Hulu The cast of “Arrested Development,” including Jason Bateman, center, during the original run of the series.
It’s no longer just a dream in the hearts of “Arrested Development” fans, a wild scheme in the mind of the series creator Mitchell Hurwitz or a question for its cast members to answer in every interview they have given since 2006. A new season of “Arrested Development” will be released on Netflix on May 26, it was announced on Thursday.
Netflix said in a news release that it would post 15 new episodes of “Arrested Development,” constituting a fourth season of that cockamamie comedy series, all at once at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time on May 26 in every territory where the service is available.
Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer of Netflix, said in a statement that Mr. Hurwitz was presenting “Arrested Development” in “a brand new way, crafted for the on-demand generation that has come to discover the show in the years since it last appeared on TV.” He added, “The highly anticipated return of this show is sure to make history all over again.”
Mr. Hurwitz said in a statement that Mr. Sarandos was “going to be immensely disappointed.” He continued: “In truth we are doing something very ambitious that can only be done with Netflix as partners and on their platform. Finally my simple wish for the show is coming true: that it be broadcast every second around the clock to every television, computer or mobile device in existence.”
“Arrested Development,” which originally ran for three seasons on Fox between 2003 and 2006, starred Jason Bateman as one of the few arguably sane members of a complicated family played by Michael Cera, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, Portia de Rossi, David Cross and Alia Shawkat. Though the series won the Emmy Award for outstanding comedy series in its debut season, it was never a ratings smash and its last episodes were broadcast in a final, two-hour blur opposite the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
In the years since, Mr. Hurwitz has vowed to revive the series, possibly as a movie, while its cast members offered nebulous statements of semisupport. Then, in 2011, Mr. Hurwitz said that he was preparing a new season of “Arrested Development” episodes which would serve as a prelude to a (still largely hypothetical) movie.
Netflix, which describes itself as an Internet television network, has been rapidly adding original content to its lineup this year. In February, it introduced “House of Cards,” a political thriller starring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Kate Mara, and whose producers include David Fincher. Other series planned for the months ahead include “Hemlock Grove,” from the horror director Eli Roth, and “Orange Is the New Black,” from the “Weeds” creator Jenji Kohan.
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