Everyone agrees that the first three seasons of “Arrested Development” are comedy perfection, but as for the fourth season, which arrived on Netflix, let’s just say reaction was mixed. Mitch Hurwitz arguably let the creative freedom of the streaming site get to him, and the crisp, densely packed, 20 (or so) minute episodes from network TV, became baggy, 30-minute-plus affairs during the fourth season on Netflix. Even more, the structural, “Rashomon“-like approach to the story (seemingly used to accommodate cast availability) wasn’t quite a success either. And it seems Hurwitz has realized the error of his ways.
In a chat with Esquire about Maria Bamford‘s new Netflix show, Hurwitz used the opportunity to reveal he’s still trying to make a fifth season happen, but that he’s also recut the fourth season of “Arrested Development” quite drastically.
“It’ll happen. It’ll definitely happen. Not before the election, but it’s definitely going to happen. I say that because the actors want to do it, the studio wants to do it, Netflix wants to do it, I want to do it. It’s just making it happen. There’s no one resisting,” Hurwitz said about future episodes. “There’s a recut, too, of the fourth season, just to make it airable on TV. They’re like the old ‘Arrested Development.’ We redid all the narration and reshot a few little things. Now we have 22 episodes, and they’re delightful to watch and they’re much less work than the Netflix series. My hope is we’ll find a place to air those.”
Basically, Hurwitz has made a syndication version of the new episodes, which is firstly very smart business, but secondly, seems to have opened a creative door to possibly getting those episodes back to the magic of the first three seasons. I have to admit, as someone who struggled with the fourth season of “Arrested Development,” I’d be happy to give it a go again in this new, less bogged down iteration, even if it means watching the story unfold across 22 episodes instead of the original 15.
We’ll see which network picks it up and how it’ll be available to watch, and perhaps it’ll tide us all over until the fifth season gets made. [Screen Crush]
