Arrested Development season 5 is officially happening
Michael Bluth and co will return for a long-awaited fifth season in 2018
There’s always money in the banana stand: the most eccentric family in TV are returning to Netflix.
The entirety of the original Arrested Development cast, including breakout stars Michael Cera, Jason Bateman and Jeffrey Tambor, will be returning for another run as the incredibly dysfunctional Bluth family, which will premiere on the streaming service in 2018.
This comes after years of teasing and uncertainty surrounding the show’s future, which seemed to have fallen victim to the thriving careers of its stars, many of whom could not make their schedules meet in order to film the new series. Until now, that is.
“In talks with Netflix we all felt that that stories about a narcissistic, erratically behaving family in the building business – and their desperate abuses of power – are really underrepresented on TV these days,” joked series creator Mitchell Hurwitz. “I am so grateful to them and to 20th TV for making this dream of mine come true in bringing the Bluths, George Sr., Lucille and the kids; Michael, Ivanka, Don Jr., Eric, George-Michael, and who am I forgetting, oh Tiffany. Did I say Tiffany? — back to the glorious stream of life.”
Despite experiencing mediocre ratings throughout its initial run on FOX in the US, Arrested Development accrued a loyal fanbase as an incredibly nuanced and witty comedy, peppered with in-jokes and references that reward repeat viewing. Talk of a fourth season swarmed for years before Netflix finally revived the show in 2013.
Along with the entire original cast, showrunner Mitch Hurwitz and uncredited narrator Ron Howard will also return for season 5.
"Whew! I can finally answer the question… Hell yes!" exec producer Ron Howard said. "Warming up my uncredited narrator vocal chords. Now the only thing I will have to be coy about is all the craziness the Bluths are going to face this season.”
Here’s to another season of chicken impressions, Liza Minelli and forgetmenots.
