I am – Hercules!!

For the record, the Boston Red Sox had already won the World Series by last Sunday, Oct. 31. But Oct. 31 isn’t part of November sweeps. Last Sunday, Fox dusted off a repeat of the “X-Files” movie. We had to wait till tonight to see the annual “Simpsons” Halloween special.

Enough about “The Simpsons.” Let's see what critics are saying about tonight’s “Arrested Development,” which sees Tobias (David Cross) trying to join the Blue Man Group.

The Hollywood Reporter says:

The good news is that the premiere is as sharp, witty, smart and wacky as anything seen during the first season. The better news is that, with an Emmy victory for best comedy, "The Simpsons" for a lead-in and the release of the first season on DVD, there's every reason to hope for ratings commensurate with the comic genius of exec producer Mitchell Hurwitz and his uniformly terrific cast. … It's not too early to think in terms of a lovely set of matching Emmy bookends.

Variety says:

The reigning Emmy comedy champ debuts its second season with an episode that may well be its funniest. … TV bar's for comedy has been raised again. … [David] Cross and [Portia] de Rossi continue to brilliantly limn one of comedy's more bizarre relationships. … As if opening seg isn't funny enough, coming attraction with Henry Winkler as the family attorney ends the show on a bonus high note.

The Boston Globe says:

… so dense with crooked little jokes and momentary flashbacks that it rivals animation for frame-by-frame wit …

The Arizona Republic says:

What a brilliant, hilarious treasure this show is, a real work of skewed art. It's also the last, best argument against the assertion that comedy is dead on TV. Watch a couple of episodes of Arrested Development and you'll be convinced it's not even ailing. … Incredibly smart about popular culture, dense with details that reward you on repeated viewings, Arrested Development shares a sensibility with The Simpsons. Now it'll share an hour with the show on Sunday nights. In an attempt to boost viewership, Fox has lumped the two together in what surely is one of the best, funniest hours ever drawn up on a television schedule.

“King of the Hill”: 7 p.m. Sunday. Fox
“The Simpsons”: 8 p.m. Sunday. Fox
“Arrested Development”: 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Fox