‘Arrested Development’ May Never See A Fifth Season, According To Jason Bateman
After a fourth season of Arrested Development brought with it a good deal of success for Netflix, it was all but confirmed that the streaming provider would go on to develop a fifth season of the show, with several rumours circulating that cast was already working on it. In fact, those rumours grew into almost certainty with producers and creators of the show announcing publically that work on Season 5 of Arrested Development was underway.
However, fans looking forward to a fifth season of Arrested Development are now sure to be disappointed, as Jason Bateman, one of the show’s main stars, has commented that there’s no confirmed news around Arrested Development Season 5, and he has no idea where the rumours came from.
“I don’t know where that got started. There is no plan. I haven’t heard of anything solid going forward.”
Jason Bateman, who plays Michael Bluth in the hit sitcom, went on to say in an interview with Zap2It that there’s simply no substance to the aforementioned rumors and that he’s not entirely sure whether or not a fifth season of Arrested Development will happen at all. Bateman went on to cement his comments around Arrested Development by saying that he personally hasn’t been given a start date to show up on set, and considering the gravitas of his character in the show, there’s a good chance that Bateman would be needed going forward.
Jason Bateman: 'There is no plan' for #ArrestedDevelopment Season 5 https://t.co/YGYaXbAdbT pic.twitter.com/rApODe3Tk6
— Screener (@screenertv) February 24, 2016
That being said, Bateman remains grateful that both fans and the press are on top of the idea of a fifth season of Arrested Development and clearly believes that the sitcom has another series left in it. However, with no confirmation from Netflix that they’re looking to pick up a fifth season, it looks increasingly unlikely that’ll ever happen.
Arrested Development hasn’t always been a Netflix original series. The show started it’s life on FOX in 2003, where it ran for three seasons through to 2006. Arrested Development largely received low ratings and viewership on the network towards the end, hence the decision by the channel to cancel the show. A few years later, the show was added to the Netflix library, where, according to the streaming provider, it received a good deal of success. In 2011, Netflix reached an agreement to licence a fourth series of Arrested Development to be aired exclusively on the streaming platform.
When the fourth season of Arrested Development aired on Netflix, many fans were left a little concerned by the decision to slightly shake up the show’s formula. However, as the original writing style and comedic value began to seep through, perceptions of the series appeared to be largely pretty positive.
Arrested Development’s lead actor is, of course, Jason Bateman, who fans of the series know plays Michael Bluth in all four seasons of the show. The sitcom follows Bateman’s character as he attempts to do the right thing and keep his family together, no matter what happens. However, he isn’t given an easy task when surrounded by a family who sees materialism and selfishness as an essential part of everyday life. With that in mind, Jason Bateman’s character is an important one to the ongoing development of Arrested Development, and fans can’t exactly a see a fifth series of the show going ahead without his knowledge.
The decision around the future of Arrested Development is now undeniably in the hands of Netflix. However, considering Jason Bateman has absolutely no knowledge of a fifth season of the show being in the works, it seems more and more likely that fans of Arrested Development are going to be disappointed.
[Image via Netflix]
