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Arrested Development is more than a cult gem that was thankfully revived. It was the first show to start the trend of streaming services taking cancelled series and breathing new life into them. Back in 2013, Netflix granted patient fans their streaming wish, delivering new episodes of the comedy that was cancelled seven years earlier. Netflix gave fans 15 new episodes, which ended on a cliffhanger. Then the streaming service went radio silent.
So what’s the deal? Are there going to be new episodes of the Bluth family? If so, what are these episodes going to look like, and most importantly, when can we expect them? Welcome to TV Limbo where we explore where your favorite shows are between their new season life and cancellation. Today, we’re diving into the motherboy of all show revivals, Arrested Development.
It’s Going to Happen and Everyone Is On Board
As seems to always be the case with everything related to Arrested Development, there have been a lot of rumors about something happening with very little concrete evidence. However, Season 5 of the Bluth family saga has been confirmed by at least one person — executive producer Brian Grazer. In 2015, Grazer made an appearance on Bill Simmons’ podcast and announced that there will be an additional 17 episodes. Here’s his exact quote:
I love Arrested Development. But it never — it was never a huge thing. But people are loyal to it, and we’re going to do another 17 episodes. So stay tuned for Arrested Development.
Grazer also told The Wrap in January of this year that everyone from the original cast has agreed to a fifth season, and at TCA 2017, Grazer said the show was “within a couple weeks at the most” from securing deals with all of the show’s central stars. So the good news is that there will definitely be more chicken dances in our lives. The bad news is it’s going to be later than Grazer originally predicted. In a later interview with TV Line, Grazer said new episodes would likely arrive sometime in 2016, which did not happen.
What’s Taking So Long?
The short answer is everyone is busy. It makes sense. Arrested Development is one of the smartest and most revolutionary comedies to come to television, and it largely worked because its very talented cast. Of course these actors are off being awesome. However, the Bluth family is especially busy right now.
Jeffrey Tambor is still making all of hearts break on Transparent as well as five projects set to be released in 2017 on his schedule. Jessica Walter is still working on Archer. Portia de Rossi has been acting more thanks to her appearances on Scandal and Santa Clarita Diet. David Cross had a busy 2016 with The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Thanks to Search Party and her indie movie career, Alia Shawkat was 2016’s it girl. Will Arnett is currently trying to take over Netflix. Tony Hale is still slaying on Veep. Also, Jason Bateman and Michael Cera have had successful movie careers for years. Plus, Cera will be in the Twin Peaks reboot. There’s just a lot going on, so it’s no wonder it’s such a struggle to make another season.
Season 5 May Be A Prequel
Up until this point, everything we’ve told you has been confirmed, but there’s one rumor that’s been floating around for a while. According to TV Line, a major component of Season 5 will be flashbacks using other actors to play the principal characters. This choice makes a lot of sense. The less Bluth family gatherings this new season has, the less time Netflix has to negotiate filming windows with its big stars. This would go a long way in fixing Season 5’s scheduling problem.
This is also a move we’ve seen before. In Season 4, Kristen Wiig and Seth Rogen played young Lucille Bluth and young George Michael Sr. respectively. It’s certainly possible the show will go this way again.
There’s also a rumor that Season 5 will begin production in June. We’ll update this article as soon as we know new information about Arrested Development.
