Netflix will debut a re-cut edition of Arrested Development season 4 that at last puts the fragmented story in chronological order. When canceled cult sitcom Arrested Development finally got a fourth season on Netflix, hopes were high that Mitchell Hurwitz and company would recapture the magic that made the show so beloved (though not by enough people to actually keep it on the air).
Though the Bluth family was still up to their same old antics, and Hurwitz still had a wizard-like command of the show’s veritable galaxy of running gags, Arrested Development season 4 wound up disappointing a lot of fans. The biggest complaint was that the season was too fragmented and non-linear and that nothing really paid off. Another big issue for fans was the notable lack of interaction between characters, as most episodes focused on only one or two members of the cast.
Arrested Development creator Hurwitz long-ago heard the complaints of fans about season 4 and promised a re-cut version that would put the episodes in chronological order. Now, as revealed on the Arrested Development Twitter, that re-cut is ready to see the light of day on Netflix. Hurwitz’s season 4 do-over goes by the title Arrested Development Season 4 Remix: Fateful Consequences. The re-worked season debuts on Netflix on Friday, May 4. Read Hurwitz’s full statement about the newly reworked season below:
After the re-cut, the original 15-episode season now runs 22 episodes. According to Hurwitz, he did this not only to fix the flaws of season 4, but to stretch it out into more episodes the better to reach the minimum number needed for syndication. Hurwitz says the new cut remedies one of the main problems with season 4 by putting more characters together in the same episodes. However, if the characters are still performing in their own stories and not actually interacting, it’s fair to ask how much of an improvement it really is.
As for the debut of season 5, Hurwitz will only say it’s coming soon. However, Arrested Development actor Henry Winkler recently said in an interview that season 5 will debut in midsummer. The new season reportedly revolves around a murder mystery involving the disappearance of Lucille Austero from season 4. Now fans can watch the re-worked season 4, with the story at least laid out in chronological order, in preparation for the big season 5 resolution of the Lucille 2 mystery. And yes, we’ve already been promised that season 5 will not be a big mess of solo episodes, but will feature the Bluth clan actually appearing together in scenes just like the old days.
More: The TV Show Revival Trend Needs to Die
Arrested Development Season 4 Remix: Fateful Consequences debuts May 4 on Netflix
Source: Arrested Development
