The One Where Michael Leaves

"The One Where Michael Leaves" is the second season premiere of the American television satirical sitcom Arrested Development. It was written by series creator Mitchell Hurwitz and co-executive producer Richard Rosenstock, and was directed by Lee Shallat Chemel. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on November 7, 2004.

The series, narrated by Ron Howard, follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family, who made their money from property development. In the episode, Michael (Jason Bateman) and George Michael (Michael Cera) leave for Phoenix, but they decide to go back in order to make a more dramatic exit. Lindsay's (Portia de Rossi) desire for an open marriage leads Tobias Fünke (David Cross) to inadvertently audition for the Blue Man Group, thinking they're a support group for depressed men. Lucille (Jessica Walter) signs Buster up for the Army after being goaded by a documentary filmmaker who questions her patriotism, and Gob (Will Arnett) is made president of the Bluth company, discovering a contract between George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) and Saddam Hussein.

Cross found wearing blue paint for the episode to be difficult, as the process of applying and taking off the paint proved tedious. The Blue Man Group assisted with production, only asking that the series correctly represent their mysterious appearance. A cameo of Cross dressed in his Blue Man Group attire from the episode was intended to appear in the film Avengers: Infinity War, but was cancelled due to Cross's directing commitments.

Upon release, "The One Where Michael Leaves" received mostly positive reviews from critics, with some including it in their lists of the series' greatest episodes. Critics praised the episode's humor, but some of its sub-plots drew criticism. Several critics and scholars have analyzed the episode's themes since its release.