Well, it’s over: Netflix to remove Arrested Development from its library
The last day to watch the (mostly) critically acclaimed comedy is March 14
As we’ve all learned extensively over the last year, streaming services can and will unceremoniously remove any series from their library at the drop of a hat—even the critic darlings and once-saved series. Over at Netflix, Arrested Development’s time on the streaming platform is apparently coming to a close in the next month, with the last day to view the Emmy-winning series set for March 14.
While Netflix absolutely depleted Arrested Development’s value with the production of the dismal fourth and fifth seasons, seasons one through three still offer a plethora of comedic gold nearly two decades later. So, after reviving the series once canceled by Fox, churning out a terrible revival, and then canceling the show again, Netflix will now truly lay Arrested Development to rest in its library.
It’s a puzzling move, considering not only the show’s cult popularity, but its place in Netflix’s history as a rental service turned show producer. Arrested Development was one of the first series to bear the “Netflix Original” label, adding some authority to Netflix’s burgeoning production wing (until folks actually saw the new seasons, at least). Now, ten years after the fourth season debuted, the company is wiping it from the platform.
Originally created by Mitchell Hurwitz, the series follows one family as they navigate the arrest of their father, George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), and handle the family business, The Bluth Company. The series also stars the late Jessica Walter, Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, David Cross, Tony Hale, and Portia de Rossi.
Upon its acquisition of Arrested Development in 2011, Netflix attained non-exclusive rights to the first three seasons of the show. The first three seasons of the show are currently available to stream on Hulu, and the fourth and fifth seasons may be arriving soon.
169 Comments
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theotherglorbgorb-av says: If it’s available on Hulu, what’s the big deal? Maybe they are just going the HBO Max route to avoid paying more and more out to the talent.
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adamtrevorjackson-av says:
we’re hitting the end of a lot of the ‘10 year’ licensing deals i guess huh! so now we’re in a weird spot where you have to license the first 3 seasons from disney and the last 2 from netflix. the funniest thing to me is that a lot of the mcu movies go BACK to netflix in 2025.
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yellowfoot-av says:
It’s one licensing deal, Adam. What could it cost, $10?
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outrider-av says:
the funniest thing to me is that a lot of the mcu movies go BACK to netflix in 2025.Wait, really? How’d that happen? Was it one of those things where they had to pay to break the earlier contract and as a mea culpa they agreed to license them again in the future?I would’ve assumed that Disney would’ve locked down their content moving forward.
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adamtrevorjackson-av says:
yeah i think it was a similar thing to how hbo max lost the harry potter movies after only a few months. i’m sure if you surf some variation of ‘mcu back to netflix, 2025′ you can find the info. it used to be fairly easy to find.
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outrider-av says:
I actually can’t find anything about it but I admittedly didn’t spend more than a few minutes. (It also feels like random news updates on Marvel movies have become such a cottage industry that the SEO for something like this is just completely fucked over these days.)
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adamtrevorjackson-av says:
google has also become awful if you’re googling something older than last week. might be worth a bing but that’s all ai now so might be worse.
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gargsy-av says:
“I would’ve assumed that Disney would’ve locked down their content moving forward.”
Because Disney is famous for not liking money?
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gargsy-av says:
“so now we’re in a weird spot where you have to license the first 3 seasons from disney and the last 2 from netflix.”
Um, no?
The show was produced by Fox and licensed by Netflix, Netflix doesn’t own it.
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coolgameguy-av says:
…and that’s why you don’t make bad licensing arrangements.
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dwigt-av says:
The entire show was copyrighted by Fox, even the Netflix seasons. Netflix ordered and paid for the new seasons (like a network does on traditional shows), after paying a fee to stream the classic seasons, and they got in exchange exclusive worldwide streaming rights for a precise duration. The “Netflix Original” logo at the beginning doesn’t make it a full Netflix property. The important thing is the copyright at the end of the credits.Disney is now free to put the whole show on Hulu or to offer it to other streaming services.
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commk-av says:
Indeed, the same thing happened with their Marvel shows, which I gather existed under a similar deal.
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igotlickfootagain-av says:
Oh sure, the guy with the multi-billion dollar entertainment empire is going to lose its streaming rights. Come on!
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theodorefrost---absolutelyhateskinja-av says:
But Disney isn’t losing anything, just exclusivity on certain movies right? Their movies still air on some cable channels so it’s about the same as that.
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jmyoung123-av says:
I have not heard anything about this, but I assume you mean that Netflix will have a nonexclusive license to stream them. They certainly won’t be leaving Disney+.
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martyfunkhouser1-av says:
Does Netflix need money to keep it around? There’s always money in the banana stand.
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SpikeFiend-av says:
They’re burning down the banana stand as we speak.
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king-ginger-av says:
How much does Netflix cost, like 10 dollars?
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kopar-av says:
7-10 for lowest tiers; 15-20 with the highest. The 15 is the most popular.
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igotlickfootagain-av says:
Here’s $100 million. Go buy an ‘Arrested Development’.
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martyfunkhouser1-av says:
Thank you. May an unlimited juice party be in your future. It’ll be off the hook I’m sure!
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bdylan-av says:
is season 4 and 5 of arrested development bad or did you just watch them once and forgot that season 1-3 werent that great when you first watch them?
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earlydiscloser-av says:
S1-2 are hilarious and brilliant. S3 is almost as good. I think I only ever watched one episode of S4 but it was dogshit enough that it killed my desire to see any more… but NOT to go back to the start. They bear rewatching and I’ve gone back to them numerous times. You heretic!
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adamtrevorjackson-av says:
the wheels were definitely coming off by 3, but i think 1-2 are straight classics. 2 especially.
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rogue-like-av says:
As was noted by others, the third season is where it definitely lost its footing, although the original season three finale stands up. I just did a re-watch a couple months ago and forgot that they re-edited the fourth season so it was actually more coherent. It’s still lacking the bite of seasons 1+2, but definitely at least watchable thanks to the editing revisals. TBH I actually forgot all about that fifth season, and have never watched it, possibly because I think it came out around the time that Tambor was revealed to be a complete asshole. I also think I was tired of seeing a series that I really liked when it first aired proving to have increasingly diminished returns for me.
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dreckdreadstone-av says:
I’m not even 100% sure if I’ve seen season 5, I know I watched 4, but I honestly don’t know about the other .
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sarcastro7-av says:
Utterly ridiculous to claim that 1-3 weren’t that great. Jesus, that’s hyperbolic even by usual comment thread standards.
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sinatraedition-av says:
The 4th season “remix” is the only way to watch the 4th season. It’s pretty funny when you do.
I couldn’t finish the 5th season.-
adamtrevorjackson-av says:
they could barely finish it themselves. so much of the last few episodes are ramshackle. literally like b-roll footage of characters in cars talking on the phone with completely different dialogue dubbed in or scenes made entirely in the editing room with VO. it’s weird because they are scenes that would normally be perfect for an arrested development joke, but the joke is on us.
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uselessbeauty1987-av says:
That second half of season 5 was also released with virtually no promotion whatsoever.I didn’t even realise it had come out until something like four months later despite using Netflix most days of the week. It was bizarre.
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adamtrevorjackson-av says:
yeah the only time they cheaped out worse was the second half of ‘the get down’, which admittedly i think i was the only one watching.it was wild watching them go from the gigantic, sprawling sets of the first half to literal flash animation in the last episode.
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awkwardbacon-av says:
Netflix had a weird tendency to do that, a lot. They would promote the hell out of a new show, I would watch it and enjoy it. Then they’d release a second season like a fart in the wind, and I wouldn’t know there’s been more until MONTHS or even YEARS later.
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sentient-bag-of-dog-poop-av says:
This is literally the first time I’m hearing about a 5th season, so that tracks.
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uselessbeauty1987-av says:
I thought Season 5 worked better than Season 4, though the remix of the latter actually works better than the original.Season 5 was helped that pretty much all the actors were available to appear at the same time, so it’s slightly more coherent and gave the cast more to work with.
While there’s good moments in there, Arrested Development is probably the poster child for leaving something that was beloved alone rather than bringing it back.
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ragsb-av says:
to be fair that’s not exactly what happened. They had to change a major plot line towards the end, and as a consequence had to sort of cut around it, mostly by using the b-roll with people talking. Not just them being lazy or whatever
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potato-girlie-av says:
I am a 4th season defender, I think it has some really solid bits. Especially GOB and Tobias. Could not finish the 5th season, and the behind the scenes stuff was even worse.
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raejcage-av says:
Tobias is amazing in every scene. “Daddy needs to get his rocks off.”
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igotlickfootagain-av says:
I actually never even watched season 5. Season 4 had its moments, but it was such a drop from the excellence of the original that it felt like a different show.
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drewtopia22-av says:
I dropped out most of the way through season 4. the writers were way too self-aware and up their own asses regarding how clever the writing is
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outrider-av says:
I liked the fourth season well enough but somehow never watched the remix version. I guess I’ve got a month to do that.I can barely remember anything about the fifth season except that I finished it, discovered I had only watched the first half because the second half was releasing at a later point in time, and then never watched the show again.
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lilnapoleon24-av says:
Season 3 is okay, 90% of the jokes are just references to jokes from the previous 2 season which feels lazy. Still far better than the revival of course.
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earlydiscloser-av says:
I never got past the CGI bees (was that episode 1 of series 4?) and I don’t regret it, but this seems crazy. S1 and 2 are perfect. I bought them on DVD as soon as they became available (and foisted them upon various other people) so they’ll still be available for my viewing pleasure regardless.
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ignatiusreillysvalve-av says:
Honestly, I buy everything I love on DVD (everyone’s selling off their physical collections so nearly everything can be found dirt-cheap on EBay). I don’t like the future I’m seeing where you’ll need to belong to twelve different streaming services to see the stuff you want to see. You know that when DVD goes they’re all going to jack the prices into the stratosphere.
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4jimstock-av says:
To rewatch seasons 1-3 was one of the reasons I wanted to get netflix and wow 4-5 were bad.
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anthonystrand-av says:
I kind of hope Hulu doesn’t add seasons 4-5, because I’ve always liked the idea that someone might find it there, and watch the original 3 seasons, and never know the revival happened.
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scnew1-av says:
What a blissful existence. If only there was some way to think Star Wars ended with Return of the Jedi, too.
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broncohenry-av says:
Is this only Netflix US? Cause if it stays on Netflix in the UK, that can mean only one thing:
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gerky-av says:
Be interesting to see if season four and five do join the first three on Disney+.
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sgt-makak-av says:
Koooooooogler!
*shakes fist helplessy in the air while the campus is having a righteous party*
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tormentedthoughts3rd-av says:
Maybe this will lead to someone like Shout Factory being able to license for a Blu-ray release. Even if it’s just seasons 1-3.
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blpppt-av says:
Buster is one of the greatest characters in any TV series.And yes, today IS obvious day!
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woshiernog-av says:
But, but I thought that there would always be money in the banana stand.
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coldsavage-av says:
Man, this is crazy. I was actually recently thinking about re-watching S4 and S5 to see if they were really as bad as I remember, or if the disappointment made them seem worse than they are. At this rate, I suppose I will just let it go and live with my happy memories of S1-S3.
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gterry-av says:
Is season 4 dismal or is it just in comparison to the Fox seasons? I haven’t watched it since it came out but I remember their being a stretch of episodes in the middle that were really funny. Now season 5 I couldn’t get past the first episode.
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blpppt-av says:
Buster is so amazing that he makes the last 2 seasons watchable.
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cosmicghostrider-av says:
I mean that’s great for Tony Hale and stuff but like….. I just don’t think I have that kind of free-time/commitment to these characters.
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yellowfoot-av says:
I think Season 4 has a lot of great stuff and is very funny. It’s absolutely nowhere near Seasons 1-3, which makes it still pretty good. Like Community Season 4, which is still very funny, but a clear outlier even when including Seasons 5 and 6.I tend to skip it on rewatches, and never bothered with Season 5, but that’s mostly because I don’t really like the “current” version of the characters. Pretty much everyone got much worse after ten years, which is neither surprising nor unreasonable, but it does mean that a show with mostly bad people who are sometimes surprisingly good became a show with only bad people who have almost no redeeming qualities. Always Sunny is a much better portrayal of that, and I can’t even binge that show because after a few episodes I feel the misanthropy significantly rising in me.
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gerky-av says:
Is Community season four “very funny” though? I just did a rewatch, and despite a couple of very good episodes, and some funny jokes overall the season was “sort of funny, I guess”. And I wasn’t even that hot on season 3.(2, 5 and 6 are the three best season of the show.)It doest really matter. I find myself only watching the first three seasons of Arrested Development, anyway. And I have to watch the first on DVD like Malcolm in the Middle and Veronica Mars to get the extended pilots.
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baskinglizard-av says:
Season 4 had its moments. I’ve only seen the original edit though because they changed the format that season 1-3 followed. There’s an edited format for Season 4 that follows the format of seasons 1-3. With that I didn’t much care for season 5. It felt like most of the cast didn’t want to be there and there were cast members that had a falling out.
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ajvia12-av says:
i enjoyed watching to identify all the split-screen scenes and body doubles in bad wigs shot from the back. otherwise, sheesh
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genejenkinson-av says:
We just finished S5 a few weeks ago and I can’t tell you a single thing about it. It had a few really good jokes but the cast felt checked out despite finally being back together again.
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stwy-av says:
I did a full rewatch a couple of years ago when Netflix did its weird re-edit experiment. It was fractionally better than I’d remembered, but then I remembered it being a steaming pile of shite where the only genuinely funny moment was a flashback to season 3…so there wasn’t really anywhere it could go but up.
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liebkartoffel-av says:
Yeah, I remember season 4 as being “funny, but inessential” which is really only dismal in comparison to the comedic heights of seasons 1-3.
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cosmicghostrider-av says:
Wasn’t there a plot with Michael Cera and some app he invented? Fuck that show got bad.
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awkwardbacon-av says:
In comparison. They couldn’t get everybody together at the same time for shooting, so it feels very disjointed. Some of the slow burn jokes are delightful though. Like George Michael hating his name, and eventually dubbing himself George Maharis, who also infamously was arrested for a men’s bathroom hookup.
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ufn-av says:
Original season 4 was atrocious, Re-edit Season 4 was watchable but the drop in quality (and the significant aging of it’s cast) is still very much noticeableI am a die hard AD fan, I show it to everyone I can get to sit still and I force them to watch like I’m going to quiz them on it after each episode (I am going to quiz them), I only just about made it through Season 4 and honestly I’m not sure I even watched S5 or if i just blocked it from recollection.
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f1onaf1re-av says:
It’s more interesting than good. They took a wild swing and it mostly didn’t work, but it is fun to watch them try.
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egerz-av says:
I remember Season 4 being funny at times, but the narrative is just all over the place due to the inability of the producers to get the cast all in one room for more than a day or two of shooting. So on one level, the huge flaws are excusable due to practical scheduling issues, but on another level they just shouldn’t have made it when the strength of the series was the ensemble’s chemistry together. Every character is off doing their own thing, and only occasionally interacting with one other member of the cast, and all the story ribbons never come together for a real payoff.Season 5 is what I’d describe as “dismal,” where I don’t think I ever finished it because it was so unfunny and I didn’t want to spend any more time with the characters.
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igotlickfootagain-av says:
The secret sauce of ‘Arrested Development’ was that these people only functioned to the level that they did because they had each other. Yes, they mostly hated and manipulated each other, but they’re incredibly co-dependent, and together they can kind of fight off the outside world. When you break that dynamic, by having them largely be apart and interacting with other people, their world breaks down and it’s no longer funny.
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akabrownbear-av says:
I didn’t like it that much. I have a tough time articulating what it was but I think the lack of censorship hurt the show. Having the characters actually curse and get into meth and whatnot made them all more unlikable and the beauty of the first three seasons is they balanced the humor so well that you mostly liked the characters despite them mostly doing terrible stuff.
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darkmoonex-av says:
I was bored by the first half of the season (this is in its original edit), but then in the back half all the work the front five put in really started to pay off. It’s an uneven season but does build well on its itself as it goes on.
I didn’t rewatch the new edits for season four because I was satisfied on my one watch of the original version.
Season 5 is terrible.
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turbotastic-av says:
If I wanna watch season 4 should I watch the original version or the remixed one?
Please note that “don’t watch season 4″ is not a valid answer. If I was into making correct choices do you think I’d be here?-
cosmicghostrider-av says:
I think “don’t watch season 4″ is a valid answer. I wish someone told me don’t watch The Last Skywalker. I watched season 4 when it first came out – the first three seasons was an obsession of mine and I just happened to discover the show the same year as the season 4 reboot so I thought oh how dope I can run my watch threw right into the debut of the new stuff!
Apparently there was a 5th season after that – idk I could not care in the least. That’s how far a step down Season 4 is from 1-3. It made me completely lose interest in the show.
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cosmicghostrider-av says:
More isn’t better dude – but if this is a curiosity you need to stroke then, sigh, I’ll see you on the other side. Enjoy ruining a good thing in your head.
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cosmicghostrider-av says:
I probably would have done a re-watch by now of the series but that’s how bad season 4 is. I honestly just remembered this show exists when I saw this article that’s how lackluster season 4 was.
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recognitions-av says:
The original is fine and people who don’t like it are weak
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laurenceq-av says:
It’s not dismal and the fact that the author had to go out of her way to slam it about a dozen times in three paragraphs is pretty absurd.Season 4 definitely has its moments. It takes a while to get going and has its rough patches, but it’s worth watching.Full disclosure: That said, I never got around to watching Season 5 and don’t really have much interest in it.
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3rdshallot-av says:
4 has some REALLY good stuff (cinco de quatro), but lots of misses & episodes are too long. 5 part 1 is TERRIBLE. 5 part 2 is tolerable.
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mfolwell-av says:
I really liked season 4 for trying something different, even if it wasn’t as funny. I never watched the re-edited version.I did watch season 5, but I’ll be damned if I can remember anything from it.
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deeeeznutz-av says:
Maeby I’m an outlier, but I actually liked season 4 in the original format before they changed it to be narratively linear like the previous seasons. I think the split up format helped differentiate it from the original run so the quality slippage wasn’t as apparent. Also, it lead to a lot of built up jokes as you started seeing the same events from different angles so it got funnier as the season went on. It’s annoying that when they released the “Fateful Consequences” edit they put the original edit in the “extras” bin making it a pain in the ass to watch it as it doesn’t go to the next episode when one finishes. I hope whoever picks it up takes both edits at the very least.
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brunonicolai-av says:
I thought Season 4 had a weak start and some total comedic gold episodes later on. This was in the original incarnation. However, Netflix replaced what it used to be like with a re-edited version that completely removed the original, intended structure and made it much more in-line with the other seasons. It had the side effect of putting all the boring garbage in every episode, so the funny stuff seems less funny by association. It’s not a total loss, but it’s a lot worse than it was, and it was already a big step down from season 3. Like, in the original version of season 4, I remember the Gob pretends to be jesus episode and the one about Buster being a drone pilot were just wall-to-wall hilarity and I’d easily have put them up there with the best episodes of the early seasons. Now the good jokes from those episodes are just spread out and buried within other episodes that are full of mediocrity.Still a lot better than season 5, though. I don’t think I laughed once through that entire season.
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sarcastro7-av says:
My wife legitimately misheard it the other day when one of our kids mentioned beads, and it was hilarious because we’ve used this joke together so many times over the years AND THEN IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
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ragsb-av says:
To be later shown on the now also cancelled Reboot
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kinjacaffeinespider-av says:
Yeah, I binged that this past weekend. It was very good and I am bummed it’s cancelled.
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legospaceman-av says:
I was surprised that no one else posted this before me.
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wookietim-av says:
Truth is… I was watchign season 1 awhile ago and it’s honestly hard to watch considering what we know happened behind the scenes. It’s funny and I hate to see it go because it was WAY smarter than what was on TV at the time (or now) but Tambors actions that came to light somewhat dim that.
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michelle-fauxcault-av says:
Tambor was a major asshole to Jessica Walter, for sure—she said as much in that cast interview with NYT: “In like almost 60 years of working, I’ve never had anybody yell at me like that on a set”, but she later said that Tambor apologized and she forgave him for it: “I respect him as an actor. We’ve known each other for years and years and years. Of course, I would work with him again in a heartbeat.” It also sounds like she got along famously with the rest of the cast and she loved the experience of working on A.D. outside of those incidents with Tambor.I thought it was also great how Alia Shawkat had Walter’s back in that NYT interview and called out the male cast members in the interview who were jumping in to defend Tambor’s behavior. When Shawkat points out, “But that doesn’t mean [Tambor’s behavior is] acceptable. And the point is that things are changing, and people need to respect each other differently”, that’s when Walter begins crying and you kind of see this moment of recognition from Arnett, Cross, Hale, and especially Bateman (who had been way too quick to jump to Tambor’s defense and kept jumping in when Walter spoke). The main male cast all later issued public apologies to Walter (and Shawkat), and I like to think that they all genuinely grew from the experience.So keeping all that in mind is how I can still enjoy A.D., the first three seasons (give or take) of which are some of the greatest comedy ever recorded. I’ll never be able to watch Transparent again, though, which sucks.
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dwigt-av says:
There have also been many reports that, while shooting season 5, the cast was extremely frustrated by Mitch Hurwitz’ behavior, as they got the scripts late, then he would send them a ton of last minute rewrites which they had to memorize. If I remember correctly, they even had to put together an intervention for him at some point. And it was also obvious that the material was crap, a shadow of what the show was even during season 4.So, it wouldn’t be a shock if Tambor started to yell at Walter because she happened to be on set with him, rather than an assistant or somebody else, while the real thing that was driving him crazy was Hurwitz. It doesn’t make it less acceptable to treat her that way, but I picture a bunch of actors who assumed that it would be a great reunion, and then get a miserable experience on the set, with Tambor losing his temper. I know that they recorded their lines separately, so they were easy to “reunite”, but Tambor was the only major AD cast member to guest on Archer. Walter appeared to be in good terms with Tambor until season 5 and the incident.
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michelle-fauxcault-av says:
Oh that could very well be. I remember reading that Tambor says he’s had anger issues going back decades and that he’s continually been working on how he expresses anger, frustration, etc. I also remember reading that he was worried about being a cis man playing a trans woman on Transparent—worried that his performance wasn’t authentic, that it didn’t do justice to the experience of trans folks, etc.—and that anxiety regarding that role spilled over elsewhere.
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recognitions-av says:
Lol trust you to find a million flimsy excuses for a predator
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gargsy-av says:
“So, it wouldn’t be a shock if Tambor started to yell at Walter because she happened to be on set with him”
Oh, thank goodness someone is here to deflect the blame from tambor.
Fuck you.
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theblackswordsman-av says:
It’s pretty hard for me to revisit. I wasn’t HUGE on season 3 either (and while I always get yelled at for this, the cousin romance stuff just feels weirder anytime I rewatch) but the first two seasons are just so, so good and it truly sucks that Tambor is awful. I haven’t completely shelved it and I admit it, but it makes me reticent to rewatch I guess.
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drzorders-av says:
I’m confused, is it just the first three seasons that are leaving Netflix? Or will season 4 (both versions) and season 5 be leaving too?
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colincidence-av says:
Pretending S4 wasn’t awesome only means fewer people will discover it.
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bhlam-22-av says:
I still love the original iteration of season four. It’s one that grew on me a lot. Whereas I never rewatched season five, even when I kind of enjoyed it. The ending is just such a fart. But even then, it’s a wonderful show that still holds up for its first three (or, in my case, four) seasons.
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cartagia-av says:
Yeah, from the looks of the other comments I think I’m a bit warmer on S5 than most people, but I still wouldn’t watch it again, and really hate how dark they went with that ending.
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dirtside-av says:
As we’ve all learned extensively over the last year, streaming services
can and will unceremoniously remove any series from their library at the
drop of a hat1) There’s supposed to be ceremony around a licensing deal expiring?2) “Drop of a hat”? The end date of this licensing deal was set years ago. Netflix didn’t just one day wake up and go “You know what, fuck Arrested Development, take it off the platform.”It’s a puzzling move, considering not only the show’s cult popularity,
but its place in Netflix’s history as a rental service turned show
producer. It’s not “a puzzling move.” It’s “renewing the license would cost more than Netflix wants to spend.” Do you not have any idea how the streaming industry works? -
ragsb-av says:
Actually Season 4 was really great. Really great. And he could so easily have just given us more of the same
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raejcage-av says:
I actually love the labyrinthine timeline of season 4. The first couple episodes are a drag but the payoffs more than make up for it in the later episodes. Tobias and Gob are especially good.
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dwigt-av says:
Season 4 is uneven, but there are bits of brilliance, like the whole Fakeblock reveal, Tobias’ vanity plate or Annyong’s revenge. But it’s frustrating because of the delayed payoffs that take sometimes four or five episodes.Season 5 is dreary. The pace is completely off, and a lot of “jokes” are set up in one episode, then get their payoff three episodes later, so you assume that it must some crazy, hilarious idea, but, no, it just falls flat. I expected much about the “Guilty Guys” reveal, then, when it happened, I was just angry, because it was a weak joke to begin with that had been oversold, to hide the emptiness of the whole season. But if the first half was a huge disappointment, the second half, the one where Portia DeRossi just has a cameo, is an insult to everything that made the show great in the first place.
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igotlickfootagain-av says:
I have always loved this bit:Lucille: Hello, Anus Tart.Narrator: And she hadn’t even seen the licence plate.
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gargsy-av says:
Actually season 4 was really terrible. Really terrible.
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thegobhoblin-av says:
How is daddy going to show me his Thing now!?
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markagrudzinski-av says:
I’ve come to the earth-shattering conclusion this whole streaming thing isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
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romanpilotseesred-av says:
I find it curious that my teenage nieces and nephews absolutely adore Arrested (along with The Office, Friends, and Seinfeld). They quote them all day long. I suppose that’s an upside to the streaming age and the longevity a show can have, but it’s fun to observe since when I was coming up in the 90s, it wasn’t like I was hankering to watch Barney Miller or something.
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nostalgic4thecta-av says:
I watched a ton of Nick at Night as a kid in the 90s. Taxi and Cheers (which was syndicated all over the place) were absolutely my jam.
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blumptykin-av says:
Did they change it in the 90s? Nick at Nite! Nite! Dammit! You thirty-something! This fortyish guy spent large swaths of his childhood in the 80s watching Nick at Nite. Which was 50s and 60s shows. There were many of us. The sitcom was a new art then. Often crappily executed, I realized later. I watched a lot of shitty Mr. Ed and never did see the episode where the horse flew a plane. I saw him drive a car.
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nostalgic4thecta-av says:
I’m not going to misspell a word just because someone thought it was a cool idea 35 years ago.
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gargsy-av says:
No, but kids in the 90s still watched All in the Family, Welcome Back Kotter, the Dukes of Hazzard and plenty, PLENTY of other syndicated older shows.
Not to mention that Barney Miller isn’t exactly as well-regarded as Arrested, The Office, Friends or Seinfeld.
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brunonicolai-av says:
Yeah. This show and Community are extremely popular with the early 20s set around here. Way more than they ever were when actually on the air. I very frequently see references to both shows posted around campus, etc. It’s directly due to everyone watching them on Netflix. I am surprised they’re taking AD off, I would have thought it was probably one of their more frequently streamed shows.
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godshamwow-av says:
My wife and I started doing this back in spring 2020 and have kept with it, some of it rewatches from our 90s youth (we just finished The State, which is much worse than I remember), but mostly older stuff. Among the things we’ve discovered is that Seinfeld is mostly a ripoff of the first season of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.
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ellomdian-av says:
It’s a puzzling moveIt’s only puzzling to folks that don’t recognize the name ‘Zaslav.’
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mattredondo-av says:
Chinese balloons, earthquakes, exploding trains and now THIS?!?Time for a forget-me-now…
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interlinked-av says:
Has anyone at Netflix ever even seen a chicken?
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bossk1-av says:
I’ve watched this 40 seconds 700 times and hope to watch them 700 more.
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igotlickfootagain-av says:
You can see how close Portia di Rossi is to cracking up there.
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westsiiiiide-av says:
Do you understand how this stuff works? Netflix doesn’t own these shows, they license them. The license is now expiring. Renewing the license would cost more Netflix more than the show is worth to them. Hence, Netflix can no longer air the show.
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ospoesandbohs-av says:
If I had to guess, I’d say it wasn’t so much a Netflix decision as a Disney decision. AD was produced by 20th Television and Imagine and distributed by 20th. There’s probably a contract that ran out and, like the Defenders shows that migrated to D+, you’ll see the Netflix seasons on Hulu.I think the original edit of season 4 gets a bad rap.
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igotlickfootagain-av says:
This will be a huge blow to fans of season 5:
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cheddargoblin87-av says:
(insert “Arrested Development” quote/reference. Watch everybody pounce on it like a steak thrown to starving sharks).
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turbotastic-av says:
It’s not really a “puzzling move” when you consider that Disney (via their purchase of Fox) owns the show and is one of Netflix’s major competitors now. So it’s leaving Netflix for the same reason all those Marvel shows left. Hulu will likely become the permanent home of the Bluths in short order.
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crithon-av says:
just reminded I was watching this streamed onto a 3DS in between rounds of TF2.
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djtjj-av says:
To be perfectly honest? I’m no big fan of Season 3 either. The whole “Little Britain” concept was just way too twee for me, and the Charlize Theron’s character was hard to watch.
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beertown-av says:
Season 4 had these little concentrated bits of pure, uncut AD that were every bit as funny as the original run, and it kept me hanging on all the way to the bitter, unsatisfying end. I say “end” because I’ve never watched Season 5 and don’t plan on it.
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scnew1-av says:
As not great as season 4 is generally, certain bits like the Funke family’s Thanksgiving really, really work.
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alferd-packer-av says:
Thanks for the heads-up. I’m about half way through atm.
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gargsy-av says:
“As we’ve all learned extensively over the last year, streaming services can and will unceremoniously remove any series from their library at the drop of a hat”
The drop of a hat? They announced this yesterday and it’s happening in a month. How in the name of FUCK is that “at the drop of a hat”?
Do you assholes know words? Like, AT ALL?
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TRT-X-av says:
So wait…even the Netflix Original Seasons aren’t safe?Oh well. I enjoyed my original watch through and also the 4th season was there.
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cosmicghostrider-av says:
Was it still going?? I thought it ended after that horrible season with all the standalone episodes. At a later point I noticed it went further and thought “what? why?”
I really enjoyed it’s initial run but something something weekend at bernies about hoisting up a corpse.
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gargsy-av says:
“Well, it’s over: Netflix to remove loses license for Arrested Development and as a result the program will be removed from its library”
Fixt.
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