Editing Michael Bluth

{{Infobox character
| name               = Michael Bluth
| series             = [[Arrested Development]]
| image              = Michael Bluth.jpg
| image_size         = 275px
| caption            = [[Jason Bateman]] as Michael Bluth
| first              = "[[Pilot (Arrested Development episode)|Pilot]]" (2003)
| last               = "The Fallout" (2019)
| creator            = [[Mitchell Hurwitz]]
| portrayer          = [[Jason Bateman]]
| occupation         = CEO and President of the [[Bluth Company]]<br />Manager of the Bluth Company (formerly)
| spouse             = {{marriage|Tracey Bluth<br />|1989|2001|end=died}}
| gender             = Male
| family             = {{plainlist|
* [[George Bluth Sr.]] (father)
* [[Lucille Bluth]] (mother)
* [[Gob Bluth]] (brother)
* [[Lindsay Bluth Fünke]] (adoptive sister/biological aunt)
* [[Buster Bluth]] (half-brother/cousin)
* [[List of Arrested Development characters#Hel-loh "Annyong" Bluth|Annyong Bluth]] (adoptive brother)}}
| children           = [[George Michael Bluth]] (son)
| relatives          = {{plainlist|
* [[Oscar Bluth]] (uncle)
* [[Tobias Fünke]] (adoptive brother-in-law/uncle)
* [[Maeby Fünke]] (adoptive niece/biological cousin)
* [[List of Arrested Development characters#Steve Holt|Steve Holt]] (nephew)}}
}}

'''Nichael''' "'''Michael'''" '''Bluth'''<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Fakin' It |episode-link=Fakin' It (Arrested Development) |series=Arrested Development |series-link=Arrested Development |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |date=February 10, 2006 |season=3 |quote='Nichael Bluth'? ... That's what it says, according to my birth certificate. |people=Spiro, Lev L. (Director)}}</ref> is a fictional character and the main [[protagonist]] of the American television satirical sitcom ''[[Arrested Development]]'', created by [[Mitchell Hurwitz]], and portrayed by [[Jason Bateman]]. Michael serves as the series [[straight man]], often leading his family through its many crises.

==Character history==
Michael (born December 14, 1967) is the second oldest Bluth son, and the father of [[George Michael Bluth]]. He has an older brother, [[George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II|Gob]] (pronounced like the biblical character Job), a younger half-brother, [[Byron "Buster" Bluth|Buster]], and a twin sister, [[Lindsay Bluth Fünke|Lindsay]] (she is later revealed to be adopted and older than Michael). He also has an adopted Korean brother named Annyong, who is almost 20 years younger.

When his father [[George Bluth Sr.|George Sr.]] goes to jail, Michael becomes head of the family and CEO and President of the [[Bluth Company]]. His authority, however, is constantly undermined by his family. He remained President for all of Season 1, but was replaced by Gob. in Season 2. As Vice President, Michael was the Bluth Company's [[de facto]] head, doing all the work of the President while being scrutinized by the SEC for his father's crimes. In Season 3, Michael was firmly in charge again, though the sibling rivalry and family interference did not totally recede.

Michael is the most functional and level-headed Bluth, but can occasionally be dishonest and selfish. He is usually the only source of stability for his family, much to his chagrin. Despite this, he has a problem letting go of control, and tends not to listen to his son's feelings when making decisions for him. He is especially critical of [[George Michael Bluth|George Michael]]'s girlfriend, [[Characters from Arrested Development#Ann Veal|Ann]], often forgetting her name, and frequently referring to her as any number of random, only loosely appropriate monikers, including "Egg", "Bland", "Plant", "Yam", and (with thinly-veiled disappointment and raised eyebrows) "Her?" He often threatens to leave the family out of frustration.

Michael's wife Tracy died (presumably of [[ovarian cancer]]) two years prior to the first season, and she was in a coma for some months before she passed. In the show, Michael is often reluctant to date, thinking that his son would disapprove, and most of his relationships have featured misunderstandings or outright deception. His wife's death is usually the subject of tasteless and unaware jokes made by his family members.

In season 3, it is revealed that there is a [[typo]] on his birth certificate and that his legal name is Nichael Bluth. Also, Michael discovers the truth about his father's crimes and his sister's identity. In the last episode, Michael and his son George Michael try once more to abandon the Bluth family by sailing away on a yacht, but after they arrive at the new home, they find that George Sr. was also on the yacht.

In season 4, Michael's fortunes decline swiftly and he becomes more petulant, narcissistic, and guile as he avoids a massive debt to Lucille Austero, manipulates his family into signing away their movie portrayal rights, and allows his relationship with George Michael to deteriorate by encroaching on his privacy, petulantly avoiding him, and carrying on a relationship with the same woman as his son.

Michael is the only character who has appeared in every episode of the series.

==Development==
Michael is generally the [[straight man]] in the series.  However, creator [[Mitch Hurwitz]] says that in some respects Michael is "the craziest one" in that he cannot see much of what happens around him.<ref>{{cite AV media| last=Hurwitz |first=Mitch |title=Breaking Ground: Behind the Scenes of Arrested Development |work=Arrested Development: Season One- Disc One |publisher=Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Inc. |date=2004 }}</ref>

Michael is portrayed by actor [[Jason Bateman]]. Hurwitz did not know if Bateman was right for the part as he seemed associated with more conventional sitcoms, but Hurwitz said that in trying out for the part, Bateman "gave this dry, confident performance".<ref>{{cite magazine| last=Poniewozik |first=James |title=The Great Wit Hope |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=November 1, 2004 |volume=164 |issue=18 |pages=81–82}}</ref> Bateman also explained his performance by saying he could be "naturally... dickish" like his character.<ref>{{cite AV media| last=Bateman |first=Jason |title=Extended Pilot Audio commentary |work=Arrested Development: Season One- Disc One |publisher=Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Inc. |date=2004}}</ref> Bateman said of his part, "it's the best job I've ever had, hands down," and it may have also been his most famous one.<ref>{{cite news| last=Freydkin |first=Donna |title='Arrested' fails to develop ratings, but Bateman is up |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=March 17, 2004}}</ref>

==Reception==
[[Jason Bateman|Bateman]] and his character were well received by critic Robert Bianco, who wrote "the key to the show's success is the hilariously deadpan Bateman".<ref>{{cite news| last=Bianco |first=Robert |title='Development': Not your father's family sitcom, thankfully  |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=October 31, 2003}}</ref>

Bateman was nominated for seven individual awards for his portrayal of Michael Bluth, winning three. In 2004, Bateman was nominated for the [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards|url=http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/11th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards#nominee-856|publisher=Screen Actors Guild|accessdate=8 August 2012}}</ref> In 2004 and again in 2005, he was nominated for a [[TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy|Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvcritics.org/2004/06/03/2004-tca-awards-nominees/ |title=2004 TCA Awards nominees |publisher=tvcritics.org |accessdate=August 13, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713054923/http://tvcritics.org/2004/06/03/2004-tca-awards-nominees/ |archivedate=July 13, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvcritics.org/2005/06/02/2005-tca-awards-winners-2/ |title=2005 TCA Awards nominees |publisher=tvcritics.org |accessdate=August 13, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101183238/http://tvcritics.org/2005/06/02/2005-tca-awards-winners-2/ |archivedate=November 1, 2013 }}</ref> In [[57th Primetime Emmy Awards|2005]], Bateman was also nominated for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/arrested-development |title=Arrested Development |publisher=Emmys.com |accessdate=August 13, 2012}}</ref> Bateman won the 2005 [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/2004 |title=The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2005) |publisher=GoldenGlobes.com |accessdate=August 13, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229132342/http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/2004 |archivedate=December 29, 2010 }}</ref> and the 2005 [[Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2005a.shtml |title=2005-A* 9th Annual Satellite™ Awards - January 2005 |publisher=International Press Academy |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718092001/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2005a.shtml |archivedate=July 18, 2011 |accessdate=August 13, 2012}}</ref> which he won again in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2005b.shtml |title=2005-B* 10th Annual Satellite™ Awards - December 2005 |publisher=International Press Academy |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718092336/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2005b.shtml |archivedate=July 18, 2011 |accessdate=August 13, 2012}}</ref> On July 18, 2013, Bateman was nominated again for the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series]] for his portrayal of Michael Bluth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/emmy-nominations-2013-american-horror-story-asylum-leads-with-17-nominations-1.5716179 |title=Tradition takes a hit in Emmy nominations |work=[[Newsday]] |date=July 18, 2013 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Arrested Development characters|List of ''Arrested Development'' characters]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Arrested Development}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bluth, Michael}}
[[Category:American male characters in sitcoms]]
[[Category:Arrested Development]]
[[Category:Fictional business executives]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from Orange County, California]]
[[Category:Television characters introduced in 2003]]
[[Category:Fictional producers]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from the 20th century]]