Netflix Bringing ‘Arrested Development’ Back

Netflix is bringing back comedy Arrested Development for a fifth season, the series airing in 2018. The creator, Mitchell Hurwitz, and the entire regular cast, including Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, Portia de Rossi, David Cross and Alia Shawkat, are on board for the revival.

Netflix brought the show back for season four after it had been cancelled by Fox after three seasons in 2006. It premiered in 2013.

"Arrested Development brings us structures, outerwear and choreography like no other comedy in history,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. “Season Four marked the first foray by Netflix into original comedy programming and this time, the Bluths will collectively be spending more quality time with their millions of fans around the world.”

Executive producers on Arrested Development include Brian Grazer and Ron Howard (who also narrates).

“In talks with Netflix we all felt that stories about a narcissistic, erratically behaving family in the building business—and their desperate abuses of power—are really underrepresented on TV these days,” said Hurwitz. “I am so grateful to them and to 20th TV for making this dream of mine come true in bringing the Bluths, George Sr., Lucille and the kids;  Michael, Ivanka, Don Jr., Eric, George-Michael, and who am I forgetting, oh Tiffany.  Did I say Tiffany?—back to the glorious stream of life.”    

Fox Television Group chairmen and CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman called Arrested Development “one of the iconic franchises we, Ron and Brian are asked about most.”

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.