Don't let the naysayers sway you, Season 4 of AD comes back swinging, hard! As we all know by now, Fox is notorious for cancelling great series (see Family Guy, Futurama, Sarah Conner Chronicles, etc.) only to substitute schlock like Glee and American Idol. Well, AD suffered this unfortunate fate as well, but was resurrected by Netflix. The fans woeful cries felt the internet over turned to golden tears of loyal embrace met with diamond tears shed by celebrity enthusiasts as well. Things have changed slightly since 2006, but very minor. The biggest change that you've probably heard about is the format of Season 4. It's true; the whole family is not featured in every episode together like they were back in the early 2000's, mainly because their star power has peaked beyond zenith levels. Bateman, Cera and Arnett are in multiple movies a year, and Walter, Hale, Cross and Tambor are devoted to several series that have popped up since the show's cancellation. So it's no wonder that the entire crew only spent a few episode segments together, schedule conflicts prevented a full blown season devotion to everyone. In short, the format is devoted to one or two characters an episode. That's the bad news, and it's minor. The Awesome Sauce news is that the shows back with it's meta-humor firing on all 12 cylinders, with the same character quirks, quips and 180 twists the first 3 seasons revolved around. Not only that, because of the format of the season, we get to continually comeback to previously viewed events from each angle, from each characters' perspective in a brilliantly done asynchronous style. If you like how movies like Pulp Fiction and Minority Report flow, then you'll absolutely fall in love with Season 4 of Arrested Development. Another big change, but definitely a plus, is celebrity involvement. Cameos are nothing new for Arrested (see Henry Winkler and Liza Minelli) and Season 4 cranks it up to 11. Seth Rogan, Kristen Wigg, Isla Fisher, Terry Crews, John Slatterly to name a few of the newcomers. As if THAT wasn't enough, vet celebrities return in full force ranging from Ben Stiller to Andy Richter. The only returning heavy hitters that missed out were Charlize Theron and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but I'm assuming they'll get back in on season 5! Picture is close to Blu-ray quality. AD is one of those shows that's filmed in Hi-Def, but mysteriously remains in SD format via DVD. (Parks and Rec. has this issue too.) Maybe Fox will wake-up one morning and mint new releases in 2K or 4K transfers. Until that time, AD looks better than it did when it premiered on Fox's Hi-Def broadcasts in 2003, but could always look better on a Blu-ray release. Sound is like it was for the other seasons, that annoying theme song playing bombastically every 22 minutes, but this time with a slight remix for each characters' showcase before their respectively centered episodes. I'll let you decide if audio is great. Additional features include commentary tracks with the actors (which I always love), and reunion/revitalization segments with the actors/producers/creators as well. Stop everything and get this now if you haven't! Even if you were never committed to every nuanced inside joke from the original run, Season 4 is choke full of brilliantly scripted and executed AD goodness. For American sitcoms, Arrested Development is up with their with Simpsons, Friends, and Seinfeld for as good as it can possibly get.
Posted by Morganical
I am a huge Arrested fan, but nothing compares to those first 3 seasons. However, they tried something different here with each episode focusing on a specific character, which resulted in sort of a pulp fiction feel to it (format, not content). For other Arrested fans, i would recommend. If you haven't been a fan, start with the first season, and you will be sucked in, i guarantee it.
Posted by Goonthemoose
10 years later and the Bluths are still bringing laughs. Although very different from the original run, this reimagination that is Season 4 continues to bring laughter and enjoyment to viewers. The format is different and suits the binge watching mentality of Netflix, but everyone should be glad to have the chance to watch more Bluth antics!
Posted by djferl
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