Arrested Development is one of the greatest comedies ever made. Part of the reason for this is its all-star cast that brings a series of hilarious characters to life. These characters, which comprise the Bluth family, are hysterical misanthropes who seem to exclusively operate within the realm of their own self-interest.
As such, it might be a bit difficult to pinpoint these characters on the chart of D&D Moral Alignment. Could they all be Chaotic Evil? Perhaps. But there is nuance to these characters and the moral alignment categorization helps to sort them in such a way that allows for the shades of gray to shine through.
Michael Bluth - Lawful Neutral
Michael Bluth is played by Jason Bateman and he is Lawful Neutral. Michael is often depicted as the moral center of the family and the only one who is actually holding everyone together.
But there are plenty of times when Michael lies and schemes with the classic flair of a true Bluth. He is just as capable of getting down in the muck. His negatives are not as extreme as his relatives, but he certainly doesn’t belong in the good tier. Lawful Neutral is a perfect blend of the two opposing forces in his personality.
Lindsay Bluth - True Neutral
Lindsay Bluth is portrayed by Portia de Rossi and she is True Neutral. An argument could be made for Lindsay to fall into the evil tier, just as easily as she could be in the good tier. There are opposites of Lindsay’s personality that define her as an agent of occasional cruelty (the way she is a mother to Maeby) and as someone rebelling against the product of her own upbringing (sympathy can come from her mother).
In that sense, it is best to split the difference with the complicated Lindsay and put her right in the position of True Neutral, even if it was a bit hard to narrow down her current status with the halved fifth season.
Gob Bluth - Chaotic Evil
Gob Bluth is played by Will Arnett and he is Chaotic Evil. To be honest, each of these characters has a genuine argument to be made for status as a Chaotic Evil. The world of the Bluths is a vortex of schemes and insanity and stupidity. But Gob embodies this the best. He is so clueless and so lacking in self-awareness every day of his life.
He has no idea what a chicken is and he stores dead doves in the fridge (there are plenty of non-bird examples of his character, too). Imagine having Gob as an uncle. It’s inconceivable. His actions are harmful to the livelihood of others, but they are also entirely unpredictable.
Buster Bluth - Chaotic Good
Buster Bluth is portrayed by Tony Hale and he is Chaotic Good. An argument can be made about a lack of self-awareness prohibiting any character from alignment with the evil tier. But Buster is the shimmering example of someone’s actions almost seeming to be completely out of their own control.
Perhaps no character has more arrested development than Buster, a “motherboy” who never even grew wings, never mind dared to leave the nest. He does not necessarily aim to cause harm, however. He seems to operate with good intentions, even if they result in catastrophic outcomes.
Tobias Funke - Chaotic Neutral
Tobias Funke is played by David Cross and he is Chaotic Neutral. There seems to be no loyalty given from Tobias to anyone. It is perfectly fair, though, because no one ever shows Tobias loyalty in the first place. This is what makes him a neutral character, as many of his own plans and storylines only serve to benefit him.
But whether he has joined the Blue Man Group or lived out the plot of Mrs. Doubtfire, there is truly no guessing what Tobias might do. Perhaps this is why the Bluth family has alienated so many people. They provide an endless barrage of nonsense and Tobias is the crown jewel of this trait.
George Michael Bluth - Neutral Good
George Michael Bluth is portrayed by Michael Cera and he is Neutral Good. Anyone who seems hellbent on finding a way to be in a relationship with his cousin is barred from the lawful level. But for the most part, George Michael does seem to operate with goodness in his heart.
The relationship between George Michael and his father, Michael, has always been the beating heart of Arrested Development (if there exists such a thing). And it is because George Michael is sweet, unassuming, and just trying his best.
Maeby Funke - Lawful Evil
Maeby Funke is played by Alia Shawkat and she is Lawful Evil. She takes after Tobias in the sense that her schemes have an unwieldy sense to them. But they are not as chaotic and they can be seen as outlandish, but well-reasoned all the same.
Maeby skirts the law at every turn, but she follows her own code and always has a set of rules that come with her schemes. It might seem like Maeby is an agent of chaos, but we believe her evil comes from a source of thorough research and organized malice.
George Bluth - Neutral Evil
George Bluth is portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor and he is Neutral Evil. There is no getting around the fact that George is evil. He is a criminal, a sycophant, and an unfaithful member of the family. There is no denying these shades of villainy. However, the neutral aspect comes from the idea that George has no moral code.
He acts completely based on each situation that comes his way and he does so with no regard for the people around him. There is no code, but there is also no chaos. It is just a steady stream of actions that paint George as a bad person.
Lucille Bluth - Lawful Evil
Lucille Bluth is played by Jessica Walter and she is Lawful Evil. There are many times when the viewer can see that Maeby has shades of Lucille in her. They’re cut from the same cloth of Lawful Evil. There is very little kindness in Lucille. Any character who comes into her orbit seems to come out the other end a little bit worse for wear.
Like Maeby, Lucille has a code. She acts like a member of a high-class society. She is one, in terms of money and status, but not in terms of her own classiness. Her development is just arrested, even though she is a grandmother. Even they are not immune to evilness.
Ron Howard - Lawful Good
Ron Howard is the narrator of Arrested Development and he is Lawful Good. Howard’s narrator character is someone who seems like a part of the show at times and an omniscient observer at others. He understands meta narratives, as well as Happy Days. But he is always impartial (unless someone insults Happy Days) and points out the flaws of the Bluths and the lies they come up with.
His actual on-screen appearance aside, he tells the stories as they come, explaining the situation with all the knowledge the audience needs. He is a true storyteller who is as moral as he is comprehensive in his retelling abilities.
