Several years ago – in 2013, to be exact – Netflix fulfilled the dreams of many by bringing back Arrested Development for a fourth season. Though it was one of the most brilliant comedies to ever grace the small screen, it was also very ahead of its time and after just three seasons, Fox gave the show the axe. Thankfully, though, Netflix did their thing and came to the rescue, ensuring that viewers would get to spend more time with the Bluth clan.
That was several years ago though and since then, we haven’t heard much about where the streaming service plans on taking Michael, Gob, Lindsay, Tobias and the rest of the crew next. Admittedly, season 4 wasn’t exactly the show’s strongest outing, but it was still solid television and fans are certainly calling for more. So, what’s taking Netflix so long then to bring the gang back together to shoot season 5?
Well, that remains unclear, but it finally looks like things are starting to take shape now, as star Jason Bateman has taken to Twitter to reveal that he’s signed on for more Arrested Development and that they’ll be shooting this summer. The streaming site has yet to comment on the actor’s Tweet, but there’s no reason to think Bateman would be lying and now that he’s seemingly on board, we expect some kind of announcement to follow, not to mention some more confirmations of other cast members signing on the dotted line.
Look very probable I'm going to put some miles on the Stair Car this summer. Just officially signed on to more ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT today.
— Jason Bateman (@batemanjason) May 12, 2017
At least, we hope that’s the case. Fans have been waiting a very, very long time for season 5. In fact, back in 2015 we heard that negotiations were underway with several of the leading actors and that the show could return within the year. Here we are in 2017 though and there’s been little to no movement. Still, Bateman’s Tweet is certainly encouraging and lines up nicely with what producer Brian Grazer said a few months back, about things starting to come together.
As for what the plot may entail, well, that’s still being kept under wraps, but last we heard, it may be part prequel, to help accommodate the cast’s busy schedules, which has long been an obstacle in trying to get new seasons made. It would no doubt be an interesting move, but we’re not sure how well fans would take to it. After all, most of the fun of watching Arrested Development comes from seeing the core group of actors interact with and play off of one another. Their chemistry is terrific and they really do make the show. To now go ahead and produce a new season where a significant chunk of screen time is dedicated to flashbacks with entirely new talent could backfire horribly.
It’s understandable that it’s tough to get everyone on set at the same time, given the fact that actors like Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Will Arnett, etc. are all pretty big stars right now, but we hope that Netflix is able to find a way around this. A semi-prequel really isn’t the way to go, at least not in our opinion, and even if it means waiting a few more years, we’d rather see Netflix do the next season of Arrested Development right rather than just rush something out the door that might disappoint fans once again.