Michael is presented with a new business opportunity that could change his life, but unfortunately, he needs his family to sign off.
Absurdist escalation sustains 80-point score with steady 1.33 jokes-per-minute output.
Directed by Mitchell Hurwitz, Troy Miller · Written by Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely
WAR
59.9
Wins Above Replacement
“The B. Team” ranks #53 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 80.1 — Elite. The episode packs 56 scored jokes at 1.3 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 7.0 on impact, with Michael Bluth landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Rocky Richter: Rocky Richter's red hair wig joke to Conan
Barry Zuckerkorn · Bob Loblaw: Bob Loblaw Law Bomb sequence
Carl Weathers: Carl Weathers directing crime reenactment show about himself
Carl Weathers Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael Bluth · Rebel Alley: Meet-cute cliché conversation during actual meet-cute
Ron Howard · Michael Bluth: Ron Howard's father-son relationship clarification
All Jokes — 56 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael Bluth: Michael answering phone with 'Michael Bluth, residential complexes' while driving a Google Street View car
Unknown person: Take my picture!
Gare-Bear · Unknown: I think we got an ostrich. Oh, God, grab him.
Michael Bluth: Michael driving his old stair car saying 'I'm used to a car with some stares'
Narrator: Meta joke about not being able to show the Google car because it's their property, then blurring it anyway
Narrator Meta/Self-Referential Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Barry Zuckerkorn: Barry being unclear about Ron Howard meeting: 'Apparently, he directed a movie called Cocoon'
Barry Zuckerkorn: Barry offering to tell Ron Howard to go (BLEEP) himself while in front of a jury
Barry Zuckerkorn: Barry's courtroom demonstration: 'I can't reach the Chachi'
Barry Zuckerkorn · Bob Loblaw: Bob Loblaw Law Bomb sequence
Michael Bluth · Kitty Sanchez: Kitty's 'D girl' misunderstanding with Michael
Michael: You're probably going to call me a pig for this, too, but are you sure that you meant to say 'knew'?
Michael Wordplay/Pun Cringe/Discomfort Narrator: The narrator's clarification that Kitty only 'blew smoke' at Imagine
Narrator Wordplay/Pun Meta/Self-Referential Maeby Funke · Kitty Sanchez: Maeby asking 17-year-old Kitty to buy her booze
Maeby · Kitty: Maeby asking Kitty to buy her booze and drugs at age 17
Kitty Sanchez: Kitty offering to get 'smack or hash or Special K'
Kitty · Narrator: She didn't even get releases from her family. ...that Maeby's was one of the bodies that was buried.
Narrator: Jerry Bruckheimer building height rivalry explanation
Ron Howard: Multiple Ron Howard lookalikes casting for Andy Griffith Show
Ron Howard Visual Gag Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Child actor: Hey, nice try, mister. We're never going to beat the original.
Michael: Hang on a second. You guys finally making that movie? I've been reading about it for, like, 40 years.
Ron Howard: Moon landing conspiracy reveal in the LEM
Narrator: Ron Howard's movie inspirations from random photos
Ron Howard: But I never had a face to put on it. Until now. You.
Michael: I can see why you're telling me in the LEM, huh?
Michael Bluth · Ron Howard: Ron Howard father/daughter vs mistress confusion
Ron Howard: Ed Harris not being right for Barney Fife
Kitty: Health plan benefits revelation: 'Health plan is not another one, by the way. No health plan.'
Kitty Setup/Punchline Deadpan/Understatement George Sr.: Oh! If you don't sign, you will be fine. Hey.
George Bluth Sr.: George Sr.'s lack of signature leading to money order gifts
George Sr.: Can you feel your hands? I can't feel my pinky or this one.
Michael · Rebel: It's not too embarrassing walking around with a bunch of photographs of yourself. Well, looks like it's part of your job. You're an actress? No, I'm a narcissist.
Michael Bluth · Rebel Alley: Meet-cute cliché conversation during actual meet-cute
Michael: Oh, yeah? I don't even know what that is. I should've... Sorry. That's funny. I should have said, 'Where?' Of course, I know what it is.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: Hey, I met a girl today and her name is (BLEEP)
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Michael Bluth: Michael realizing he forgot to get the girl's name
George Sr. · Michael: We have to keep this quiet! Dad? No, no. Don't say I'm down here. Don't acknowledge me.
Michael Bluth · George Bluth Sr.: George Sr. in wrong Lucille's apartment looking for suits
George Sr.: Yeah, well, I was in the desert, and I've lost my sense of direction.
Kitty Sanchez: Office ceiling height competition between producers
Kitty Sanchez: Kitty's 'not the hot tub at Bruckheimer Tower' comment
Carl Weathers: Carl Weathers directing crime reenactment show about himself
Carl Weathers Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Stefan Gentles: I guarantee you, give me an old Royal and a glass of Scotch, and I'll give you 250 pages where the lightning hits the tree. That's not what we do here. I mean, where the drop hits the pond. That's it. Then the yellow robot gets mad at the pink robot... Correction. The purple robot.
Warden Stefan Gentles: Warden Gentles' confused Hollywood pitch meetings
Stefan Gentles · Tobias: Might I suggest bringing in someone younger to play the father? A Philip Seymour Hoffman type? A Philip Seymour Hoffman type. And so, naturally, I thought of you.
Conan O'Brien · Andy Richter: Conan O'Brien's note to Andy Richter about not responding
Ron Howard: Ron Howard thinking Carl Weathers is Cuba Gooding Jr. in makeup
Various: Orange County Imagine mistaken for psychiatric facility
Various Visual Gag Running Gag ★ Rewatch George Bluth Sr. · Michael Bluth: George Sr.'s Mexican porn/language learning gift
George Sr. · Michael: Do you know a guy named Herbert Love? I know a lot of people, sure, 'cause I'm a big producer now. He ate a mouse.
Ron Howard · Michael Bluth: Ron Howard's father-son relationship clarification
Rebel Alley: Rebel being revealed as a bagpipe player
Narrator: The narrator's commentary on bagpipe music: 'hard to tell if it was good music played horribly or horrible music played well'
Narrator Observational Deadpan/Understatement Michael Bluth: Michael's son age lie progression
Michael Bluth: Michael realizing he's dating Ron Howard's daughter
Narrator: Narrator's correction and follow-up: 'Actually she's his daughter. But that's kind of worse, don't you think?'
Narrator Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Rocky Richter: Rocky Richter's red hair wig joke to Conan
Top Episodes — Arrested Development
