Six years after Fox cancelled the show, Arrested Development is finally coming back to TV (and computers and smartphones and anything else that supports Netflix). The fourth season will debut on May 26 with 15 full episodes, each around 30 minutes, to be released at once.
It has been a big, big year for cancelled TV shows making a comeback. Recently, Veronica Mars announced that it had roundhouse kicked Kickstarter records in the face, and easily reached its target goal in order to bring the show back as a movie. As of this writing it has more than doubled its $2 million goal, and there are still 8 days to go. Its success has also also spurred talk of other shows following suit.
Shawn Ryan’s short lived detective series Terriers may soon head to Kickstarter, and Bryan Fuller’s Pushing Daisies may join it. Veronica Mars’ creator Rob Thomas has even claimed that Warner Bros., the company that owns the rights to Veronica Mars, is considering the Veronica Mars’ Kickstarter project as a guinea pig for other properties. If the movie it spawns is a success, Warner Bros. may consider this a legitimate new model to help finance struggling properties with a loyal fan base.
In the meantime though, Arrested Development will return with its original staff and crew, including series creator Mitch Hurwitz. Netflix is hoping this will be the first of many collaborations, although Hurwitz has claimed this will be the final season.
