When Seinfeld was at the height of its popularity there were a large number of people who complained they didn't "get it." The show just required a little more work than they were used to. In the 50 years of television prior to Seinfeld you could tune in at any point during a program and laugh along with someone who had been watching since the beginning. You might miss a callback or two, but every ten minutes you'd be brought up to speed on the plot ("We have to get ready! The girls will be here any minute!").

Seinfeld boldly stepped outside of that dynamic. If you picked up an episode 5 minutes in or answered the phone in the middle you might still follow the jokes, but you couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. Around the same time The Simpsons rewarded careful and loyal viewers by building a full and consistent world. Gone were the days when all the minor characters on I Love Lucy were played by the same stock actors and each episode was its own separate world (the TV convention South Park parodied with Kenny's deaths).

Maybe everyone doesn't like Seinfeld, but everyone "gets it" now. Its imitators and reruns have raised the audience's appreciation for that type of narrative. But Arrested Development, as good art should, took it to the next level. You can follow 90% of most TV shows with your eyes closed, as a radio play. But AD constantly threw exposition at the viewer--in subtitles, still photos, backgrounds, subtle expressions--and it built on that exposition to craft ever more layered jokes. You couldn't watch the show while on your laptop or fussing in the kitchen. You had to really pay attention and watch most episodes in order (the same is true of The Wire).

There are many other theories about why a show like that didn't catch on. But Arrested Development did make an impact on the television landscape. The shows inspired by it will be better received.