Somewhere Over the Rainbow, There’s Another Rainbow: What to Expect from the Fourth Season of Arrested Development

Now, back to the story of a wealthy family who lost everything and the one son who is still trying to keep them all together.

It’s the long-awaited, highly-anticipated fourth season of Arrested Development.

Taste the happy, Michael. Netflix has confirmed that after much trial and tribulation, the fourth season of Arrested Development will premiere for its US and UK users this May! BOOYAH!

Described as part serial dramedy and part choose-your-own-adventure-novel, these 14 installments – each episode focusing on a different character – are apparently not actually a “season” in the traditional sense. Annyong? What this means is that while the episodes will not be strictly linear, they will have an order to them to convey a storyline and provide the maximum number of twists and turns.

Since Netflix isn’t trying to fill air time, episodes can be as long or short as they need to be. A show like Arrested Development – famed for its brilliant nuance, in-jokery, and snowballing plotlines – will no doubt benefit from the creative liberties that otherwise would not have been possible.

The whole purpose of the fourth season, after all, is to serve as the opening act of an eventual Arrested Development movie. That said, the most exciting part, to me, as a habitual TV-binge watcher, is that Netflix will be releasing the entire season at one time. How do you like those egg rolls, Mr. Goldstone?

However, fans of the cult comedy should prepare themselves for what the show’s creator, Mitch Hurwitz, is calling “very different” from previous seasons.

“The bigger story [of the season] is the family has fallen apart. They all went their own way, without Michael holding them together, so they’re left to their own devices, and they’re not the most successful devices.” Hurwitz explained in a recent interview with USA Today.

“We’re not jumping from one thing to another; you’re staying with one character.”

And while Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) will be the only character to appear in every episode, you will not see the full cast assembled until the movie. “I can assure you that the characters are just as damaged, self-involved and self-righteous as ever. The show will look very different.”

So what about cameos?

So far, beloved guest stars Henry Winkler, Scott Baio, Mae Whitman, Judy Greer, Liza Minnelli, and Carl Weathers have all signed on to the project. As to whether they will appear within these episodes or have their storyline worked into the movie is hard to say. Are there some notable appearances you would like to see repeated?

Jannika Coons (@JerkasaurusRex) is a pop culture enthusiast, amateur historian, and a self-confessed geek. She loves puns, b-movies, and Byzantine history. IRL, when she’s not writing, she dabbles in freelance graphic design and marketing. Jannika is also one third of the creative talent behind Cullen the Kettle Black, a Twilight parody web comic.