14%;" | Character

! rowspan="2" style="width:14%;" | Portrayed by

! colspan="5" | Season

! style="width:8%;" | 1

! style="width:8%;" | 2

! style="width:8%;" | 3

! style="width:8%;" | 4

! style="width:8%;" | 5

! colspan="9" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Main characters

| Michael Bluth

| Jason Bateman

| colspan="5"

| Lindsay Bluth-Fünke

| Portia de Rossi

| colspan="5"

| Gob Bluth

| Will Arnett

| colspan="5"

| George Michael Bluth

| Michael Cera

| colspan="5"

| Maeby Fünke

| Alia Shawkat

| colspan="5"

| Buster Bluth

| Tony Hale

| colspan="5"

| Tobias Fünke

| David Cross

| colspan="5"

| George Bluth Sr.

| Jeffrey Tambor

| colspan="5"

| Lucille Bluth

| Jessica Walter

| colspan="5"

| Narrator

| Ron Howard

| colspan="5"

! colspan="9" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Supporting characters

| Oscar Bluth

| Jeffrey Tambor

| colspan="5"

| Lucille Austero

| Liza Minnelli

| colspan="2"

| Barry Zuckerkorn

| Henry Winkler

| colspan="2"

| Kitty Sanchez

| Judy Greer

| colspan="2"

| Steve Holt

| Justin Grant Wade

| colspan="5"

| Lupe

| B.W. Gonzalez

| colspan="3"

| Annyong Bluth

| Justin Lee

| colspan="3"

| Carl Weathers

| Himself

| Maggie Lizer

| Julia Louis-Dreyfus

| colspan="2"

| colspan="3"

| Stefan Gentles

| James Lipton

| colspan="3"

| G.O.B.'s Wife

| Amy Poehler

| colspan="3"

| Marta Estrella

| Patricia Velasquez

| colspan="4"

| Cindi Lightballoon

| Jane Lynch

| colspan="4"

| John Beard

| Himself

| colspan="5"

| Ann Veal

| Mae Whitman

| colspan="3"

| Wayne Jarvis

| John Michael Higgins

| colspan="2"

| Dr. Fishman

| Ian Roberts

| Stan Sitwell

| Ed Begley Jr.

| colspan="2"

| Sally Sitwell

| Christine Taylor

| colspan="2"

| Mort Meyers

| Jeff Garlin

| colspan="3"

| Starla

| Mo Collins

| colspan="3"

| Tony Wonder

| Ben Stiller

| colspan="2"

| Gene Parmesan

| Martin Mull

| colspan="2"

| Terry Veal

| Alan Tudyk

| colspan="2"

| Andy, Donnie, Emmett and Rocky Richter

| Andy Richter

| colspan="2"

| Rita Leeds

| Charlize Theron

| colspan="2"

| Trevor

| Dave Thomas

| colspan="2"

| Larry Middleman

| Bob Einstein

| colspan="2"

| Bob Loblaw

| Scott Baio

| colspan="2"

| Ron Howard

| Himself

| colspan="2"

| DeBrie Bardeaux

| Maria Bamford

| colspan="3"

| colspan="2"

| Rebel Alley

| Isla Fisher

| colspan="3"

| colspan="2"

| Herbert Love

| Terry Crews

| colspan="3"

| Marky Bark

| Chris Diamantopoulos

| colspan="3"

| Argyle Austero

| Tommy Tune

| colspan="3"

| Paul "P-Hound" Huan

| Richard Jin Namjung

| colspan="3"

| Mark Cherry

| Daniel Amerman

| colspan="3"

| Murphy Brown Fünke

| Kyle Mooney

| colspan="4"

| Lottie Dottie Da

| Frances Conroy

| colspan="4"

| Dusty Radler

| Dermot Mulroney

| colspan="4"

Primary characters

Michael Bluth

Michael Bluth (played by Jason Bateman) is the second oldest Bluth son and the main protagonist of Arrested Development. He is the father of George Michael Bluth and widower to Tracey 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 two years before the first season. 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 in the comedy series. Throughout the original run of the show, Michael is consistently the de facto president of the Bluth Company after his father's arrest. He is the only main character who appears in every episode of the series.

Lindsay Bluth-Fünke

Lindsay Bluth-Fünke (Portia de Rossi) is the adopted daughter of George Sr. and Lucille Bluth, as well as half-sister of Lucille, who raised her and Michael to believe that they were twins. She is unhappily married to Tobias and together they are the neglectful and self-absorbed parents of Maeby.

Lindsay is vain, greedy, selfish, and materialistic, claiming to be an activist but supporting current trendy causes only for the social status. These causes have included opposing circumcision, anti-Iraq War protests, the removal of the 10 Commandments from a courthouse, the right to die (specifically regarding her brother Buster), and awareness about graft-versus-host disease (which her husband was afflicted with due to unnecessary hair transplants).

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 was adopted by the Bluth family to "stick it" to the Bluth family's rivals, the Sitwell family. 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, hoping (with no luck) that she can seduce him.

Creator Mitchell Hurwitz came up with Lindsay as the family's politically liberal figure, but Lindsay is also meant to represent a liberal who personally benefited from her politics more than she sacrificed, due to the image she built. This motif is continued in the series' revival and fourth season, in which Lindsay travels to India in an attempt to connect to her spiritual side and then tumultuously dates Marky Bark, a genuine liberal activist, while still married to Tobias. She later unwittingly becomes the call girl of politically conservative politician Herbert Love, eventually abandoning her long-held liberal views and finally realizing her closer affinity for conservative ones. When Love falls into a coma, Lindsay at the last minute takes up his mantle in his campaign to run for U.S. Congress.

In the show's fifth season, Lindsay goes missing after no longer being able to tolerate her supposed mother's controlling attitude, but reemerges in the final scene. The season's penultimate episode reveals through a Ron Howard documentary about the Bluth family shown to the court, that Lindsay is in fact Lucille's half sister, being the daughter of Lucille's mother who put her up for adoption.

Having previously appeared in Ally McBeal, de Rossi said that she was looking for a new series like it. She 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." Hurwitz felt that de Rossi made the character somewhat similar to Lucille. For her role as Maeby, Shawkat won a Young Artist Award in 2005. Creator 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, to be a deliberate foil to her activist mother Lindsay, but eventually re-imagined to be a troublemaker in other ways.

Tobias Fünke

Tobias Onyango Fünke (/ˈfjuːŋkeɪ/ FYOON-kay; played by David Cross) is the husband of Lindsay, father of Maeby Fünke, and uncle of George Michael Bluth. He was the chief resident of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital until he lost his license for giving CPR 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" ( ), which he later changes to "theralyst". Tobias is very fond of awkwardly rolling or somersaulting into and out of certain situations mainly to show his supposedly catlike agility and balance, though this often backfires.

At the beginning of the series, Tobias decides that his destiny is to become an actor, and he pursues this career throughout the series with very little success. Highlights of his "career" include being turned down for the role of "Dr. House"; 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 never-nude condition (see below); portraying George Sr. in the poorly narrated series, Scandalmakers; and attempting to join the Blue Man Group as a standby understudy and, as a consequence, spending part of the second season covered in blue make-up. In a move inspired by the film Mrs. Doubtfire, 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. In season 4, he receives an audition for The Big Bang Theory, but never hears the answering machine message saying so.

Tobias suffers from "never-nude" syndrome (which, as the narrator states, is "exactly what it sounds like") and wears denim cut-off shorts under his underwear (and underneath that, a tube sock) at all times in order to avoid anyone (including himself and his wife) seeing his genitalia. The condition is similar to severe gymnophobia, although it is portrayed humorously. In the episode "In God We Trust", he attempts to reach out to his nephew George Michael during his tenure in the "Adam" muscle-suit for the "Living Classics Pageant" mistakenly assuming they have the same phobia (in reality, George Michael is trying to impress his cousin, Maeby). 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 he is heterosexual, 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. In season 2, Michael advises him to record what he says for a day, after which Tobias acknowledges that he is a "blowhard" (in "Ready, Aim, Marry Me!"). Lindsay, who married Tobias to spite her parents, is convinced that her husband is gay. His self-help book, The Man Inside Me, is a success, though only in the gay community, due to the fact that he replaced all gender-related pronouns with only male pronouns, to avoid confusion. He has experienced sexual 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 Man Group 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, he mainly gets tips on frugality from Mr. Weathers. Lindsay continually pokes fun at Tobias's desperation to become an actor, and they split up and reconcile many times over the course of the series.

As of season 4, Tobias is also a registered sex offender in Orange County, California after inadvertently appearing on "To Entrap a Local Predator", a pedophile sting operation hosted by John Beard, similar to Dateline NBCs To Catch a Predator. Eager to see his daughter and remove his rock monster costume, Tobias enters the house and proclaims, "Is there a little girl here all by herself?" and equally incriminating, "Daddy needs to get his rocks off." Tobias drives a Volkswagen Cabriolet with a vanity plate intended to say "A New Start!", which is abbreviated as "ANUSTART". This becomes a recurring nickname in season four. During this season, he falls in love with the hardcore drug addict and recovering actress DeBrie Bardeaux (Maria Bamford).

The Russo brothers asked Cross to make a cameo appearance as Tobias in their 2018 superhero film Avengers: Infinity War, but he was unavailable for filming; however, Tobias can still be seen in the film as one of the alien Collector's specimens, played instead by an uncredited extra covered in blue paint.

George Bluth Sr.

George Oscar Bluth Sr. (born August 25, 1947; portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor and in flashback sequences during season four by Seth Rogen, and in flashback sequences during season five by Taran Killam, called "Pop-Pop" by his grandchildren, is the husband of Lucille Bluth, and father of Gob, Lindsay, Michael, and Buster (and, much later, the adopted Annyong). George Sr. was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the original CEO of the 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 or in hiding during the first three seasons of the show.

While in prison, George Sr. continues to try to exert control over the company, often using his son Gob to undermine his more competent son Michael's authority. At the end of season 1, George Sr. escapes to Mexico with a briefcase filled with evidence of his dealings with Saddam Hussein in Iraq. 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 season 3, after being discovered among the Blue Man Group in Reno, Nevada, he is placed under house arrest. He tells Michael that he has been set up to build homes in Iraq by a group of British contractors operating out of "Wee Britain" in Orange County, California, but ultimately 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, and that the CIA have in fact set him up as a "patsy". He escapes to Cabo with Michael and George Michael following the party at the conclusion of season 3. In season 4, George Sr. and Lucille pretend to be separated while he establishes a sham sweat lodge for wealthy CEOs on the border of Mexico, while planning his larger project of building a wall on the border of Mexico and the US, with the support of politician Herbert Love. His separation with Lucille becomes a real one when she realizes he has been appeasing her sexual needs by swapping himself with his identical twin brother, Oscar; Lucille consequently announces her desire for an actual divorce.

Before the events of the show, George Sr. was 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.

Lucille Bluth

Lucille Bluth (née Jenkins; played by Jessica Walter, in flashback sequences during season four by Kristen Wiig, and in flashback sequences during season five by Cobie Smulders) 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, Maeby Fünke, and Steve Holt (Gob's son), with the former two affectionately calling her "Gangie" . She carries on an affair with George Sr.'s identical twin brother Oscar.

Lucille is accustomed to an opulent and decadent lifestyle, which she funds with misappropriated Bluth Company money. She treats herself to repeated spa treatments and face lifts, and is known to abuse alcohol and prescription drugs. She is condescending and verbally abusive towards her long-suffering housekeepers, and she has never made eye contact with a waiter. Lucille is extremely manipulative, narcissistic, amoral, domineering, and emotionally abusive to her children—some more than others. She furtively wrests control of the Bluth Company board from Michael. She has a tight emotional 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 frequently insinuates that her daughter Lindsay is fat and lazy, and makes no attempt to hide her dislike for Gob. She repeatedly lies to her children to keep them fighting amongst themselves, fearing they will turn on her if they are getting along. In the finale, George Sr. reveals that she is the mastermind behind the Bluth Company's illegal actions.

At the end of season 3, Lucille makes a run from the SEC on board the Queen Mary, after Annyong turns in evidence against her. The ship consequently capsizes and she is arrested in season 4. Due to negligence or sudden excuses, none of the rest of Lucille's family ends up attending her trial. She is sent to a country-club-like prison for women, where her prison identification number is "07734" (which upside down reads "hELLo", a reference to Annyong's real name).

Narrator

The Narrator (voiced by executive producer Ron Howard, who went uncredited in the role for the first three seasons) narrates much of the Bluth family's lives, and often interjects quick explanatory (and sometimes humorous) comments before, after, or 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", 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", the publicist Jessie insultingly calls George Michael "Opie" (Howard's character on The Andy Griffith Show) 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", 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. In season 4, Maeby receives a lifetime achievement award at a ceremony called "The Opie Awards", on which the narrator comments that "it's nice to have an award named after you".

Secondary characters

Ann Veal

Ann Paul Veal (primarily played by Mae Whitman) was the on-again/off-again girlfriend of George-Michael Bluth, even though their relationship was little more than his means of distracting himself from Maeby. Her first appearance was in the episode "Let 'Em Eat Cake", where she was played by Alessandra Torresani. In every subsequent appearance, she was portrayed by Mae Whitman.

She comes from an extremely religious family, and her father (played by Alan Tudyk) is a pastor. In "Meat the Veals", Ann's mother (played by Ione Skye) 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. 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-like lightsaber demonstration, which leads 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 moves on from George-Michael after coming in third place in an "Inner Beauty" pageant. Gob, who admits a penchant for third-place pageant winners, later reveals that he is dating a Christian girl, who eventually turns out to be Ann.

In season 4, Ann and Gob get engaged after he takes her virginity, but she decides to break up with him after he botches a magic trick that ruins their wedding. Shortly after, Tony Wonder sleeps with and impregnates Ann when she is vulnerable. Several years later, after she has her baby, Ann tricks Wonder into sleeping with Gob to get revenge on both of them.

Appears In:

Played by Alessandra Torresani – "Let 'Em Eat Cake"
Played by Mae Whitman – "The One Where They Build a House", "¡Amigos!", "Good Grief", "Afternoon Delight", "Switch Hitter", "Burning Love", "Out on a Limb", "The Immaculate Election", "Meat the Veals", "Righteous Brothers", "Notapusy", "Development Arrested", "Colony Collapse", "A New Attitude", "Señoritis"