Michael Bluth, a widower with a 13-year-old son, named George-Michael, is forced to keep his large and dysfunctional family together after his father is arrested for shifty accounting practices at the family-owned conglomerate and the Bluth family assets are frozen, making each member of the eccentric family panic. Michael's snobbish mother, Lucille, finds herself living alone in a penthouse without the financial means to maintain it, while Michael's two brothers, GOB and Buster, and his sister Lindsay with her husband Tobias and her daughter Mae also find themselves having to recreate their lifestyles to fit their new financial status.

Episodes end with scenes appearing "on the next Arrested Development". These scenes usually don't appear in the next episode, but are part of the series' continuity.

[Tobias discovers that George Sr. has been living in the attic]


Tobias Fünke:
What are you doing up here?


George Sr.:
I'm having a fucking tea party, what does it look like I'm doing?

[he shoves Tobias up against the wall with his hand against his mouth]


George Sr.:
I'm living up here and if you tell anyone about this, I will fucking kill you. Ah, stop licking my hand, you horse's ass.

Composed by David Schwartz
(opening theme)