balancing the characters' loopiness with sly, satisfying digs at the rich." Tim Goodman praised the "film quality" and "comic beauty" of the series, while lauding Bateman's performance as "stunningly great". Goodman also said the series was too funny to survive, comparing it to the recently cancelled series Andy Richter Controls The Universe. Matt Roush of TV Guide said that the Pilot demonstrated it was "sophisticated and invigorating in its barbed wit and freewheeling blackouts and flashbacks" and praised the lack of a laugh track. Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote a largely positive review, exalting the performances of the entire ensemble cast, but called Bateman the standout. He, did, however, feel the series went too far outside the norm with the cousin storyline between George-Michael and Maeby, referring to it as "alarming". The A.V. Club writer Noel Murray wrote that the series premiere used its time well, saying that "between the on-screen titles, the narration, the quick insert shots, the brief flashbacks, and the rapid-fire dialogue, creator Mitchell Hurwitz and his team of writers, directors, and editors impart massive amounts of information in a short span of time." Accolades The pilot was honored at the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Mitchell Hurwitz won Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for writing the pilot episode. During his acceptance speech, Hurwitz joked, "This is such a huge honor and, I fear, a giant mistake." Joe and Anthony Russo also won Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for their directorial work on this episode. References External links Arrested Development episodes Arrested Development 2003 American television episodes Emmy Award-winning episodes