Entertainment

Can We Watch Season 5 In Any Order?

by Loretta Donelan

It's official; there will be more Arrested Development. No only did Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos say that Season 5 of Arrested Development is "just a matter of when," but Will Arnett has also confirmed the return of the series to Netflix. Not only is it significant and joyous news that there will be more of the Bluths, but it's important that it, like Season 4, will be on Netflix. My question is: will Season 5 play with format and chronology in the same way that Season 4 did?

For those who forgot, the first season of Arrested Development on Netflix was originally meant to be watched in any order. It was released at a time when Netflix originals were still a pretty new concept, and creator Mitch Hurwitz reportedly wanted to use the fact that it was all released at once to his creative advantage. The endeavor was somewhat successful, though Hurwitz later said that the show should be watched in order.

I found the strange chronology of Arrested Development to be a little difficult to get into, and the season often felt a little repetitive. Because Hurwitz must have struggled with the format to redact his original plan, I doubt he will assign himself the same challenge. Additionally, I feel that we are all so used to binge watching new seasons of shows by now that the format doesn't really need to be toyed with. I hope Hurwitz can instead find a new way to innovate, and my hopes are very high.