Is there a new model for television, and does it involve an old television series? Netflix seems to think so. I have yet to get on the House of Cards bandwagon (the first original with full season posting exclusively to Netflix) something about it all being available may encourage binging but it makes it a little daunting and a little less pressing for me to get started. And without a start the rest of my TiVo queue is just more imminent.
But what I will tune in for immediately is the long awaited fourth season of Arrested Development. After much hope for a possible flick a new season is in the works and will be posted exclusively to Netflix in May. Full season all at once, however will I pace myself!? And to prepare myself for this I have been rewatching the initial seasons. And I must say, they hold up well. The docu-style format is aptly utilized with the voice over and artful cutaways and inserts.
And truly a well-drawn dysfunctional family. They all are created as unique characters and yet are all clearly versions of this irregular family raised by somewhat parental figures played by Jessica Walter and Jeffrey Tambor. Jason Bateman as the ‘normal’ one adds just enough of his own quirks to keep him in the picture along with twin sis Portia de Rossi with somewhat husband David Cross, elder bro Will Arnett, and younger Tony Hale. Alia Shawkat and Michael Cera show how the dysfunction keeps going into the next generation. And the guest stars, they can’t all be as good as Liza Minelli but they’re mostly pretty darned good.
What have our characters been up to since last we saw them? Rumor has it each episode focuses on differing directions that they’ve gone and you know they’ll have to all end up together. Because if luck holds out a movie will follow. Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It’s Arrested Development.
Details: Arrested Development, Netflix streaming, the current season is also available on Hulu.
