MovieChat Forums > Arrested Development (2003) Discussion > Netflix is doing it wrong

Netflix is doing it wrong

posted 8 years ago by andrewmichaelbrookes
2 replies | jump to latest

Despite this show being the greatest thing ever, it failed in the ratings department. There are many reasons for that, but the biggest one is that it was too good for TV. It's a show that was more designed for DVD or streaming because it was easy to miss lightning-fast jokes and have to rewind. It was also very much a comedy *series* as opposed to a sitcom where you could start watching halfway through without missing out on what's going on. So many of the jokes are references to earlier episodes, so you must watch them in order. Also, it has a story arc that demands that you watch in order starting with episode one.

There was just too much going on with this show for it to thrive on TV. And it's not built for syndication for the same reasons. But shows like this are perfect for streaming, where you have access to all the episodes at once, where you can rewind, where you can binge-watch, where its success is not constrained by its time slot, and where the complicated story does not hold the show back by confusing people who didn't watch from the beginning.

Streaming services *kind of* understand this which is why Arrested Development, Community, and maybe even Twin Peaks all got resurrected years after cancellation for streaming. But you can't really resurrect these shows when they've been off the air for years. Season 4 was not the same show, it was some kind of twisted reanimated undead version of Arrested Development, without any soul. Instead of bringing back old cancelled shows and banking on nostalgia for success, Netflix should green light more *new* shows- shows *like* Arrested Development that are too smart for TV. They had the right idea with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, although that show is not my cup of tea. I'm sure there have been tons of shows that never saw the light of day because they were slightly too complicated and inaccessible for TV, like Arrested Development and 30 Rock were. Netflix needs to throw a bunch of crap at the wall to see what sticks.

[–] moondawg_32304 8 years ago

I agree unfortunately... But I'll still take what I can get. Such slim pickings of good shows out there...

[–] Final_Hitokiri 8 years ago

Season 4 was not the same show, it was some kind of twisted reanimated undead version of Arrested Development, without any soul.

I'm still pretty upset with the treatment that Arrested Development got with Season 4.

When Netflix first decided to revive this, it was almost a new idea to bring back an old show and air NEW episodes with the original cast off the air. But for once, in an actual mainstream media platform.

It was a very unique opportunity and they really should have vetted the project more thoroughly and discovered what it was that fans truly loved about the show.

I get that there were contract limitations and that they could not get the full cast back together, but there were better ways to create a season. The inconsistency of the episode length, the focus on one character (sometimes 2), the new characters that added nothing, and just the overall change of what people actually LIKED about the cast (despite the intent of them being unlikable!). All of that was off with Season 4.

I'd have rather had 4 or 5 truly solid episodes of AD rather than the mixed bag that we got. I haven't watched Season 4 in years, perhaps it is time for a rewatch?? The original series run I enjoyed very much and still think that it holds up very well today.