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Arrested Development character guide

Who is Michael Bluth in Arrested Development?

The level-headed widowed son who has no choice but to keep his wealthy, wildly dysfunctional family together after his father is arrested, while raising his own teenage son, George Michael.

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Show
Arrested Development
Debut
2003
Network
FOX
Role
Lead
Gender
Male

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Show
Arrested Development
Played by
Jason Bateman
First episode
“Pilot”Season 1, Episode 1, aired November 2, 2003
Role
Lead
Network
FOX
Occupation
President of the Bluth Company
Show run
2003 to 2019Canceled by FOX in 2006, then revived by Netflix for seasons in 2013 and 2018 to 2019.
Also known as
Nichael Bluth

Michael Bluth is the responsible one in a family of spectacular disasters, the reluctant head of the Bluth Company after his father goes to prison. Played by Jason Bateman, he is the straight man at the center of Arrested Development.

On Arrested Development, Michael Bluth's story runs through George Michael Bluth (Son), Gob Bluth (Brother), Lindsay Bluth Funke (Sister), Lucille Bluth (Mother), George Bluth Sr. (Father), and Tobias Funke (Brother-in-law).

Michael Bluth from Arrested Development: Sitcomdle character card

Who is Michael Bluth?

Michael is the second son of George Bluth Sr. and Lucille Bluth, the widowed father of George Michael, and the only member of the family with a steady grip on reality. In the pilot he expects to be named president of the family's homebuilding company, only to watch his father hand the job to his mother just before the SEC arrests George Sr.

When the rest of the family proves hopeless at running anything, Michael steps in to save the company and keep everyone housed and fed. He threatens to walk away from them constantly, and he never quite manages it.

Personality and comedy

Michael is the show's straight man, reacting with exasperated deadpan as his brother Gob, sister Lindsay, brother-in-law Tobias, and brother Buster make every situation worse. Creator Mitchell Hurwitz has said that in some ways Michael is the craziest Bluth of all, because he is blind to so much of what is happening around him.

He can be controlling, self-righteous, and quietly dishonest, especially when it comes to his son. A running joke has Michael forgetting the name of George Michael's girlfriend Ann and calling her anything but, from Egg to a doubtful "Her?"

Key storylines

Across the first three seasons Michael tries to keep the company alive while his father's legal troubles keep deepening. He briefly loses the presidency to Gob, chases a series of doomed romances, and in season three learns that a typo on his birth certificate makes his legal name Nichael. The original run ends with Michael and George Michael finally sailing away from the family, only to discover George Sr. aboard.

The Netflix revival finds him broke after his Sudden Valley housing development collapses, moving into his son's college dorm, and drifting into a rivalry with George Michael over the same woman. In season five the family's legal mess deepens again when Buster is charged in the disappearance of Lucille Austero.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Hurwitz was unsure about casting Jason Bateman, who was then best known for conventional family sitcoms, until Bateman's dry, self-assured audition won him over. Bateman went on to win the 2005 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy, and was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2005 and again in 2013.

Michael is the only character who appears in every episode of the series, and Bateman has described the part as the best job he ever had.

Key Michael Bluth episodes

  1. “Pilot”Season 1, Episode 1Michael is passed over for president just as his father is arrested, and reluctantly stays to save the company.
  2. “Top Banana”Season 1, Episode 2Michael lets George Michael burn down the banana stand, then learns it was hiding $250,000.
  3. “The One Where Michael Leaves”Season 2, Episode 1Michael tries to move to Phoenix with his son but is pulled back into the family mess.
  4. “The Ocean Walker”Season 3, Episode 6Michael decides to marry Rita, whose secret leaves him with serious second thoughts.
  5. “Development Arrested”Season 3, Episode 13The charges against George Sr. are dropped and Michael sails off, only to find his father on board.
  6. “Flight of the Phoenix”Season 4, Episode 1Broke after Sudden Valley fails, Michael moves into George Michael's dorm.

Season and episode numbers follow the original broadcast order.

Michael Bluth: frequently asked questions

Who plays Michael Bluth in Arrested Development?

Jason Bateman plays Michael Bluth in all five seasons, from the 2003 pilot on Fox through the 2019 Netflix episodes.

What is Michael Bluth's real name?

In season three Michael learns that his birth certificate has a typo, so his legal name is Nichael Bluth.

Who is Michael Bluth's son?

His son is George Michael Bluth, played by Michael Cera. Michael has raised him alone since his wife, Tracey, died two years before the series begins.

Did Jason Bateman win an award for Arrested Development?

Yes. Bateman won the 2005 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy, for playing Michael.

Is Lindsay really Michael's twin sister?

No. Michael and Lindsay were raised as twins, but the season three finale reveals she was adopted, and season five adds that she is actually Lucille's half sister.

Test yourself: Michael Bluth quiz

5 questions about Michael Bluth. Think of your answer, then open the reveal to check it.

  1. Question 1

    Who is the narrator of Arrested Development?

    1. Ron Howard
    2. Henry Winkler
    3. Mitchell Hurwitz
    4. Jason Bateman
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Ron Howard

    Ron Howard, also an executive producer, is the show's all-knowing narrator, and in later seasons he appears on screen as a fictional version of himself.

    See question 1 in the full quiz

  2. Question 2

    According to George Sr.'s famous advice, where is there always money?

    1. In the model home
    2. In the banana stand
    3. In the attic
    4. In the company yacht
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. In the banana stand

    Michael learns too late what his father meant in "Top Banana": $250,000 was hidden in the walls of the banana stand that had just burned down.

    See question 2 in the full quiz

  3. Question 3

    What is the name of George Michael's devout girlfriend whom Michael keeps forgetting?

    1. Ann Veal
    2. Sally Sitwell
    3. Marta Estrella
    4. Kitty Sanchez
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Ann Veal

    Michael can never seem to remember Ann, and when he does, he cannot see the appeal. Mae Whitman plays her through most of the series.

    See question 13 in the full quiz

  4. Question 4

    Which actress, Jason Bateman's real-life sister, plays Nellie, the woman Michael mistakes for his long-lost sister?

    1. Amy Poehler
    2. Justine Bateman
    3. Heather Graham
    4. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Justine Bateman

    Justine Bateman guest stars in "Family Ties." Michael brings Nellie into the company, only to learn she is not his sister at all but a call girl George Sr. had been paying.

    See question 18 in the full quiz

  5. Question 5

    In season three, who turns out to have actually ordered and paid for the mini-palaces George Sr. built in Iraq?

    1. Stan Sitwell
    2. Lucille Bluth
    3. Saddam Hussein
    4. The CIA
    Show the answer

    Answer: D. The CIA

    Michael and Buster find proof in Iraq that the CIA commissioned the buildings for wiretapping, and the government drops its charges against George Sr.

    See question 20 in the full quiz

Take the full Arrested Development quiz (20 questions)

Sources and corrections

Reference pages used for this guide, including character, cast, and episode details.

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