call me, maeby?
After Fox made a terrible mistake, Netflix got a stew going with “Arrested Development” creator Mitchell Hurwitz. The public outcry about the peculiar comedy’s cancellation has been non-stop since its untimely demise in 2006, and finally the show’s relentless fans will be satiated as it arrives online the last week of May. “And that’s why you always leave a note,” indeed.
“Arrested Development” originally ran for three seasons. The beautifully bizarre series starred Jason Bateman as the reluctant leader of the tirelessly troubled Bluth clan, portrayed by an all-star cast including: Michael Cera, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, Portia de Rossi, David Cross and Alia Shawkat. (Often featuring cameos from Carl Weathers, Liza Minelli, Charlize Theron, Henry Winkler, Scott Baio, Martin Short, and more.) Despite earning an Emmy for outstanding comedy series for its debut season, lackluster ratings sunk “Arrested Development,” where it buoyed not-so-quietly into a cult favorite.
Since then, both cast members and Hurwitz himself often talked of revisiting the series as a movie, much to fans’ delight. But instead, thanks to some foresight on Netflix’s part, the series gets to enjoy a proper closure, with a full final season set to explore the twisted life and loves of the dysfunctional Bluth dynasty.
Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer of Netflix, said in a statement that Hurwitz will be presenting “Arrested Development” in “a brand new way, crafted for the on-demand generation that has come to discover the show in the years since it last appeared on TV.” He added, “The highly anticipated return of this show is sure to make history all over again.”
But with the wry sense of humor one might expect from the quirky creator, Hurwitz issued his own statement saying that Sarandos was “going to be immensely disappointed.” He continued: “In truth we are doing something very ambitious that can only be done with Netflix as partners and on their platform. Finally my simple wish for the show is coming true: that it be broadcast every second around the clock to every television, computer or mobile device in existence.”
Will George Michael still be pine for his cousin Maeby? Will there always be money in the banana stand? Find out when Netflix posts all fifteen new episodes of “Arrested Development,” simultaneously at 12:01 a.m. PST on Sunday, May 26. –Casandra Armour
