Jason Bateman on ''Arrested Development''

''It's always just kind of wisecracky and smart-ass,'' Arrested Development star Jason Bateman says of life on the set of Fox's zany, ratings-challenged comedy. Though the Emmy-winning show just started its third season, Bateman says, ''It seems like we've been together for a really, really long time. I miss them on weekends.'' TV's wackiest family faces that age-old showbiz balancing act between being proud of their critically acclaimed work and wishing they could get more people to watch it. Seeing the first ratings numbers of the new season — down from last year, despite more Emmy love and a time-slot switch — ''was the first time in three years I was really down,'' says Bateman. But he always has his castmates to cheer him up with ''some light, scarring comments. It's a tough set to be on. In a good way.''