Season 5 of Arrested Development will be different than Season 4, and if Alia Shawkat is to be believed, that's a reason for fans to get pumped. The actress who plays Maeby says the new season of the comedy series will feature a lot more of the Bluth family getting together, and talks more about Season 4 in the quote below:
They somehow were able to figure it out so it's a lot of us in the house again together. It's what the family is doing now that they're back together again, and where they came from. A lot more penthouse group hangs, which will be fun. . . . Everywhere there was such a hype about it and then when [Season 4] came out it was like, okay, now it's out. [And viewers] were like, 'We want to see everyone together again.' So that's what they're doing in this, is responding to that.
That's definitely a reason to get pumped, as some would say that Season 4 of Arrested Development suffered from its lack of being able to coordinate all its actor's busy schedules. This then led to some fan disappointment as the story was reworked which resulted in characters who had much more interaction with each other in the first run of the series didn't get to interact nearly as much in Season 4. While there was some initial doubt whether or not Season 5 would suffer from the same issues, it looks like Alia Shawkat's assurance to Vulture that the gang will all be in the house together again can put that notion to rest.
As for how the returning group chemistry might affect Season 5, Alia Shawkat was bold enough to say this season's scripts are "funnier," than Season 4. Of course, she was quick to say that she thought Season 4 was still funny, but that Season 5 apparently has some really great moments. Shawkat also spoke a bit about the murder mystery storyline, as well as gave a tease as to what role Maeby plays in Arrested Development following the death of Lucille 2:
I remember I did the wardrobe fitting and I'd find out little facts about the plot and I'm like, 'I'm doing what now?' It's always so bizarre and weirder than anything you could think of. I have a lot of different characters I'm hiding in again. I'm getting thrown into a lot of different situations this year.
Season 5 of Arrested Development is expected to hit Netflix in 2018, but fans of the series should know by now there is a sort of curse with this show when it comes to getting things out when they're supposed to be. Hopefully, recent cancellations by Netflix will push the service to make sure the team hits their deadline, although it doesn't appear as though that will be a problem at this point. While fans wait, there are still a lot of great shows premiering every day on our summer premiere guide that are definitely worth checking out. Those with their eyes set on the future of programming should visit our fall premiere guide to see what's just around the corner.
