Arrested Development, the 2003-2006 Fox sitcom that launched the careers of Michael Cera (Superbad), Jason Bateman (Identity Thief) and Will Arnett (Blades of Glory), will be returning for 15 new episodes exclusively on Netflix. The entire season will be released simultaneously May 26 and features the return of the entire original cast.
The show, which gained a dedicated cult following due to its unique humor and fantastic cast, was critically acclaimed despite averaging a small audience of 2.7 million viewers. Though Arrested Development won six Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe during its original run, the Fox Network canceled it after only three seasons.
The basic premise of Arrested Development follows the lives of the Bluths, an extremely wealthy family that runs into legal trouble after patriarch George Bluth Sr. (Jeffery Tambor, The Hangover) is accused of embezzling money from the family company. Michael Bluth (Bateman), George’s son, decides to move in with his dysfunctional family in order to run the Bluth Company and clear his father’s name.
“It’s a layered comedy TV show that’s brilliantly written, with tons of hilarious, subtle jokes you’ll find every time you watch it,” said junior Jose Carbonell, who has been a fan of the show for over a year.
Arrested Development
has been long known for its clever hidden jokes, which can only be understood after frequent rewatchings of an episode, or if one has previous knowledge of a future or past plotline. This has created many fans at CHS, where many students began watching long after the show was canceled.
“Every detail of the show is meticulously planned out, and nothing is accidental,” senior JW Goldman said. “Throughout the show, you can occasionally pick up on the writers leaving clues as to what’s going to happen in the future. My favorite thing to do when watching old episodes is to look for the clues that I may have missed the first time around.”
After months of catching up on favorite characters and searching for hidden jokes, CHS students are ready to see the first new episodes in seven years.
“I’m excited to see what will happen next,” junior Will Gallagher said. “The end of the third season was pretty suspenseful, and I’m sure that with all this time for development they’ve come up with some mind-blowing resolution.”
Though the large majority of fans are excited for Arrested Development’s return, some are worried about how well the show will carry over, considering its seven-year lapse.
According to junior Ethan Finke, he is worried that the new episodes “will not be as witty as the old series.”
Other fans are concerned that the show’s trademark style and humor will change.
“I’m worried that the overall style will be different,” Carbonell said. “I hope the new season will have all the subtle stuff from before.”
Whether they are excited or anxious about the new season of Arrested Development, the show’s fans will flock to Netflix on May 26 to rejoice in jokes about seals, bananas stands and African American puppets.
“Arrested Development is so unlike any other show on the air today,” Gallagher said. “The lives of all the members of the Bluth family are all woven into one incredible story, and if you watch the series from the beginning, I guarantee you will appreciate it.”
