‘Arrested Development’ Season 4: Netflix Confirms May Premiere and Episode Number
A few weeks ago, rumors leaked that Netflix's upcoming 'Arrested Development' season 4 revival would officially debut in its entirety on the streaming website May 4, though the organization was quick to shoot down the gossip. Now, as the 'Arrested Development' panel unfolds at the Television Critics Association press tour, Netflix has quietly confirmed a vague release date for the series, somewhat proving the initial rumor correct. Find out when 'Arrested Development' season 4 debuts, new details, and how many episodes inside!
Fans of 'Arrested Development' have waited for the glorious return of our favorite Bluths since 2006, and today that dream becomes a bit more tangible. Despite denying rumors of a May 4 premiere, Netflix has officially confirmed that the new episodes will at least debut in May.
Beyond that, the streaming service also confirmed that the 'Arrested Development' reunion would clock in at 14 episodes, up from the initial order of 10. Given the recent and ongoing comments from cast and crew alike, the new episodes are intended as a sort of "anthology" that inevitably builds toward the movie, despite lacking any official confirmation of one.
Even more, near of the entire cast along with show-runner Mitch Hurwitz was on hand at the TCA press tour panel, asserting that the episodes' unique storytelling structure should prevent people from considering it "season 4," but rather "act 1" of a larger package that includes the movie. "It's one giant Arrested Development," explained Hurwitz. "When we were all talking about it, we wanted to find a way to jump from one story to another, in a sort of 'Choose Your Own Adventure.'"
Hurwitz also clarified that post-production would largely follow the cable episode model, cutting installments into run-times approaching a full 30 minutes. The entire panel was also treated to a sequence likely to be deleted from the upcoming run, featuring Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walter) blowing smoke into Buster (Tony Hale)'s mouth, only for the latter to continue running outside to exhale it each time.
‘Arrested Development’ season 4 features appearances from Conan O’Brien and Andy Richter, ‘Parks and Recreation‘s’ Ben Schwartz, ‘Up All Night’s’ Chris Diamantopoulos, all three stars of Comedy Central’s ‘Workaholics,’ ‘Mad Men’s’ John Slattery, Isla Fisher and Terry Crews, as well as returning series players Carl Weathers, Jeff Garlin, Liza Minnelli, Judy Greer, Henry Winkler and Scott Baio. Series star Michael Cera (George Michael Bluth) has also officially been added to the writing staff for the effort.
What say you? Are you excited to have a more official confirmation of 'Arrested Development's' return date? What do you want to see from the new episodes? Sound off in the comments!