Arrested Development fans have had a roller coaster ride over the years. The show went from premiering on Fox to being cancelled on Fox to moving to Netflix to...nothing. Season 4 debuted on Netflix in 2013 to mixed reviews, and we've been waiting ever since for more. Now, it looks like there finally might be more Development in the not-too-distant future. Here's what series creator Mitch Hurwitz has to say about progress on an Arrested Development Season 5:
We're very close. It's a thing I really am desperate to do. We've got a lot of the stories broken. We're kinda ready to go. I'm so appreciative of the fans wanting more, I hate to tease them with information that there is going to be more until we know for sure, but it's what we're trying to accomplish and if does happen it looks like shooting would be at the start of 2017. That's what I'm hoping.
Mitch Hurwitz revealed that Season 5 might be closer than any of us dared hope at a TCA press tour panel (via THR). The folks behind Arrested Development have expressed enthusiasm toward producing more episodes for years, but we haven't gotten much in the way of details of how much progress has been made toward a Season 5 on Netflix. His report that they have a lot of the stories broken to bring to the small screen is definitely reason to get excited. The Netflix model means that a whole batch of episodes will need to be produced all at once, so Hurwitz and Co. must work out multiple stories before filming can start. Hurwitz' indication that they have specifics in mind for what's going to happen next shows promise.
That said, we shouldn't start any excited chicken dances just yet. If Mitch Hurwitz and Co. are as close to a Season 5 as to start shooting in early 2017, nobody has apparently told Will Arnett, and producer Brian Grazer had indicated that a Season 5 was definitely in the works for 2016. We can only hope that Hurwitz will be able to get all his ducks - and superstar actors - in a row for shooting to really begin in 2017.
The premise of Season 5 has actually already been revealed. Mitch Hurwitz teased that the fifth season would essentially be a serialized murder mystery starring the Bluth family. The Season 4 finale ended on a crime cliffhanger of sorts as Buster was arrested for the murder of Lucille 2. Given the plethora of characters who could have motive to kill Lucille 2, an Arrested Development murder mystery could be pretty hilarious. The reported 17 episodes could fly by.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest news of what we can expect from Arrested Development Season 5, and take a look at our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you can watch on the small screen in lieu of new Bluth family shenanigans.
