Award-winning series revived by Netflix with the original cast
The critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning comedy series “Arrested Development” will air its fourth season after a seven year hiatus on May 26. The show will return as an original series on the video streaming service Netflix.
Despite critics’ praise and numerous accolades, including five Emmys in its first year, Fox cancelled the show in 2005 due to its low ratings. Since its cancellation, the show has garnered a cult following through strong DVD sales. Its presence on video streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, has made it one of the most celebrated shows on the web.
The appeal of “Arrested Development” stems from its eccentric characters, irreverent humor, distinct reference and callbacks to jokes from previous episodes and unique take on situational comedy. Most importantly it gives its audience some credit with smart, interloping jokes that most will miss on the first or second viewing.
The show follows the affluent Bluth family and their “riches to rags” story. The main character, Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), attempts to keep the family’s real estate company intact, while dealing with his dysfunctional family members.
His father is in prison for potentially building track homes in Iraq. His older brother (Will Arnett) is a failing magician and segway driver. His materialistic sister (Portia de Rossi) is married to a sexually ambiguous wannabe actor (David Cross), and his son, George Michael (Michael Cera) is a timid, awkward teenager who happens to be love with his own cousin.
These characters are all outrageous and hilarious, yet also manage to feel real, extrapolating the eccentric people we all know in our own lives.
The new season is intended to show viewers what each character has been doing since the third season, and catch up to the eventual movie that is planned to follow after the season.
`As creator of the show Mitchell Hurwitz said in an interview last year on the entertainment websites vulture.com, that the fourth season episodes “function as an act one of a movie that we all want to do.”
Hurwitz added that the fourth season will “take the audience through the experiences of the characters since the family ‘fell apart’ and how they’re brought together to deal with their new problems.”
This new season also sets a new precedent in television, where entertainment is not dictated by executive expectations or ratings. The revival of “Arrested Development” has sparked an idea that new venues of receiving entertainment can make it more democratic, where viewers can determine the outcome of their favorite shows, and if you are loud enough, you will eventually be heard.
The immense popularity of “Arrested Development” and its continuous references in social gatherings, television and the Internet is the reason why the new season exists. Given the continuing popularity of the show, the Bluth family would say that FOX has “made a huge mistake.”
