A 'Remix' Version of 'Arrested Development' Season 4 Is Hitting Netflix on Cinco de Cuatro
It's no secret that season four of cult comedy "Arrested Development" was a bit divisive, both literally and figuratively, with the main cast separated for most of its duration. Now, creator Mitch Hurwitz has rectified that situation by recutting the entire season into chronological order -- and fans will be able to see it within a matter of days.
Hurwitz announced his ambitious plan via the official "Arrested Development" Twitter page on Tuesday, revealing two exciting updates about new "Arrested" content: First, that the long-awaited fifth season of the series will be making its debut "real soon" (Hurwitz declined to be more specific than that). And second, that this updated version of season four would be available to stream on Netflix on a fake holiday celebrated by the Bluths: Cinco de Cuatro, a.k.a. this coming Friday, May 4.
On the next... Arrested Development pic.twitter.com/NjP26k9KE7
— Arrested Development (@arresteddev) May 1, 2018
According to Hurwitz, the decision to recut the episodes stemmed from trying to mine a different kind of comedy from a different kind of storytelling structure (and perhaps also offering an olive branch to fans who were turned off by the languid pace and scattered structure of the original season four). Here's how the creator explained his thought process:
The original season 4 of Arrested Development on Netflix, as some of you know, experimented with a Rashoman-style of storytelling - with each episode dedicated to the adventure of one member of the Bluth family.
The goal was that by the end of the season, a unified story of cause and effect would emerge for the viewer - full of surprises about how the Bluths were responsible for most of the misery they had endured.
... But in between season 4 and this upcoming season 5 I had time to take that Rashoman-type story and recut it - shuffling the content from 15 individualized episodes into 22 interwoven stories the length of the original series ....
[It was] a comedic experiment to see if new jokes and a new perspective would emerge from a remix that features all the Bluths in every episode, and where the simultaneity of the story plays out chronologically. And I'm really excited about the final result. It's funny in a whole new way, and I believe it creates a really entertaining and hilarious new experience.
Hurwitz has actually been talking about recutting the series since at least 2014, so we're happy to see him finally follow through on his plan to tinker with the timeline. We, along with Tobias, just blue ourselves.
"Arrested Development Season 4 Remix: Fateful Consequences" will be available on Netflix on Friday.
[via: Arrested Development/Twitter]