Time for my Bluth fix. Photo courtsey of http://www.castleawesome.com.
May 27 2013, I just Netflix streamed the entire 4th season of Arrested Development. Seven years have passed since the last episode aired on TV. What can I say, Bravo Netflix Bravo.
I wasn’t planning on writing a review, however reading some negative ones, I felt obligated to throw in my two cents. The new season has many factors that deserve praise:
- The entire main cast, vast supporting cast, Mitchell Hurwitz (creator), past writers, and even Ron Howard return for this season. Kudos to Netflix for getting the band back together.
- Just the shire amount of familiar faces that grace this season is a good enough reason to watch. Such as Ben Stiller, Isla Fisher, Seth Rogen, the list just goes on. In particular that added alittle extra boast to my smile was the appearance of the cast of Workaholics and Conan O’Brien.
- The structure of the new season. The 15 episode season covers the entire seven years between the last aired Fox episode and the Netflix release. However, the approach is quite unique. Each episode focuses on a specific main character who’s story line runs parallel and intersecting paths with the other characters. I would compare it to a bowl of messy spaghetti. You pick one noodle slurping it into your mouth watching it untangle itself through all the other al dente noodles. You repeat this process until the bowl is empty. For a brief moment, you are sadden by the marinara lined bowl with no noodles. Then leaning back, you belch rubbing your belly realizing that you are full from a delicious meal.
- Let the good times roll. The comedic style of the new season is an exact match to the previous seasons. So, hardcore fans will continue to roll on the ground even when the comedy is some what predictable. From Gob’s inappropriate magic tricks to Buster’s continuous issues with his hand replacement. You just can’t get enough.
Warning, do not give up early in the new season. As you watch deeper into the the season, the jokes start compounding on top of each other resulting in a delicious mess. The episodes are under 30 minutes. Do yourself a favor, watch at least the first 6 episodes before you decide to call it quits.
Some will give Netflix hell on such an open ended new season. Plus with all hints of a future production, this gives us some sort of assurance that Netflix will continue the Bluths story in another installment(s). I look forward to it.
For the original programming I have viewed, Neflix is 2 for 4 at the plate. The two hits being House of Cards and Arrested Development Season 4. The two misses being Lilyhammer and Hemlock Grove. If you think about that, this is pretty good stats for a new player in the original content game. Netflix pat yourself on the back. Keep up the good work.
Can u dig it? 