Arrested Development

:

Season 4
Season #: 5.5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 332 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 276 out of 332
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 332
  3. Negative: 24 out of 332
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User Reviews

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  1. TheQuietGamer
    May 24, 2014
    4
    After such a long time since it's initial cancelation, I'm surprised Netflix actually bothered bringing it back at all. However, given the results I really wished they hadn't. The show and cast is back, but the humor isn't. Aside from certain characters behaving wildly different then they did in previous seasons, Bateman's "Michael" is the worst offender, the whole structure of the showAfter such a long time since it's initial cancelation, I'm surprised Netflix actually bothered bringing it back at all. However, given the results I really wished they hadn't. The show and cast is back, but the humor isn't. Aside from certain characters behaving wildly different then they did in previous seasons, Bateman's "Michael" is the worst offender, the whole structure of the show has changed, and not for the better.

    Each episode, rather than focusing on all of the characters at once like in previous seasons, chooses to single out one character and progress their specific threads all the while tying them into the overall plot of the season. While this was an interesting idea, the writers ultimately fail to make it work. The overall plot, as well as the individual character plots, end up getting convoluted and confusing as episodes constantly jump back and forth through time. This can lead to the show feeling unfocused as it tries to juggle so many plot-threads at once. Even worse, it can lead to information just being repeated. So while the new focus is not only bad for the overall structure and plot of the show, it's also bad for the humor.

    What made the first three seasons enjoyable, was that the interactions between the characters. Watching their different personalities clash was often hilarious because of the comedic chemistry between the characters. With the characters being split up this season we don't get that. Instead we get to find out that these characters aren't funny without each other, and are often just too awful to hold their own for an entire episode. The show tries to make it work by introducing new characters to fill the void, but they are ultimately bland and lack the on-screen chemistry the original cast had with each other. Overall this makes for a fourth season that very rarely brings any laughs and one that can be hard to sit through for an entire episode.

    While I appreciate Netflix's attempt at bringing back the well-loved sitcom, I do not appreciate the results. Honestly, I feel that It would have been better to just have left the show as dead. If Netflix does decide to bring this show back for a fifth season, something I know really hope they do not, then I recommend the writers take a look at what made the previous seasons so successful because they are clearly missing it here. My total score for this season is a 4.4/10=Bad    … Expand
  2. AaronAction
    Jun 5, 2013
    4
    Season 4 feels like the remake of a movie that doesn't need to be remade, Arrested Development season 4 falls short on nearly all cylinders and either completely fails or tries far too hard at trying to force a laugh.

    After sitting down with my entire family and watching the first couple episodes of this season I can say it was extremely boring and mildly funny. I love the narration,    Season 4 feels like the remake of a movie that doesn't need to be remade, Arrested Development season 4 falls short on nearly all cylinders and either completely fails or tries far too hard at trying to force a laugh.

    After sitting down with my entire family and watching the first couple episodes of this season I can say it was extremely boring and mildly funny. I love the narration, but they couldn't get the entire cast together not even for one episode this season which made me feel empty and really dissapointed inside.    … Expand
  3. weirdcryo
    Jul 29, 2016
    4
    Disappointment. I think the biggest mistake in the 4th Season is how the episodes were handle, there are other problems but I believe that changing how episodes use to work is the more important one. Some characters at times doesn't feel as the old ones in a bad way, and this is not nostalgia talking because I saw all seasons when the 4th aired on Netflix and rewatched now.
    There are    Disappointment. I think the biggest mistake in the 4th Season is how the episodes were handle, there are other problems but I believe that changing how episodes use to work is the more important one. Some characters at times doesn't feel as the old ones in a bad way, and this is not nostalgia talking because I saw all seasons when the 4th aired on Netflix and rewatched now.
    There are moments that remind us why we love the show but it something wrong about this last season, I hope that when they manage to make the 5th they fix their mistakes.    … Expand
  4. Jecht_342
    May 27, 2013
    4
    There was still some great wit in this revival, but the overall tone was depressing as nearly every character is in bad shape. The episodes are also split so that whole episodes focus on one character and some of the characters (like Tobias) are hard to take for that long. I won't give up on this show if they continue on with more seasons, but this one feels like a failure.
  5. vishal27
    May 27, 2013
    5
    I cannot believe that one of the best comedies in the history of television was turned into a pile of crap. And the idea of giving focus to one character in each episode sucks too.

    I do hope that the rest of the episodes are better.
  6. LokiLokiLoki
    May 27, 2013
    5
    The original series is my second favorite of all time behind Seinfeld and ahead of Curb. They made a huge mistake. The best way to describe this return season is "forced". They tried to cram jokes in each episode instead of timing things to perfection like the original. They are self-referential in overt ways instead of the subtle references the original had. It's like sitcomThe original series is my second favorite of all time behind Seinfeld and ahead of Curb. They made a huge mistake. The best way to describe this return season is "forced". They tried to cram jokes in each episode instead of timing things to perfection like the original. They are self-referential in overt ways instead of the subtle references the original had. It's like sitcom characters spewing catch phrases. They reintroduce old characters for no reason other than the sake of it, and the new characters aren't funny at all. The plot is mostly pointless and uninteresting, and it's also muddled by the rest of this mediocrity. There are numerous camios for basically no reason. It's just lazy, rushed writing. There are some funny parts, but I'm tremendously let down by this.… Expand
  7. drlowdon
    Jun 1, 2018
    6
    After seven years away from our screens cult sit-com Arrested Development is back and well….. It’s a mixed bag. Since the show was cancelled in 2006 many of its stars have gone on to have successful careers, as a result one of the most difficult challenges to overcome when trying to bring it back was trying to shoot around their busy schedules. Mitchell Hurwitz’s solution to this problem,After seven years away from our screens cult sit-com Arrested Development is back and well….. It’s a mixed bag. Since the show was cancelled in 2006 many of its stars have gone on to have successful careers, as a result one of the most difficult challenges to overcome when trying to bring it back was trying to shoot around their busy schedules. Mitchell Hurwitz’s solution to this problem, to focus each episode on a single character showing events from different perspectives, is clever but it makes the show feel very different to its original run.

    The new format allowed the writers to expand upon the twisting narrative structure often used in the show’s original run with each episode providing insights into previous events. This concept is used very cleverly throughout to the extent that the fifteen episodes can really be viewed as one ongoing piece of work but, while the multiple call backs are often quite funny; this new format does mean that it is rare to have all the cast members together at once. Since a great deal of the humour arose from the characters bouncing off each other it is fair to say that Season 4 did not make me laugh out loud as consistently as the previous three.

    One other slight issue is that, free of the time constraints of being on network television, the creators have allowed some episodes to balloon up and beyond the half-hour mark. This in itself is not a problem but on occasions it is clear that some scenes could have been tightened up slightly to retain the snappy pace the show has become renowned for.

    Did Arrested Development need a revival? Judging by this season I’m not sure it did…..    … Expand
  8. jack977
    Oct 7, 2013
    6
    A sheer disappointment of an encore. Hurwitz's new and unnecessary experimentation with the structure of the show results in some finer moments (that take us back to the masterful previous seasons) these are however, few and far between.
  9. marcmyworks
    Oct 15, 2017
    6
    Painful would be a term I'd use to describe AD season 4. The much hyped and anticipated season made its biggest mistake by separating all the characters and placing them in their own story arcs which only slightly meld towards the end. The best episodes include Lucille, Buster and Maebe.
  10. ericwithac
    Dec 27, 2013
    6
    I really, really wanted to give this a highly positive rating. I did. But unfortunately, I just can't seem to give it anything over a 6. No doubt if you loved the first three seasons, you'll find things to like about the fourth. However, what you won't find is the family dynamic that made the show what it was initially. The Bluth's dysfunction was in hilarious top form when the charactersI really, really wanted to give this a highly positive rating. I did. But unfortunately, I just can't seem to give it anything over a 6. No doubt if you loved the first three seasons, you'll find things to like about the fourth. However, what you won't find is the family dynamic that made the show what it was initially. The Bluth's dysfunction was in hilarious top form when the characters were able to bounce this dysfunction off one another and feed off of that energy. In the first three seasons, the show seemed to understand that it wasn't the individual characters that defined it (though the characters themselves are brilliant) but the way the characters interacted. In this new format, where only one character is followed throughout each episode and rarely do two or more mingle, the riotous ridiculousness which defined the Bluths as a family seems to evaporate and we're left watching each character bungle along through life as if they have no sense of identity.

    Perhaps it's just me, but the few times we get two or more Bluth characters in a scene, their interaction is just downright boring. And when it isn't boring, it's weirdly cold and distant, especially when it comes to Michael and Gob. It's almost like watching strangers chat in passing, with no hint that at one time their lives were hopelessly enmeshed.

    My belief is that there was enough of a story to make season four the way the previous seasons had been. Changing formats and basing an episode on each character is almost needless, and it's a shame that it turned out this way. While season four certainly has its moments, and the spirit is still there, some of the heart is not.    … Expand
  11. ryanaror008
    Aug 4, 2018
    4
    It's sort of like Arrested Development without any of the things that made you like Arrested Development. I've you're a trendy "nerd culture" journalist that wrote a review based on the trailer, you might like this season. If you're a normal person, you're going to be left pondering the deep philosophical question of how anyone could ever like this season.
  12. mynameisjudge
    Aug 5, 2018
    5
    This season tries too hard to be different and frustrates the fans that just want too see the Bluths all together again after a 7 year hiatus.

Awards & Rankings

57
#57 Best TV Season of 2013
18
#18 Most Discussed TV Season of 2013
52
#52 Most Shared TV Season of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Jun 4, 2013
    83
    Overall impression: look for them [the episodes] to get better, stronger and funnier.
    Read full review
  2. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Nick McCarthy
    May 30, 2013
    75
    The cultural references feel a bit dated (the bubble-bursting housing-market collapse, Herman Cain proxy Herbert Love, The Blind Side, and The Social Network among them), and there's too much miscalculated racial humor and preoccupation with sex offender-related jokes, but there's still a plethora of fresh homonym-friendly wordplay, surprising parallels, and witty allusions to delight and preoccupy us until the series pulls off its next magic trick.
    Read full review
  3. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    May 30, 2013
    90
    I suspect it might be a classic that deserves a spot in the pantheon of great, long-delayed follow-ups, though I need to watch the whole thing again and live with it and then write about it again to be sure. That I’d want to rewatch the whole season immediately is, of course, another, possibly higher compliment.
    Read full review
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