Don’t Get Too Excited, Arrested Development Fans

As a fan of Arrested Development, I remember how annoying it was watching the show get jerked around before it was ultimately removed from TV, despite a very loyal fan base. That was followed by years of rumors about other networks picking it up, a possible, movie, etc. Then, by some miracle, it actually became accepted as a reality that the show would be back, courtesy of Netflix.

And we still can’t thank Netflix enough for it. Hopefully it won’t disappoint.

That familiar territory of uncertainty about the show’s future is already back, however, before Netflix has even made the new season available. News is out today that Netflix will not be producing additional seasons. Season 4 may be all we get.

The Wall Street Journal reports there will be “no subsequent seasons” of the show, after Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said at investor conference that the show would be “a one-off” and would be a “non-repeatable” event. The Journal quotes a spokesperson as saying it would be “extremely difficult to get the cast together”.

Pretty disheartening news for fans, though if season 4 turns out to be a let down, the news may be easier to swallow.

The cast was already hard to get together from my understanding, and they managed to make it work eventually. If there’s enough demand (which there almost certainly will be) would the show find its way back to its audience, even without Netflix? That remains to be seen, but we probably shouldn’t hold our breath.

In fact, we should really just be happy that the Bluths have found their way back into our lives at all, as it was beginning to feel like it was never going to happen. Now, it’s happening.

Season 4 will hit Netflix in May.