Today In TV History: ‘Arrested Development’ Brought Mothers and Sons Together (Ew) With “Motherboy”

Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone. 

IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: March 13, 2005

PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: Arrested Development, “Motherboy XXX” (Season 2, Episode 13). [Stream the episode on Netflix.]

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Arrested Development may not have scored the ratings or the longevity of a show like Seinfeld, but the one area in which those shows were comparable are in the ways they managed to create concepts out of thin air that really captured people’s imaginations. If memes had been popularized back then, Seinfeld would have owned them, and Arrested Development was essentially meme TV. Never nudes, chicken dances, Hot Cops, “I’ve made a huge mistake,” “Her?” — seemingly every AD episode was tied to some kind of proto-viral sensation.

Which brings us to Motherboy. The annual pageant for mothers and boys with too-close relationships to their mothers was a maniac creation that was nonetheless perfect for Lucille Bluth and her son Buster. The real stroke of genius in “Motherboy XXX” was taking Buster out of this year’s Motherboy fray, necessitating Lucille to draft poor George Michael into service.

Happiest of anniversaries to one of Arrested Developments most original and twisted creations.

[You can stream Arrested Development‘s “Motherboy XXX” on Netflix.]