Don’t Worry: Netflix "Definitely Planning To Do More” Seasons Of ‘Arrested Development’

Television

by Charlie Schmidlin
February 27, 2013 9:22 AM
4 Comments

In every discussion surrounding the long-awaited fourth season of “Arrested Development,” there’s been the presumption of longevity; that everything Mitch Hurtwitz is planning will blend into a master timeline of Bluth family chronicles. At least, that was the case until Netflix CEO Reed Hastings declared the upcoming season to be “a one-off” and “non-repeatable,” but luckily, elsewhere in the company it seems the mood is more optimistic.

While essentially confirming Hastings’ quotes as accurate, a Netflix spokesperson has now said (via Hitfix) more episodes on the streaming service still remain a possibility. Apparently, Hastings dire conclusions came from the past struggle of organizing the “Arrested Development” cast for production, a common complaint that has stuck around since the revival’s beginnings.

“I think we all knew it was lightning in the bottle that we pulled it all together," said the spokesperson, who also pointed to Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos as another confident party. “If anyone can pull it together, it's going to be Ted. But by no means is this the end of it. We're definitely planning to do more with them. We have first rights, so it's not like you'd see it anywhere else.”

As reflected, all hope is not yet lost for more seasons and the film (which currently has no deal in place), but the pressure surrounding the show’s Netflix success clearly just went up about ten notches. The solution is simple, though: pull a “House of Cards,” and show up for “Arrested Development” when all 14 episodes are released on Netflix in May.

Television

More: Television, TV News, Arrested Development

4 Comments

| Reply
Cassandra | March 4, 2013 4:04 PMReply

I love "Arrested Development!"
Rena Moretti | February 28, 2013 6:19 PMReply

They probably realized that while the press loves to talk about Arrested Development, its actual viewership is quite narrow and doesn't match expectations.
jake | February 27, 2013 12:26 PMReply

I don't really believe they could make a second season. I understand why Netflix would want to bring the show back, but you have to think some of these actors are actually big, big moneymakers (ok...maybe just Bateman...and possibly Arnett...but mostly Bateman). Their stocks have increase so much since the original show to the point where this extra season feels more like a reunion tour. I think these actors probably want to finally close the book on this after a little fan service.
hinty | February 27, 2013 12:14 PMReply

Reed Hastings said the current series is a "one off" on Netflix, but added that future seasons will be underwritten by Qwikster.