Netflix users: get ready for more “Arrested Development.”
The streaming giant announced Wednesday that it’ll be bringing back the lovably dysfunctional Bluth family for a fifth season, which is set to premiere in 2018.
The entire regular series cast — Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, Portia de Rossi, David Cross and Alia Shawkat — are all set to return.
Of course, the main crew — including series creator Mitchell Hurwitz and executive producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard — all had something to say about the renewal.
Hurwitz hinted at what many fans had been thinking since the 2016 election and drew the line between the Bluth family and the Trumps.
“In talks with Netflix we all felt that stories about a narcissistic, erratically behaving family in the building business — and their desperate abuses of power — are really underrepresented on TV these days,” said Hurwitz. “I am so grateful to them and to 20th TV for making this dream of mine come true in bringing the Bluths, George Sr., Lucille and the kids; Michael, Ivanka, Don Jr., Eric, George-Michael, and who am I forgetting, oh Tiffany. Did I say Tiffany? — back to the glorious stream of life.”
“I love working with Mitch. He is a genius and the rarest of original thinkers. He brings a richness to the characters and the storylines that makes the series memorably fun,” Grazer added.
Howard said that he was excited he can finally talk about it.
“Whew! I can finally answer the question… Hell yes! Warming up my uncredited narrator vocal chords. Now the only thing I will have to be coy about is all the craziness the Bluths are going to face this season,” he said.
The news comes after star Jason Bateman confirmed on Twitter that he had signed up for more of the show, but didn’t specify in what capacity. He also said that he’ll be putting more “miles on the Stair Car” this summer, hinting that production will start then.
Last time we saw the Bluths was in 2013, when Netflix premiered a fourth season of the show, which had been canceled in 2006. That 15-episode season, which picked up seven years later, was originally intended to serve as the lead-in to a movie, although executive producer Brian Grazer said back in 2015 that more episodes were on the way, alluding to another season instead.