Arrested Development Season 4 Extended

According to an article on SreenRant, a website giving movie and T.V. information, the fourth season of Arrested Development was extended to include 5 more episodes than originally planned.  This was due to an excess of footage being shot and new ideas for story lines that would take longer than 10 seasons to portray.

The interesting part about this is all of the episodes in the season will be released all at once on Netflix.  This seems pretty easy to add more episodes than previously intended since there is no T.V. schedule that needs to be followed.  If the new season of Arrested Development was shown on T.V., it would be much more difficult, or even impossible to extend the season.

Would it be much simpler for all episode-based programs to start becoming a part of Netflix or similar website.  It would allow greater creativity for the team making the show as they could increase or decrease the length of the season at any time.  Just as Arrested Development did, more story lines could be added to make it even more interesting and appealing to viewers.

ScreenRant Article:
http://screenrant.com/arrested-development-season-4-more-episodes/

The Journey of "Arrested Development"

“Arrested Development” debuted on Fox in 2003.  The show was cancelled in 2006 after its third season.  A decade ago, before the era of social and streaming, things were much different.  Television was different.  Content was different.  More importantly, perhaps, how content was distributed and accessed was different.  In 2003, according to Brian Stelter of the New York Times, only thirty percent of American Households had DVD players, and a measly three percent had DVRs.

Fast forward, pun intended, to 2013.  A survey by the Leichtman Research Group suggests that DVRs are in over half of all U.S. households that subscribe to either cable or satellite (Huffington Post).  DVDs – who needs ‘em?  Need we do the math?  The rise in popularity of digital streaming services is astounding.  And, as content becomes increasingly easy to access, it also becomes increasingly adaptable – good news for the cast and crew of “Arrested Development.”

When “Arrested Development” launched its fourth series on Netflix, the show was, in a way, revived.  The audience got to view “AD” when and where they wanted, at a very personal level.  From any device – phone, tablet, laptop – viewers can truly be up-close to the content.  The ability to pause, fast-forward or entirely re-watch “AD” also helps to create a more personalized feel.  Fans can reach out to other fans via numerous social media platforms – again, personal.  Very different from a mere decade ago!

Now, after the series received a 2013 Emmy nomination for Jason Bateman as best actor, the show’s Mitch Hurwitz talks of plans for an “Arrested Development” movie.  The plans, in specific, are unknown – perhaps another Netflix debut.  

Watch the "AD" crew talk movie possibilities

A New Contender at the Emmys

The 65^th Primetime Emmy Awards could change the future of television.  This year, traditional TV is faced by a new competitor – Netflix.   Series produced by the internet streaming giant have racked-up a total of 14 nominations.  Among them, “Arrested Development’s” Jason Bateman received a nomination for best actor. 

Craig Timberg and Max Ehrenfreund of the Washington Post, write that Netflix’s move to produce it’s own shows has “upset the equation, especially now that it has made good on its goal of developing high-quality series in the model of premium cable channels such as HBO.”  They say that the Emmy nominations garnered by Netflix will “encourage more companies to produce their own shows,” and that companies like Amazon will “expand their ambitions” to create more and better shows.

As we move forward – towards more streaming content – it’s hard to be certain what the overall impact on the television industry will be.  It’s interesting to observe the adaptation of traditional TV outlets and content distributors, as more and more consumers are “cutting the cord.” 

Arrested Development Season Four - Preliminary Report

Before the debut of Arrested Development’s fourth season, social networking sites across the spectrum were 'buzzing' with excited fans anticipating the show’s premier on Netflix.  The show’s “digital buzz” tripled that of Netflix’s debut of the popular series “House of Cards.”  "AD" fans had been long awaiting this arrival – moreover, that they could now 'binge' through the series, delving into the content whenever and wherever.

According to Procera Networks, a California-based broadband technology firm, "Arrested Development" saw promising viewer ratings early after its Netflix debut.  One unspecified DSL provider tracked by Procera, showed that “thirty-six percent of all devices connected to Netflix … were watching at least one episode” of "Arrested Development" – three times the number of viewers tuned into “House of Cards.”  Another unspecified digital service provider saw traffic peaks of ten percent following “AD’s” release. 

The following is Procera’s preliminary report detailing the impact of the series four debut on total Netflix traffic.  There's some pretty cool data in terms of the various devices viewers use to watch the show.  

More information from Procera Networks

How Relatable is Arrested Development?

As I watched the first episode of season four of Arrested Development, I immediatley tried to take note of what was going on.  Each episode focuses on one character in the show and gives the audience the scenario and background for him or her.  As this was my first time watching Arrested Development, it was a little difficult to get my bearings about each character.  So to make things easier for me on how relatable a character is, I will be discussing only Episode 1, Flight of the Phoenix.

Plot

In the first episode, the son of once-wealthy and not-so-loving parents, Michael Bluth, is the main character followed.  He seemingly wants little to do with his family after some illegal dealings in the business and money vanishing.  Michael feels he can do better and leaves to California where he uses all of the money available to him to finish a housing complex named Sudden Valley started by his father.  Unfortunately for him, the housing market crashes as soon as it's finished and there is no road from the city to the neighborhood. With no money and no were left to turn, he ends up staying with his son, George Michael, in his dorm room in college.  After some other events that take a turn for the worse (such as his son voting him out of the dorm room), Michael is left with little hope and tries to start over.

Michael being voted out by his son

How Relatable is it?

In terms of how relatable the characters, especially Michael Bluth, are, I would say they are very relatable. They are not relatable in the "I seem act just like him" kind of way though.  Arrested Development seems to play with peoples monetary fears, college fears, and what the worst possible outcome could happen.  In the first episode, all of this was nicely wrapped up with out a boring moment or skip.  I certainly have tried to do something and have failed miserably at it in the process.  Sadly, this seems to be a part of Michael Bluth's personality.  I can that somethings I have done did not turn out well, nothing comes close to Michael's life.  I mean, he spent all oh his money building homes in a complex, only for the housing market to crash.  I think we can all relate to that feeling of how nothing is going your way. So in this since, Michael does a good job in relating to the audience member who has had down times in their life.

That bird is the only one living there

Another notable character seen throughout the episode is George Michael Bluth.  He is Michael Bluth's son who is attending college and is also very relatable, especially for college viewers.  Being in college, I can personally see some of the problems George Michael has to deal with. First being having two names.  This is a classic fear of teenagers thinking their parents set them up for embarrassment with their name.  Even though it is fine, I feel most people have thought about changing their name, just like George Michael did.  Another college student fear would also definitely be their parents visiting and staying for too long.  This fear is taken to the extreme as George Michael's dad has stayed in his room for six months.

George Michael at college...

As a viewer, we can't help but laugh at the absurdity of problems taken to the upmost extreme.  James Poniewozik, a critic for Time, notes, "So many of its great scenes and stories involve things literally falling apart."  We can relate to these problems though. Since our fears can relate to these problems, we know what the character is going though and draws us further into the story of Arrested Development.

Relatable? Yes!

Critic Article
http://entertainment.time.com/2013/05/29/the-new-arrested-development-is-dark-uneven-and-frustrating-can-we-have-another/

Arrested Development - The Cinematography Behind a Comedy Icon

         Arrested Development is an American Sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz in 2003. It follows the Bluth family, a large family with various marriages and divorces, and all of the members leads strange, extravagant lifestyles. Sometimes compared to The Godfather, the series revolves around Michael Bluth trying to live up to his father, George Bluth Sr. and all of their various business interactions and hilarious wrongdoings.

         When a viewer, avid or not, watches an episode of Arrested Development, what do they commonly take note of? The comedy would be first and foremost in my mind, or how much an episode can make them laugh! Secondly I'd imagine the writing or the script would be next in importance. Thirdly, the casting comes to mind, which many find perfect for each character represented. In the end, there seems to be one main topic that many overlook, and it is one that is KEY to such a series and how its comedy works. That topic is it's cinematography!

         A series with such dry, unassuming comedy as arrested development needs certain types of camera movement and angles to help with such comedy. The series employs a documentary style of cinematography, similar to shows such as "The Office" or "Parks and Recreation". These shows all feature camera work as if there is a team of cameramen documenting each scene, with frequent zooms and shaky camera work. This does add an element of realism to the show, but it also adds to the humor itself, which may seem like an odd notion to some.

         There are countless numbers of times where a character is revealed because they were only slightly out of frame, whereas if they were shown in frame during a substantial "joke", their reaction as well as the audience's reaction would not be nearly as big. Introductions of characters are often done in similar ways, where the camera whips to the side to reveal that a character had been there all along. Here is an example, using screenshots that I took from the show itself (merely for educational purposes!)


In these three frames from the first episode, you will see Michael Bluth talking to his mother Lucille Bluth, and the subsequent introduction of his sister Lindsay Bluth. The scene, before Lindsay's introduction, seemed to only include Michael and Lucille as in on the conversation. Suddenly, the camera whips to the side to reveal Lindsay, who has seemingly heard the entire thing.

         This type of camera move is often employed in Arrested Development for both expository and comedic effects, which is something lost on the average viewer when thinking about how the camera acts within the show.

Arrested Development 1.0 vs. Arrested Development 2.0

Seasons 1-3(Arrested Development 1.0) differ a little bit in how they are set up in comparison to season 4 (Arrested Development 2.0). The first three seasons of Arrested Development were set up so a problem would occur and all the main characters would play a role in the cause and effect and then sort of half way settle the issue. The comedy lies in learning something new and funny about each character as the conflicts occur so changing the dynamic of the episode was a bold move by director, Mitchell Hurwitz. When watching the fourth season, I had to adjust because it is set up more like a movie broken up in segmented episodes. Each episode gives a small segment on a bigger unwinding story line. At the end of season 4 it all makes sense but it is a little more difficult to stick with it through all 15 episodes.  The characters seem less intertwined with each other in season 4 than in the other seasons because each episode focuses on one person working through the large problem rather than featuring all the characters working through a specific conflict and resolution each episode.

I think he should have stuck with the original set up of the episodes. The show was discontinued because the humor was ahead of its time. People did not think jokes that you had to think about were funny at the time. They wanted jokes to be easily understood. Over time, the audience realized the beauty of humor found in watching a character subtly develop throughout a story line. That is why Netflix launched another season, and although I think season 4 is still good, we were all expecting the original episode set up of Arrested Development that we learned to love. 

Arrested Development - Season Four Trailer

Arrested Development, Returning After 7 Years....To Netflix

After three years (2003-2006), Arrested Development was canceled by Fox. However, seven years later Netflix revived the show this year with the release of season 4, containing 15 new episodes. Arrested Development now "airs" exclusively on Netflix. The first episode aired on May, 26th, containing several actors who had recurring roles in the previous seasons. The actors/actresses starring in the 4th season of  Arrested Development are: Carl Weathers, Henry Winkler, Ben Stiller, Mae Whitman, John Slattery, Terry Crews, Isla Fisher, and John Krasinski. Some of the guest stars that appear in this season are Kristen Wiig and Seth Rogen. With Arrested Development debuting on Netflix, we are able to watch all 15 episodes with no wait.

Arrested Development is not the first T.V series to air solely on Netflix. Orange is the New Black, and House of Cards have also turned to Netflix to air their shows. It will be interesting to see how many other shows will follow this new "trend", and if cable networks will be able keep up with the popularity Netflix has obtained due to their accessibility, convenience. their ability to meet the audiences demand.

-Posted By, Tyler Tillinghast