5 Reasons Why I'm Worried About Season Four of Arrested Development

Right now it’s hard to find a site not reporting something relating to the return of Arrested Development.  Judging by some reactions of the ever enthusiastic fans you’d think the release of 15 episodes this Sunday was going to rid the world of disease, poverty and war all at once.  Certainly I love the show; been a loyal fan since mid-season one.  Yet I find myself really anxious about this coming fourth season.  Sam Greenspan of 11 points put out a list of his worries about the new season, and I agree with a lot of his points (1, 2, 5-7, 11 to be specific).  But there are a few points I’ve had that aren’t addressed.  So with due respect to his blog (check it out, especially if you love Arrested Development), here are five more reasons why I’m really worried about season four.

1. Mitch Hurwitz’s post Arrested Development career has been lackluster at best.  Now certainly anyone behind a show that was able to juggle multiple storylines, foreshadow jokes seasons before they were used masterfully and play with language in so many funny and clever ways can’t be called untalented.  However, looking at Mitch Hurwitz’s career since I can’t help but feel he’s a one trick pony (as mentioned, that one trick was pretty spectacular).  53 episodes of brilliance bought so much good will, and it took only 2 episodes of Hurwitz’s “how did this get made” awful follow up Sit Down, Shut Up to spend it all for me.  This abomination was quickly cancelled and buried.  I didn’t even bother with Running Wilde, which I heard became OK as it went on, but it was too little too late.  If this were, say, Joss Whedon getting another season of Firefly, I’d be anticipating it more because he’s done great stuff since that show ended.

2. Netflix’s Original Programming has been underwhelming.  It’s an interesting move for Netflix to create original programming, but so far none of their offerings have really made it a must subscribe for me.  I liked the first episode of Lilyhammer, but never got back to it.  House of Cards is good, but not great (I think had it come out on a network nobody would care).  Then we have Hemlock Grove, which is so bad I’d rather rewatch Sit Down, Shut Up for two days straight than another episode.  Netflix’s stuff seems to be written and programmed solely by the data they mine from their users, leaving shows that are like shows people love rather than a show people love.  Arrested Development is different in that it’s a continuation of an existing show, but I’m really worried it’s going to fall into that passable category Netflix seems to be going for.  Instead of clever humor, we’re just going to get a bunch of fan service (see its advertising campaign which, while massive, isn’t likely going to reel in non-viewers).

3. Arrested Development was a show for its time, and times have changed. Rewatching the show in preparation for season four, it struck me of how much the show needed to catch up with what happened outside the Bluth family just as much as inside.  The series was constantly making jokes and references about the Bush administration, Saddam Hussein and the Iraq War.  Since the show left Hussein was executed (2006), Bush left office (2009) and US forces left Iraq (2011).  This may be easier to overcome than I think; it’s not like late night comedians stopped making jokes when Obama took office.  However, connecting it to the Bluths’ complicated mythology in a non-contrived way may be difficult, though satirizing corporate misdeeds is as relevant now as it was in the post-Enron days.

4. Its fan base may be a little too passionate. This may be the dumbest hang up, but it’s one I still have.  There are certain shows out there that inspire a level of devotion that can get a little…overzealous to be diplomatic.  Shows like Firefly, Doctor Who, The Wire and Arrested Development seem to stir such passionate, intense reactions in some people that it can have a negative reaction for those who haven’t seen it or don’t feel that way.  I’ve had this problem especially with Firefly, but Arrested Development is a show I’ve gone on record for saying I’ve loved.  With some fans, it’s like watching something for the first time with some who really, really wants you to like it.

5. Sheer exhaustion from so many promises.  This is another one that says more about me, but I think around the fifth time Mitch Hurwitz teased a possibility of doing more Arrested Development I had had enough.  Even with production clearly happening I still couldn’t allow myself to get genuinely excited.  Until I actually see it, a little part of me is still expecting this fourth season’s going to get pulled at the last minute like some cruel joke.  It’s the least of my problems, since its release will render it null and void.

I certainly expect to spend a good chunk of the weekend reacquainting myself with the Bluth clan, but I’m trying to keep my expectations low because odds are, they won’t be as good as the old ones.  Also don’t take this as me as going in expecting it to be awful.  I’ll go in with an open mind and hope for the best because I don’t stand to gain anything from it failing.  Ultimately, regardless of my justifiable and unjustifiable feelings, I’d rather be the one saying “I’ve made a huge mistake” than the creators.