The world has been waiting a long time for Arrested Development Season 5 -- like, longer than Fakeblock was a thing -- but that's okay, because Jason Bateman recently assured everyone it's going to be worth it. The Michael Bluth portrayer made a pretty bold claim about the comedy series' impending episodes that should have fans even more excited.
[It's the] best year ever, and I've not said that before.
Jason Bateman's confidence in the quality of Arrested Development's Season 5 isn't necessarily unexpected, and the cheeky actor very well may have made that same claim before. But we choose to believe him, because he knows quality programming when he sees it. And there are a lot of things that have been reported about Arrested Development Season 5 that would imply the show is headed down the right path.
Actress Alia Shawkat confirmed the show was able to pull in its high profile cast together as a group for some episodes, which is a relief, since the sequestered cast was the biggest complaint lodged against Season 4. It was also previously revealed that this season will be half-prequel, and that a large portion of the new season will feature new actors playing younger versions of the Bluth family. That twist might be why Jason Bateman is telling Deadline and others this may be the best season yet, but then we're not sure if that information remained true for the actual season, so we'll have to wait and see.
With his claim, Jason Bateman really put himself out there for a series that also has a few things going against it at the moment. For starters, its been just under five years since the premiere of Season 4, which was scrutinized by polarized critics and fans alike. It was stated in the past Season 5 will be centered on the Season 4 cliffhanger's aftermath, with a murder-mystery approach, and while fewer criticisms were about how it ended, building off of the least acclaimed season might be less than ideal. There's also the whole recent controversy surrounding key Arrested Development actor Jeffrey Tambor, and while there's been no indication how the show's cast or crew reacted to his issues on the set of Transparent, one has to wonder how audiences will respond if he is involved.
Jason Bateman had no concrete date for when Season 5 of Arrested Development will be on Netflix, which is unfortunate. But he did say that folks should expect it before the Season 2 release of his other Netflix original series, the crime drama Ozark. So using some Netflix math might get something pinned down there.
To keep an eye out for when either of those shows will get premiere dates, be sure to bookmark our Netflix premiere guide. Those looking for a heap of television to watch in the meantime can find plenty of shows at our midseason premiere guide and summer premiere guide.
