Arrested Development was a fantastic television series that provided some hilarious moments throughout. Following the Bluth family through their insane journey to get the family business out of financial and criminal troubles to come together. Of course, things constantly go wrong for each member of the group individually and the family collectively which leads to a lot of humor.
The series is packed full of gags and continuous jokes throughout the show, with each character having their own moments of funniness. However, even though the show is very much a comedy, that doesn’t mean that each character is hilarious. Some members of the Bluth family are much funnier than others, and within this list, we will rank them all based on their humor.
Lindsay Bluth
Played by Portia de Rossi, Lindsay Bluth is the daughter of the family and one of the most important characters on the show. However, out of the main group she really is the least funny, offering very little in the way of humor throughout the series. Lindsay’s humor often comes from playing dumb to obvious situations, mainly her poor inability to be a mother. However, the vast majority of the jokes don’t land and she just ends up walking the fine line of being quite annoying.
Arrested Development didn’t have much for Lindsay in the final season, with the character barely being written into the season. It seemed like the writers truly ran out of ideas for the character and the fact she wasn’t the funniest probably didn’t help matters.
Michael Bluth
Michael Bluth is considered to be the main character of Arrested Development but that doesn’t mean that he is the funniest in the show. While he is a great character played by Jason Bateman, the main reason he’s not that funny is that he is the logical one of the family.
While the rest of the Bluth’s are wildly running around making a variety of mistakes, Michael is constantly around to fix the issues. Most of the time, the rest of the group are making wild jokes and it is Michael who brings things back to more serious matters. Michael’s decision to always be serious is his main trait but that doesn’t really lend itself to humor, unfortunately. So while he is the glue that keeps the family together, he’s not the funny man.
George/Oscar Bluth
George and his identical brother Oscar Bluth are two very similar characters and their humor and personality are of the same ilk, hence why they are being placed together. It is through George’s character that the family ends up in the mess they’re in, and he is constantly scheming to try to fix it.
These two characters do come out with some hilarious moments throughout the series, mocking their own family openly. It seems as if George is well aware of the madness and he is happy to make sly little comments consistently throughout. Oscar, on the other hand, brings his humor with Buster and Lucille. His love of wanting to be the father and husband does provide some great moments, especially when he busts his son out of prison, despite the fact that he has actually been released anyway.
George Michael Bluth
Much like his father on the show, George Michael Bluth is one of the families more serious characters. He doesn’t have the impulse to do wild things like most of the Bluth’s, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t funny.
As the series continues, George Michael really comes into his own and it leads to some of the show’s funniest moments. His obsession and love for his own cousin obviously leads to plenty of humor, as does his complicated up and down relationship with his own father. George Michael’s constant decision to question himself and everything that he does is always hilarious. He brings a lot of great comedy by his sly mumbling comments as well, questioning what the rest of his family are doing.
Maeby Funke
Maeby Funke spends the majority of her time alongside her cousin, but she does beat him when it comes to humor. She is incredibly sassy and very self-confident which is why she is able to come up with so many ridiculous plans for George Michael to try and follow.
Maeby is unloved by her parents and ends up becoming very self-sufficient because of it. Constantly calling out her family for their stupidity and showing tons of confidence with her move into Hollywood in the show, which is another of the funniest moments.
G.O.B Bluth
G.O.B Bluth is one of the best characters on Arrested Development, consistently stealing scenes with his hilarious performances. Will Arnett plays the character to perfection, pushing the emotional aspect of him, while also not being the smartest of characters.
G.O.B constantly thinks he has the answers and knows what he is doing, despite the fact that he often doesn’t. He comes out with the most ridiculous of ideas, yet he firmly believes in them and tries to make it happen until he is shut down. Screaming “COME ON!” Every time that he is told his ideas are wrong is never not funny, and the music that plays when he contemplates things also adds to the humor of his character excellently.
Lucille Bluth
She might be the mother of the family, but Lucille Bluth isn’t exactly loving. That is where Lucille’s humor really kicks in, constantly being mean to the rest of her family. Always pointing out their flaws and picking on them which leads to them feeling bad.
She is constantly cruel to her family and the reason it is so funny is because that’s not what anybody expects from a motherly character on television. She knows she is rich and powerful, and abuses that to the best of her abilities. Lucille goes through several challenges throughout the show, from winding up being arrested herself to cheating on her husband with his brother. She’s a complex character but is consistently hilarious, making her one of the best.
Tobias Funke
He might be the one member of the main cast that isn’t a Bluth by blood, joining the family by marrying Lindsay, but he is one of the funniest members. His marriage is one of the main jokes throughout the series, with the couple breaking up and getting back together that many times you lose count.
Tobias doesn’t take himself too seriously, as can be seen by when he decides to dress up as Mrs. Featherbottom, or when he becomes a Blue Man. However, the main reason he is so funny is the constant jokes he makes without even realizing he is being funny. From constantly making homosexual references, without noticing despite the family pointing it out, to his comments about the rest of the family. It is because he isn’t aware of his comedy that he is so funny, with Tobias constantly firing out brilliant one-liners.
Buster Bluth
When it comes to sheer comedy, Buster Bluth easily takes the top prize on Arrested Development. Obviously playing the dumb member of the family, Buster is able to pull off a range of jokes throughout. He is able to do some completely childish things that other characters can’t get away with.
However, because he is seen as someone who isn’t as smart when he comes out with something that is smart it makes it even funnier. His scenes with his mother are often some of the best on the show, especially when he decides to snap and go against her.
On top of that, the moment he loses his hand really does cement him as the lead role for comedy. Getting various different ‘hands’ throughout the rest of the show, it creates some amazing physical humor that no other characters can get away with.
