Arrested Development premiered Sunday morning on Netflix at 2am. It was a highly anticipated event among many Netflix users and Arrested Development fanatics. This was the first time the cast was reunited to film the show in seven years.
Arrested Development originally aired as a Fox original television series in 2003 and ran three seasons until its cancellation in 2006. The well praised comedy series has racked up six Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe award.
The show is centered around the lovable and dysfunctional Bluth family. In the past, Michael was the glue keeping the family together. Since he left the family in season three, everyone now has a separate story. In the beginning of the new season, Michael is struggling with his new real-estate business, George Michael is adjusting to college life, Lindsey is trying to find peace, Lucille is in legal trouble, George is trying to get a one up on the competitor’s business, and you guessed it, Tobias is still failing at becoming a hollywood actor.
Since Netflix has taken over production of the show, there are some differences in the format of the new season. For instance, each episode now follows one individual character from the Bluth family. At the beginning of each episode the narrator let’s the audience know which character the show will be following. This is a new, creative way of showing what each member of the family did over the span of time since the last season.
However, there are certain minor issues I have with the new season. I feel that the episodes now are so compact with too much information because of the span of time that took place between season three and four. It sometimes feels like the writers are trying to force too much into just one episode at a time. Don’t get me wrong, I am a devout Arrested Development fan and was counting down the days until the new season came out, but I feel that there’s just way too much going on.
On the contrary, the new production of the show is still jam packed full of the same witty humor that made it so popular in 2003. There are many subtle (and some not so subtle) references to Fox canceling the show. In the opening credits, the narrator states “Now the story of a family whose future was abruptly cancelled.” Any time there is a flashback to a previous season the watermark “Show Stealer Pro Trial Version” appears on the screen, poking fun at how Netflix “stole” Fox’s footage, and Michael Bluth’s phone calendar is stuck in 2003, the year the show aired.
Many fans are already wanting the promise of more seasons to come. In response, Netflix’s CEO, Reed Hastings, announced that “Arrested is a unique property, we don’t anticipate being able to do season five, six and seven.” However, CCO Ted Sarandos has a different outlook. He claims that they are “hopeful there will be more seasons. If anyone can pull it together, it’s going to be Ted… But by no means is this the end of it. We’re definitely planning to do more with them.”
Overall, I am very pleased with how Netflix has put together the new season of Arrested Development. A show with that much hype and anticipation leading up to the release could have easily been a big let down to fans, but has been met with much acceptance and praise.
You can find me glued to my computer screen for the next few days finishing up the rest of season four. Until then, leave a comment below! What are your thoughts on the new season? What were your expectations and did the revival live up to them?
