Will Arrested Development be renewed for season 6? The high concept comedy about the wealthy, amoral Bluth family started life on Fox in 2003 as a ratings challenged, but critical darling. Despite the fact it won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series three years in a row, Fox canceled the series after its third season in 2006. The cast and crew talked up a revival for years, and Netflix finally brought the series back in 2012.
However, in the intervening years much of the cast had become Hollywood heavyweights with busy schedules, which led to season 4 consisting of character specific vignettes where many of the characters never interacted with each other due to the actors’ other commitments. The new format was polarizing, and season 5 largely went back to basics - though it was split in half, with the first half airing in early 2018, and the second half debuting in March 2019.
Season 5 ends on a very dark note, as Lucille 2’s murderer is finally revealed, and Michael and George Michael once again abandon the family for greener pastures. At this point it’s unclear if this is the end of the story or if there are more angles for the Bluths to work. Here’s everything we know about Arrested Development season 6.
Will Arrested Development Season 6 Happen?
Netflix is yet to greenlight an Arrested Development season 6, and there are genuine questions over whether or not they will. A top Netflix executive recently said there have been no discussions about another season as of yet, though didn’t close the door on the possibility. Several factors are almost certainly being weighed; the show is no longer the critical darling it was in its Fox years, with reviews for the Netflix seasons occasionally veering into the openly hostile. The cast are still in high demand - Jason Bateman and Will Arnett star in other, hipper Netflix shows with Ozark and Bojack Horseman, respectively - and the logistics of getting them all together for another season would be more difficult than ever.
With all the practical and logistical headaches involved, it would seem logical that Netflix isn’t overly enthusiastic about Arrested Development season 6. The show has come back from the dead before, but it seems even more doubtful this time.
When Would Arrested Development Season 6 Release?
If Arrested Development season 6 somehow ends up happening, don’t expect to see it for a while. There was a seven-year gap between the end of the Fox run and the beginning of the Netflix run, and it took another five years to get the cast back together for season 5.
With the show no longer serving as the cultural lightning rod it once was for Netflix, and with the fallout from the Tambor allegations, it’s unlikely a theoretical Arrested Development season 6 would surface for several years.
What Will Arrested Development Season 6’s Story Be?
Most of the show’s dangling plot threads from seasons 4 and 5 were resolved at the end of season 5, the show seemingly realized it was likely nearing its natural end. If the show did return for another run, it would presumably revolve around the fallout of the reveal of Buster as Lucille 2’s murderer, which left the family in a rare moment of speechlessness. Michael and George Michael would be roped back into the family drama they seemed to be escaping at the end of season 5 - much like they did at the end of season 3 - and the cycle of family disfunction would begin again. Arrested Development season 6 is far from a sure thing, but there would still be some story to tell.
