There have been many heartbreaking cancellations on television, but only a few have managed to bounce back after getting the boot from a network. One of the most famous is Arrested Development, which was cancelled by Fox after three hilarious seasons and then brought back for a fourth on Netflix years later. Although Season 4 met mixed reactions, fans have still been rabid for a Season 5. Luckily, Arrested Development executive producer Ron Howard indicates that the show is moving forward once more at Netflix.
News of a Season 5 of Arrested Development has been circulating for some time now, but word coming from Ron Howard that the project is moving forward in earnest is pretty damn exciting. As reported by Deadline, Howard’s update on the progress on Season 5 shared that show mastermind Mitch Hurwitz is actively working with writers to get the next installment of the series off the ground.
Hurwitz has had the backing of both Netflix and 20th Century Fox to work on a Season 5 for a 2016 release, and early reports indicated that production could start as early as January or February 2016. Hurwitz meeting with writers now is a good sign that the original timeline is still feasible.
The real difficulty in Season 5 of Arrested Development is in finding a way to reassemble the entire cast. Season 4 changed up the serialized format of the first three seasons for the Netflix release, and the format did allow cast members to film chunks of their stories independently of the entire Bluth family, but everybody was back for another go at capturing the magic – or illusion? – that made the Bluths so hilariously bizarre from the very beginning. Still, with the actors behind the Bluths in such high-demand on big and small screens alike, rounding everybody up is no easy feat.
Of course, Hurwitz could always resort to sending a one-armed man to jump in front of Jason Bateman’s or Michael Cera’s car with a “This is why you always make time for Netflix series!” as persuasion. A fifth season just wouldn’t feel right without all of the Bluth family in attendance, and the stars’ port mortem enthusiasm for the show is part of what enabled a fourth season in the first place.
With Hurwitz and Co. still only in the writing stages, it's definitely too soon for us to start our final countdowns or blue ourselves in anticipation. But real progress being made toward a Season 5 of Arrested Development is fantastic news. Check out our midseason premiere schedule to find a few shows to fill the time while we wait for the next dose of Arrested Development.
