Gene Parmesan
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz

"Oh, I hired him a hundred years ago to find out if your father was cheating
on me but he never did find anything."
--Lucille on Gene Parmesan

Private detective GENE PARMESAN is a recurring character on the quirky television comedy Arrested Development (2003-13) played by Martin Mull.

A master of disguise, Parmesan (played by Martin Mull), first appears in the the third episode of season two, "¡Amigos!," in which he's hired by family patriarch Lucille Bluth to track down her fugitive husband, George Sr., supposedly hiding out in Mexico. Parmesan manages to track down the missing stair car, but it's up to Lucille's son Michael (aka "The Good Son") to actually find his father.

Lucille relates to Michael how she first hired Parmesan to investigate whether George Sr. had ever cheated on Lucille -- another task at which he failed.

Nonetheless, the ever oblivious Lucille remains convinced he's one crackerjack detective ("He's the best!"), although Michael is far less impressed.Gene was hired by Lucille

Parmesan doesn't have a large role in the show, only actually appearing in four episodes (so far), but references to him are scattered through the show's run, and he shows up in three more episodes in the fourth and so far final season in a number of often ludicrous disguises (janitor, jirefighter, a giant blue bear, a Mexican, a physician and a fry cook) continue to surprise and delight Lucille -- and, I must confess, me.

And I'm apparently not the only one. A comapny called Power Up Apparel is actually selling Gene Parmesan Private Eye T-shirts.

TELEVISION

• ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
  (2003-13)
  Created by Mitchell Hurwitz
  

• Season Two
• "¡Amigos!" (November 21, 2004)
  
  
• Season Four
• "Off the Hook" (May 26, 2013)
• "A New Attitude" (2013)
• "Queen B." (2013)

Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith. This one's for Ray.