After months of speculation and dozens (dozens!) of optimistic projections that never came to pass, it seems that we finally have a firm grasp on when the highly-anticipated fifth season of Arrested Development is slated to air. During an interview with TODAY, Jeffrey Tambor was asked about the rumored new season and indicated that his marching orders were to report for work in January.Tambor’s comments dovetails nicely with comments made by Jessica Walter (who plays Lucille Bluth ) who said during a backstage interview earlier this month that prospects for filming a new season of the incredibly creative and critically acclaimed show were “looking real good.”“I don’t have date,” Walters said, “ but everybody is on board.”DON’T MISS: You can download Google Allo right now if you hate privacyIndeed, getting all of the show’s stars on the same paged was reportedly a big sticking point in the delay surrounding getting season 5 off the ground. While all of the show’s stars expressed interest in a new season, getting all of their schedules to align for filming proved to be much easier said than done. To this point, the funky format of season 4 where each episode tended to focus on one character exclusively rather than on the ensemble cast was reflective of this. And while season 4 of the show was good, if not a bit under-appreciated, many of the show’s more hardcore fans were less than thrilled with the new format which some categorized as disjointed.In 2015, rumor spread that Arrested Development season 5 would total 17 episodes and was being geared for a summer 2016 release on Netflix. That obviously never came to pass but series narrator and executive producer Ron Howard in late 2015 said that the early stages of the writing process were underway. Then came rumors that Hurwitz was keen on getting the show out on Netflix just in time for the U.S. Presidential Election but that too will not come to pass.Well, Mitch Hurwitz, the creator of the show, is working with writers now,” Howard said. “Netflix is behind it, 20th Century Fox is behind it. It’s hopeful. What has happened is that the cast has become so freakin’ in demand and busy. Everyone wants to do it. Fans want it. I would be saddened if we didn’t achieve it. I’m the announcer and the narrator, and I have to get back to that microphone.”As for what we can expect out of season 5, there is good news on the horizon. For starters, series creator Mitch Hurwitz has signaled that the controversial show structure of season 4 will not be replicated in season 5.Plot wise, rumor has it that the fifth season will be something of a parody of Making a Murderer and Serial, which is to say there will be a murder-mystery component underlying it all.
With the show set to begin filming in early 2017, there’s a good chance that season 5 of Arrested Development will air on Netflix sometime next summer.
