The feverishly anticipated fourth season of “Arrested Development” is almost among us, and creator Mitch Hurwitz's hint of the new episodes representing a “first act” to an eventual film has only stoked fan excitement. For that large contingency the pleasant news continues, as the series' recent production has yielded potential for extra avenues through the latest Bluth family chapter.
Commissioned by Netflix for ten episodes originally when its return was inked, the comedy is now receiving an expanded season of 12-15 installments due to Hurwitz's ambitious handling. Having shot more promising footage than initially planned, as well as thinking up fresh ideas for additional storylines and scenes, Hurwitz then pressed the series' producing studios, 20th Century Fox TV and Imagine TV, to return to Netflix with a revised order, to which they agreed.
Due to the sudden change in material, the series' production — which was due to wrap right around Thanksgiving — was put on hold last week while Hurwitz and co. are working exhaustively to place the new narrative arc into the show's labyrinthine comedic structure. Production will gear back up in late January.
Luckily, Netflix has already set a spring premiere for the series that still remains a reality, so before anyone posits the maneuver as too much of a good thing, we think there remains just enough time until then to keep our impatient selves just as excited, if not more. [Deadline]