Why Arrested Development Was Canceled (& Why It Came Back)
After just three seasons, the now acclaimed Arrested Development was canceled by Fox, until streaming giant Netflix picked it up for its fourth season in 2013. Almost a decade later, the show's triumph on Netflix landed Arrested Development a fifth season with its full cast, causing many viewers to wonder why Fox ever canceled it in the first place. The show followed the hilarious antics of the formerly wealthy Bluth family, centering on Jason Bateman's character Michael Bluth. The show broke normal sitcom rules by serializing its episodes and using different narrative techniques like handheld camera footage and voice-over narration.
Arrested Development's first season was met with critical acclaim, as they won 5 of the 7 Emmy nominations they had received. After cancelation, Arrested Development is seen as a defining sitcom for the early 2000s, and it even landed a spot on Time Magazine's Top 100 sitcoms of all time. With this many accolades, the question on everyone's mind is how Fox could cancel a show that was doing so well. While Arrested Development season 4 was welcomed with open arms by most people, season 5 didn't perform as well among critics as previous installments did.
Related: The OC & Arrested Development Almost Crossed Over (Here’s Why It Didn’t Happen)
Arrested Development isn't the first series to be canceled by a major network and then picked up again afterward, due to people's interest. The most famous example is that of the series Community. TV series with high viewership don't often get the ax, but the show didn't initially have that windfall. Rather, Arrested Development was much more appreciated after its three-season run, forcing studios to reexamine the worthiness of the series. There are
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