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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: September 26, 2005
PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: Arrested Development, “For British Eyes Only” (season 3, episode 2). [Stream on Netflix.]
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: After two seasons of being the meticulously planned, intricate, self-referential comedy in ages, Arrested Development kicked off its third season with what seemed like a casting stunt: Charlize Theron, not two years removed from winning Best Actress at the Academy Awards, was cast to play Rita, a presumptive love interest for Michael (Jason Bateman). Now, Arrested Development had seen big-name guest stars before: Ben Stiller, Martin Short, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. But Theron felt like Hollywood glitz being pasted onto a show that didn’t need (or seemingly want) it.
That’s the benefit of hindsight, though. Because while season 3 was unfolding, skepticism about Theron was high: she seemed so out of place! And her performance was … bad? Or at least weird in a way that we couldn’t put our finger on. Now, we know better, because we know where Rita’s storyline was going: her revelation as “Mr. F.”
But that all came later. In this first episode, Theron just got to try out her new, ill-fitting English accent; she got to wear eccentric and confusing clothes; and she got to shoot mysterious glances to the tune of “For British Eyes Only.” In the grand scheme of Arrested Development, the high-wire concept of season 3’s Rita storyline pales in comparison to the slowly unfolding jigsaw puzzle that was season 4. But season 3 set up a very intricate reveal through several episodes of A-lister rope-a-dope, and we STILL got sublime moments like Charlize’s Julia Roberts impersonation.
You can stream Arrested Development‘s “For British Eyes Only” on Netflix.
