The Blunders Of Season 4 And 5 Could Make Room For A Season 6 Of The Arrested Development

Blunders of Arrested Development in season 4 & 5 — DKODING Studio

Arrested Development folded sooner than it should have because of certain mistakes it made when it was picked up by Netflix. Those blunders will need to be worked on in season 6, if there is to be one.

When it was first released in 2003, Arrested Development proved to be a hilarious show that punched up, scathingly laughing at the privileged upper classes of America. The show focused on the Bluths, a rich but dysfunctional family whose patriarch gets arrested on charges of fraud, leaving the rest of the family bankrupt.

Highlights:

What made Arrested Development a cult sitcom
The blunders in seasons 4 and 5
What needs to be improved if it is renewed

Very original, and with the use of a range of unique storytelling techniques and devices such as security camera footage, flashbacks, archive films, website screenshots, and family photos, there was, quite literally, no other show that did comedy and sitcom the way Arrested Development did.

So, it wasn’t such a surprise when Netflix picked up the TV show in 2013 the first time it got cancelled by Fox due to low ratings – after a full seven years, no less – and then once again in 2018. But seasons 4 and 5 did not, it seems, pack a punch.

Video Credits: WatchMojo.com

But if Arrested Development season 6 is ever going to be a reality, the creators will need to make good with the blunders they made in the last two seasons.

What got Arrested Developmentits viewers

Even though it garnered low ratings during its initial run, ‘Arrested Development’ managed to get a cult following among a dedicated group of viewers who were vocal about launching it again following its cancellation after season 3. Not only that, but the sitcom also won a lot of critical acclaims. What was it about the show that won it such accolades and fandom?

Well, to begin with, the way the show was shot was itself unique for the time – the use of handheld cameras, using different storytelling devices, and so on – and in fact, the show was a direct inspiration for sitcoms like Community that came later. Then there was also the satirical element that worked brilliantly, portraying the Bluth family as laughably incompetent, self-absorbed rich people without morals or principles who’ve lasted in society only because of their money and privilege.

Video Credits: Netflix

The show also was a delight to watch and just fun to engage with, with its several call-backs and visual gags and puns and double-entendres. But most importantly, Arrested Development was ultimately a very funny TV show.

The blunders in seasons 4 and 5

These were the things that made up the building blocks of the sitcom, which the makers departed from in seasons 4 and 5.

The creators took on an experimental mode in season 4, using a non-linear narrative structure and focusing on individual characters in each episode. This was perhaps done being mindful of the schedules of the cast members, but it didn’t seem to work so well with the viewers.

Season 5 was lukewarm on the whole, with the same storylines being repeated and played on. The season was also crammed with too many subplots and too many running gags, ultimately tangling on itself and resulting in narrative arcs that hardly made sense.

Back to the basics

If it happens at all, Arrested Development season 6 will need to rectify some errors.

Fans fell in love with what the show originally was: a hilarious parody of a rich dysfunctional family and their arrogance after they have fallen on hard times, done with searing satire, plenty of inside jokes, and novel storytelling techniques. It will need to be as weird, absurdly funny, and whacky as it was in its first few seasons.