The history of popular comedy series “Arrested Development” is complicated, to say the least. After what many believe are some of the best seasons that any sitcom has aired, in regards to “Arrested Development’s” first two seasons, the series hit a bit of a creative lull with Season 3 on Fox. Shortly thereafter, the series was canceled, but then revived seven years later thanks to Netflix. The streaming service released one-and-a-half seasons since (along with a “remixed” season), with many thinking the series’ best days are behind it.
Well, according to one of the stars of “Arrested Development,” it appears that the series could be done for good…again.
Speaking to the “Late Night with Seth Meyers Podcast” (yeah, that’s a thing), David Cross, who plays the scene-stealing Tobias Funke on the series, said he doesn’t think that Netflix or series creator Mitch Hurwitz will continue the series after the impending end of Season 5.
“I’ve learned to say ‘never say never,’ but I can’t see it happening again. I think for a number of reasons,” revealed Cross.
As mentioned, fans of the series have largely felt that “Arrested Development” struggled to reach the highs achieved in those first seasons and the relaunch on Netflix was an unmitigated disaster. Season 4, which saw the series completely restructure its storyline and episodes to accommodate the actors’ various busy schedules, is seen as a low point. And making matters worse, Hurwitz acquiesced to those disgruntled fans by remixing the series to make it more similar to the structure originally found on the series. That was also met with a bit of trepidation.
READ MORE: ‘Arrested Development’ Creator Defends Season 4, Says It’s His “Best Work”
All that led to what was supposed to be the series’ triumphant return in Season 5, which was split between two halves being released at separate dates. However, much like the fourth season, the new episodes were met with more fan apathy.
About that aforementioned last half of Season 5, Cross said that the last batch of Season 5 episodes should hit Netflix “at the beginning of the new year.”
The real question is what happens after those episodes hit? Will fans enjoy how the season ends, and hope for more episodes in the future? Or will all the recent controversy and mixed reviews lead to one of the most critically-acclaimed comedy series of the last two decades fading away in a whimper? We’ll find out in early 2019, apparently.