Arrested Development’s Bluth Family Tree Explained

The Bluth family tree is the complex, unhealthy, and frequently incestuous family Arrested Development centers on. In the critically acclaimed sitcom, the Bluths lose their wealth after George Bluth Sr. goes to jail for an embezzlement scam. The three-generation family must find a way to keep the Bluth Company running in the absence of their patriarch. This becomes increasingly difficult due to the bickering and fighting within the family.

Arrested Development debuted on Fox in 2003, garnering immense praise from audiences and critics alike. After its cancellation, Netflix released Arrested Development season 4 in 2013, followed by season 5 from mid-2018 to early-2019. Arrested Development’s ensemble cast is the heart of the show, playing up the Bluth family’s messiness and dysfunction. Due to the amount of hookups between family members, it can be difficult to keep up with how everyone relates to each other. Moreover, the family members appear and disappear from Arrested Development constantly. Despite this, the Bluth family make Arrested Development one of the best sitcoms of the 2000s.

George Bluth Sr.

The family patriarch and CEO of Bluth Company is George Bluth Sr. (Seth Rogen and Jeffery Tambor). George Sr. has a negative relationship with his family, frequently manipulating his twin Oscar and his children throughout Arrested Development. Even when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) arrests George Sr. for embezzlement, he pulls strings from behind bars. His relationship with Lucille is also contentious since he cheats multiple times – namely with his assistant Kitty Sanchez.

George Sr. is one of the least likable members of the Bluth family in Arrested Development. He has no regard for the safety or morality of his family, committing heinous acts like housing Saddam Hussein, faking his death, and exploiting the US government. By the end of the series, George Sr. is still committing heinous acts. Lucille also files for divorce from George Sr. because she learns he was switching places with Oscar to avoid having sex with her.

Oscar Bluth

In Arrested Development, Oscar is George Sr.’s identical twin and the former fiancé of Lucille Bluth. Unlike his brother, Oscar isn’t work-oriented, choosing to live a stress-free life instead. Even though Lucille leaves Oscar for George Sr., the two carry on an affair, leading him to secretly father Buster Bluth. As a punishment, George Sr. frames Oscar for his crimes. Despite this, Oscar remains loyal to his brother after getting out of prison. In Arrested Development season 4, the pair frequently switch places to commit fraud.

Lucille Bluth

Lucille Bluth is the wife of George Sr., who gets acclimated to the wealthy lifestyle created by his embezzlement. Like her husband, Lucille has a highly negative relationship with her kids, all of whom she manipulates and emotionally abuses. Her worst relationship is with her daughter Lindsay, whom she only adopts because a rival business owner wants Lindsay to join his family. Ultimately, her son Annyong reveals her as the mastermind behind the embezzlement scheme. When she goes to trial, the rest of her family doesn’t appear in court to support her, a fitting ending for one of the most brutal Arrested Development characters.

George Oscar “GOB” Bluth

GOB is the eldest son of George Sr. and Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development. As a child, he was ignored by his father and headed by his mother. Those relationships never get any better, causing GOB to act out. Since he is a womanizer, GOB sleeps with George Sr.’s assistant, Kitty Sanchez, and his mother’s rival Lucille Austero – seemingly to get his parents’ attention. GOB also has a contentious relationship with his brother Michael due to parental-inflicted rivalry. Eventually, the two develop a healthier relationship. As for his romantic endeavors, he eventually falls for his long-time rival, Tony Wonder.

Nichael “Michael” Bluth

Michael Bluth is the second-oldest child of George Sr. And Lucille Bluth, and he functions as the central character in Arrested Development. Throughout the series, Michael is forced to take on the caretaker role in his family, holding them together after his father’s arrest. George Sr. makes Michael the acting president of Bluth Company, much to the dismay of GOB.

When it comes to his siblings, Michael has positive relationships with Lindsay and Buster, but negative relationships with GOB. His relationship with Annyong is basically nonexistent, likely due to their age difference. Michael spends most of his free time with his son, George Michael Bluth. He rarely dates because he doesn’t want to risk damaging his relationship with George Michael.

Lindsay Bluth-Fünke

Lindsay Bluth-Fünke is the adopted daughter of George Sr. and Lucille Bluth and the half-sister of Lucille. Lindsay is extremely close to her brother, Michael who she grew up believing was her twin. She rebels against the actions and ideals of her family, becoming an activist. Lindsay marries her husband, Tobias, seemingly to upset her parents. The pair have a daughter named Maeby who they neglect as a result of their unhappy relationship. Lindsay eventually disappears after hitting a breaking point with her mother, only to return in the Arrested Development series finale.

Byron “Buster” Bluth

In Arrested Development, Buster Bluth is the child of Oscar and Lucille — so he believes himself to be the child of George Sr. He idolizes his mother but becomes her emotional punching bag. To act out, he gets into a relationship with Lucille Austero, his mother’s rival. By the end of Arrested Development, Buster gets arrested for her murder. While he eventually gets cleared of all charges, it turns out he did murder Austero, claiming she reminded him of his mother.

Hel-loh “Annyong” Bluth

Annyong Bluth is the youngest member of the Bluth family whom Lucille adopts during an argument with Buster Bluth. Lucille exploits Annyong when he arrives, stealing his biological grandfather’s idea for a frozen banana stand. Sadly, the biological members of the family neglect and completely forget about Annyong. He decides to take vengeance for himself and his grandfather in Arrested Development, by turning Lucille into the SEC for her embezzlement.

Tobias Onyango Fünke

Tobias Onyango Fünke is a former psychiatrist and aspiring actor who marries Lindsay Bluth-Fünke, leading to an unhappy marriage. While he does seem to care about his daughter Maeby, he severely neglects her due to his immaturity. He usually puts his needs and self-interests above his family’s desires, leading to hilarious sequences like Arrested Development‘s best film reference – Mrs. Featherbottom, the Mrs. Doubtfire spoof. Tobias is also the subject of a major running gag. Everyone in the Bluth family believes Tobias is gay due to his inability to perform sexually.

Steve Holt

Steve Holt is the crush of Maeby who Arrested Development reveals as GOB’s son. GOB had a one-night stand in high school with a girl named Eve Holt. Eve left both parties in the dark about each other’s existence. GOB initially tries to have a positive relationship with his son but soon becomes neglectful, pushing his responsibilities onto Michael. Michael and Steve develop a positive relationship, but Michael too becomes neglectful when other family drama arises. By Arrested Development season 5, the Bluths have all forgotten about Steve. Then, in a weird twist of events, he goes to Mexico with his cousins, presumably to build a better relationship.

George Michael Bluth

In Arrested Development, George Michael Bluth is the son of Michael Bluth and the late Teresa Bluth. George Michael and his father have a relatively close relationship at the start, but Michael gets increasingly overbearing throughout the series. This drives a wedge between them which never seems to heal. Outside of his father-son relationship, George Michael’s biggest family connection involves GOB, who he sees as the fun uncle. Additionally, he develops feelings for his cousin Maeby. He never seems to get over her, even when they finally decide to stop their romance in Arrested Development season 4.

Mae “Maeby” Fünke

Maeby is the child of Lindsay Bluth-Fünke and Tobias Fünke, though she has virtually no relationship with either of her parents. This leads her to become rebellious and a liar, manipulating others to get what she wants. Maeby develops an on-again, off-again relationship with her cousin, George Michael. Additionally, she develops feelings for her other cousin, Steve Holt – though Maeby initially didn’t know about their familial connection. Once, she kisses her uncle Annyong to make George Michael jealous, leading him to become smitten. Outside of her cousins, though, she has very few interactions with her extended family in Arrested Development.