‘Arrested Development’ Season 5 May Premiere This Summer
Netflix has been surprisingly quiet on the front of Arrested Development Season 5, but the banana stand may once again be opening. Star Henry Winkler suggests the Bluths will be back as early as this summer.
Winkler stated as much in conversation with Decider, specifically that the fifth season “will be on midsummer. We just shot it before Christmas.” It’s worth reiterating that actors aren’t necessarily the arbiter of when networks premiere their series, but a Netflix representative reportedly added Season 5 “is coming soon.” Curiously, a summer premiere would eclipse the series’ 15th anniversary this November.
It may be that Netflix has kept relatively mum to put distance on the controversy with star Jeffrey Tambor, who was let go from Amazon’s Transparent after repeated allegations of sexual harassment from transgender cast and crew. Most recently, Arrested Development star Alia Shawkat seemingly undercut Tambor in acknowledging “I support the voices of the victims though, whatever they said … It’s being handled the way it’s being handled.” Fellow Arrested star David Cross previously said of the cast, “I know there are a number of us who stand behind him.”
Elsewhere of Arrested Development Season 5, the full cast of Winkler, Shawkat, Tambor, Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Jessica Walter, Tony Hale, and Portia de Rossi will return, spending “much more” time together after Season 4 kept their characters apart. We’ve still heard no update on reports of a prequel format said to minimize cast commitment, though we know Season 5 will continue the murder-mystery begun by Season 4’s finale.
Netflix will likely come forth with announcements soon, so stay tuned.
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