After Steve Bannon was arrested for fraud related to the “We Build the Wall” campaign, the cult classic show Arrested Development got an unexpected boost on Twitter. The reason? Bannon was arrested while aboard a $28 million 150-foot yacht off the coast of Westbrook, Connecticut — a situation that closely mimicked the opening scene of the series.
“NBC News confirms: Steve Bannon was aboard a 150-foot-long yacht in Long Island Sound, off the coast of Westbrook, Connecticut, when he was arrested,” tweeted MSNBC Senior Producer Kyle Griffin.
In the first episode of Arrested Development, the Bluth family gathered on a large yacht off the coast of Orange County, California to celebrate the retirement of the family patriarch George. While partying, the boat was approached by officers, and he was arrested for fraud.
Later in the series, George Bluth promised to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, going so far as to run an election campaign with the slogan “Build the Wall.”
The similarities to the Trump administration and Bannon’s arrest prompted many on Twitter to poke fun at the situation.
“Previously, on Arrested Development,” actress Amber Tamblyn wrote in response to the news of Bannon’s arrest.
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) August 20, 2020
“This is almost literally the opening scene of the Arrested Development pilot,” added author and professor Josh Chafetz.
Bannon was arrested on a yacht for a scam to “build the wall”. We are clearly living in Ron Howards’s “Arrested Development” universe. pic.twitter.com/A6NHXrKf5h
— Patrick Aldrich (@AldrichPatrick) August 20, 2020
Some fans hoped that the series was trending because there was going to be another reboot or movie announcement, but were disappointed to realize that it was related to Bannon’s arrest.
“I saw Arrested Development trending and thought, ‘Oh nice, maybe they’re rebooting it!’ then remembered…”
The show, which starred Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Alia Shawkat, Portia de Rossi, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Cera, Jessica Walter, David Cross, and Tony Hale ran for five seasons, with 3 original seasons followed by two reboot seasons. The final episode aired on March 15, 2019, though fans have been eager to hear if there will be another addition to the storyline or if a movie might happen.
Some of the social media commenters remarked that perhaps Bannon’s arrest was the return of the program that they’d be waiting for.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Bannon served as Donald Trump’s White House chief strategist and in his election campaign. Bannon, along with two others, is accused of raising mover $25 million to construct a barrier along the border of Mexico but directing the funds for personal use instead. Prosecutors said that the three defendants lied and engaged in fraud by misappropriating the funds.