Lock up your vodka, and ready the blue body paint, because those horrible/loveable Bluths are promised to make a return to Netflix for a fifth season of Arrested Development. In a recent interview with USA Today, chief content officer Ted Sarandos confirmed that another season would eventually make its way to the masses, though no official timeline was given. While the news isn’t unexpected, it’s a welcome affirmation to the AD faithful.
The cliffhanger following the oddly disjointed Fourth Season produced by Netflix was good evidence that Arrested Development would return in some form or another, and creator Mitch Hurwitz has been adamant about a new season, as well as a full feature movie, since last year. That sentiment was further emphasized when Netflix locked Hurwitz down for a multi-year contract in April. However, which will come first, and exactly when viewers can expect either venture is still very much up in the air.
The task of getting the indelible cast together under one roof has proved a daunting one, and was the cause of the unorthodox format when the show was re-launched in a single burst on Netflix in May of 2013. The episodes were shot around each cast member’s schedule, leading to a serious lack of that dysfunctional Bluth togetherness that made the original show so compelling. Still, while the Fourth season left some with a bad taste in their mouths (especially the final scene between Michael and George Michael Bluth, the moral crux of the show) viewers still seem to be clamoring for more.
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In other Netflix news, Sarandos discussed some of the new shows coming down the pike for the streaming service/network, as it looks to garner a few more Emmy nods. Those projects include an adult cartoon with Aaron Paul and Arrested Development alum Will Arnett called Bojack Horseman on Aug 22, and the historical drama, Marco Polo do out later this year.
Other new series’ on the slate include five new Marvel series’ featuring superheroes Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist, which will premier with Daredevil next year, as well as a Defenders series that brings all four together. Also in 2015, the service will host Sense 8, a sci-fi series by the Wachowski brothers, a comedy starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin called Gracie and Frankie, and an untitled drama starring Sissy Spacek, and Sam Shephard. Further down the line, Chelsea Handler’s new show will be coming to Netflix in 2016, teased by a standup special on Oct 10th.
With a powerhouse of stars and no signs of slowing down, Netflix looks to continue to dominate Web-based original programming for the near future and beyond. We just want to see the Bluths do their chicken dances at least one more time.
