Arrested Development - Season Four

After the series was cancelled in 2006 after just three seasons (each one shorter than the one that preceded it due to the low ratings) rumours of a revival have floated around ever since. The finale episode ended with an appearance from Ron Howard (the show’s eponymous narrator and the series’ Executive Producer) teasing the possibility of a movie, which added fuel to the fire that – against the odds – Arrested Development would return.

For a long time the rumours floated around; some were optimistic, proclaiming that the script had been written and that the film was in pre-production; but contrasting reports would also emerge dispelling such rumours. Ultimately no movie ever appeared, and with all of the series’ principal actors having moved on to have careers of their own, the likelihood of an Arrested Development reunion seemed less likely all the time. 

But then the news arrived (not just rumours) that the series would indeed be returning, with a series of episodes centred around individual members of the Bluth family, which would bring their storylines up to date since the events of the third season finale. The episodes were all released on Netflix on the 26^th May 2013, allowing audiences access to the entire season straight away. This would prove vital to the show’s new format, as audiences would need access to every episode in order for many of the jokes to make coherent sense. Information is distributed in pieces throughout the series, so the full meaning behind any given joke will remain unclear until the season has been seen in its entirety. Arrested Development was always a show that rewarded audiences on repeat viewings, as it was so densely packed with comedic material, but re-watching the fourth season is practically a necessity due to the new format.

The new season is – I’m sorry to say – something of a mixed bag, falling below the stellar standard set by the three preceding seasons. To its credit the quality of the writing is still very strong, and the show has reinvented itself in a very intelligent manner (the mind-mangling narrative must have been a nightmare to maintain). All of the shows main actors (and the majority of the secondary cast) all reprise their roles, and it is great to see all of these characters again. The actors all get back into their roles with ease, and the decision to bring the story up to date makes perfect sense, as many of the cast have noticeably aged since 2006. 

Unfortunately there are several significant problems, one of which is the pacing. The new episodes all run at around half an hour in length (some are even longer) whilst in previous seasons they were closer to twenty minutes. The old episodes were shorter, and consequently much sharper and more replete with layer-upon-layer of comedic material. The new episodes on the other hand feel overly long, with significantly less material to fill the running time. The change in format only adds to this, because now that the episodes focus on the stories of individual family members, they will no longer cut away to scenes from separate storylines, leaving us with scenes which often run on too long.

Something that is also absent is the sense of ensemble, which is vital to the show’s comedic brilliance. There are far too few scenes in which more than one member of the Bluth family are present at the same time. When such scenes do arrive the show starts to feel like itself again, and I often found myself more engaged, as well as when scenes would take place in familiar settings (such as the model home, or Lucille’s apartment). This issue is not something that could really be helped, as all of the actors have careers of their own, and consequently busy schedules; thus explaining the shortage of ensemble scenes. 

This leads onto one of my biggest issues with the new episodes: Michael (I’m imagining the name spoken by GOB!). Michael Bluth is the heart of the show; the normal one in the crazy family; the straight-man who acts as the perfect foil to the eccentric antics of all the other family members. When the ensemble element is all but diminished from the show, and there are hardly any scenes in which he interacts with the other members of the family, what’s left? The character becomes needy, selfish and pathetic, which just doesn’t feel right.

Only certain characters are eccentric enough to warrant having entire episodes to themselves; the standout episodes being the ones centred around GOB. The Lindsay-centric episodes were quite weak, as were the George Sr. ones (he was always a solid incidental character, but not enough to build whole episodes around).  These particular episodes put a lot of focus onto new characters, who were okay but not hugely memorable.

I see this season as the writers trying to write their way out of a tight spot. The show skilfully integrated its own cancellation into storyline, and here the writers have done it again, accommodating the passage of time, significant events that occurred during the series’ absence, the ways in which television has changed, the availability of the cast, and the rumours of an Arrested Development movie to the extent that Ron Howard is now an active presence within the show’s universe. The writers have undergone a gargantuan task in order to bridge the gap between 2006 and 2013, and for that they deserve to be commended. The only problem being that the new episodes just weren’t really funny enough, especially when weighed up against the cavalcade of comedy that can be found in any given episode from any of the first three seasons.

I feel that I have criticised this new season quite a lot, but that is because being a fan of this show has conditioned me to expect a high standard. I may re-watch the season, and doing so may bring more positive points to mind, as I’m worried that this review seems more negative than intended. What was delivered was decent, but felt muzzled by all of the restraints. 

Overall I see Season 4 as a transitional season, which will hopefully open the door allowing the show to return to its absolute best. Jason Bateman said in an interview that this season should be viewed as Act One of a bigger story, which is an encouraging sign.