Show Analysis
Arrested Development95.0
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz
Starring Jason Bateman, Portia De Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat
Humor Index
3
7.7
7.5
8.0
7,621
Is Arrested Development funny? Yes — Arrested Development scores 95.0 out of 100 on the Humor Index, the #2 funniest of 21 sitcoms scored, based on an AI analysis of 7,621 jokes across 84 episodes. It averages 3.0 jokes per minute, with a craft score of 7.7 and an impact score of 7.5.
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Essential Viewing
Top 5 Episodes of Arrested Development
The highest-scoring episodes by our Humor Index. Start here.
Best Season
S3
1209 jokes analyzed
Episode Mean
94.9
unweighted avg · 84 episodes
Score Range
100.0→84.9
best to worst
78
Episodes 90+
84
Episodes 80+
84
Episodes 70+
3.1
Consistency (σ)
lower = more consistent
Lowest Scoring Episodes
Arrested Development
Humor Index — every episode
Arrested Development
Season Averages
Arrested Development
Episode Heatmap
| Season | Episode | Title | Humor Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Pilot | 98.9 |
| 1 | 2 | Top Banana | 95.8 |
| 1 | 3 | Bringing Up Buster | 94.1 |
| 1 | 4 | Key Decisions | 100.0 |
| 1 | 5 | Charity Drive | 100.0 |
| 1 | 6 | Visiting Ours | 96.0 |
| 1 | 7 | In God We Trust | 94.4 |
| 1 | 8 | My Mother, The Car | 97.2 |
| 1 | 9 | Storming The Castle | 90.0 |
| 1 | 10 | Pier Pressure | 96.5 |
| 1 | 11 | Public Relations | 93.0 |
| 1 | 12 | Marta Complex | 97.6 |
| 1 | 13 | Beef Consommé | 94.8 |
| 1 | 14 | Shock And Aww | 94.0 |
| 1 | 15 | Staff Infection | 93.5 |
| 1 | 16 | Altar Egos | 94.6 |
| 1 | 17 | Justice Is Blind | 95.6 |
| 1 | 18 | Missing Kitty | 97.0 |
| 1 | 19 | Best Man For The Gob | 96.8 |
| 1 | 20 | Whistlers Mother | 95.5 |
| 1 | 21 | Not Without My Daughter | 94.8 |
| 1 | 22 | Let Em Eat Cake | 91.1 |
| 2 | 1 | The One Where Michael Leaves | 91.8 |
| 2 | 2 | The One Where They Build A House | 93.6 |
| 2 | 3 | Amigos | 99.4 |
| 2 | 4 | Good Grief | 95.9 |
| 2 | 5 | Sad Sack | 94.6 |
| 2 | 6 | Afternoon Delight | 95.8 |
| 2 | 7 | Switch Hitter | 94.4 |
| 2 | 8 | Queen For A Day | 95.6 |
| 2 | 9 | Burning Love | 93.8 |
| 2 | 10 | Ready, Aim, Marry Me | 95.1 |
| 2 | 11 | Out On A Limb | 96.4 |
| 2 | 12 | Hand To God | 93.8 |
| 2 | 13 | Motherboy Xxx | 95.9 |
| 2 | 14 | The Immaculate Election | 97.0 |
| 2 | 15 | Sword Of Destiny | 95.8 |
| 2 | 16 | Meat The Veals | 98.4 |
| 2 | 17 | Spring Breakout | 95.8 |
| 2 | 18 | The Righteous Brothers | 97.6 |
| 3 | 1 | The Cabin Show | 100.0 |
| 3 | 2 | For British Eyes Only | 94.1 |
| 3 | 3 | Forget Me Now | 97.5 |
| 3 | 4 | Notapusy | 91.9 |
| 3 | 5 | Mr. F | 91.2 |
| 3 | 6 | The Ocean Walker | 99.5 |
| 3 | 7 | Prison Break In | 98.1 |
| 3 | 8 | Making A Stand | 100.0 |
| 3 | 9 | S.O.B.S | 97.8 |
| 3 | 10 | Fakin It | 97.0 |
| 3 | 11 | Family Ties | 93.0 |
| 3 | 12 | Exit Strategy | 97.6 |
| 3 | 13 | Development Arrested | 100.0 |
| 4 | 1 | Flight Of The Phoenix | 92.4 |
| 4 | 2 | Borderline Personalities | 91.8 |
| 4 | 3 | Indian Takers | 94.5 |
| 4 | 4 | The B. Team | 93.4 |
| 4 | 5 | A New Start | 99.9 |
| 4 | 6 | Double Crossers | 89.9 |
| 4 | 7 | Colony Collapse | 99.4 |
| 4 | 8 | Red Hairing | 94.5 |
| 4 | 9 | Smashed | 98.2 |
| 4 | 10 | Queen B. | 96.1 |
| 4 | 11 | A New Attitude | 93.0 |
| 4 | 12 | Señoritis | 94.0 |
| 4 | 13 | It Gets Better | 88.2 |
| 4 | 14 | Off The Hook | 96.1 |
| 4 | 15 | Blockheads | 95.4 |
| 5 | 1 | Family Leave | 90.8 |
| 5 | 2 | Self Deportation | 92.9 |
| 5 | 3 | Everyone Gets Atrophy | 89.0 |
| 5 | 4 | Old Start, An | 92.2 |
| 5 | 5 | Sinking Feelings | 94.6 |
| 5 | 6 | Emotional Baggage | 95.0 |
| 5 | 7 | Rom Traum | 90.1 |
| 5 | 8 | Premature Independence | 93.9 |
| 5 | 9 | Unexpected Company | 96.5 |
| 5 | 10 | Taste Makers | 95.2 |
| 5 | 11 | Chain Migration | 91.8 |
| 5 | 12 | Check Mates | 84.9 |
| 5 | 13 | The Untethered Sole | 88.2 |
| 5 | 14 | Saving For Arraignment Day | 91.5 |
| 5 | 15 | Courting Disasters | 89.9 |
| 5 | 16 | The Fallout | 97.0 |
The Funniest Arrested Development Episodes
Of the 84 Arrested Development episodes we scored, these rate highest on the Humor Index — our blend of joke density, craft, and impact. Tap any episode for the full joke-by-joke breakdown.
Key Decisions
S1E04 · 83 jokes
Charity Drive
S1E05 · 74 jokes
The Cabin Show
S3E01 · 93 jokes
Making A Stand
S3E08 · 84 jokes
Development Arrested
S3E13 · 109 jokes
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Is Arrested Development Worth Watching?
By the data: Arrested Development earns a Humor Index of 95.0 out of 100, placing it #2 of 21 fully-scored shows here. Across 84 analyzed episodes it averages 3.0 jokes per minute, a craft score of 7.7, and an impact score of 7.5. Those numbers reflect one AI analyst’s judgment applied consistently — and the top shows cluster closely enough that small gaps aren’t meaningful rankings. Scroll up for the season-by-season trend and the characters carrying the comedy.
Head-to-Head
How Arrested Development stacks up
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