Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) has had an amazing year. Its subscription base continues to grow while its stock has seen a gain of over 150 percent since the first of the year. These facts and achievements, however, only excite Netflix’s stakeholders. But Sunday will see Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) exciting millions more when it does something no one else was willing to do, return the critically acclaimed Fox series, Arrested Development, to the “airwaves.” Arrested Development is largely viewed as one of the best television comedies ever made, although its problem lied in the simple fact that nobody watched it. Although highly popular among its small cadre of fans, it was a ratings nightmare for Fox which aired the show from 2003-2006. Despite winning numerous Emmys and being lauded as one of the best shows ever created, Fox was never able to properly monetize its Ron Howard produced genius.
An interview with any of the nine regulars on the show, or the show’s creator David Cross, invariably led to questions about the show’s return or the possibility of an Arrested Development movie.
“So I just have to ask …” “And we’d know immediately where they were going,” David Cross says. “‘Arrested Development: The Movie.’”
“And,” Portia de Rossi adds, “the answer would always be the same. ‘We don’t know. Hopefully, there will be one.’”
Netflix Releases 15 New Episodes:
While that question still remains, fans of the show will, in theory, stop asking that question for a few hours when Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) releases 15 new episodes that the streaming service has produced on Sunday. I say a few hours, because not unlike its first original production, House of Cards, Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) will be releasing every episode simultaneously. Viewing parties are popping up all over and many users will not sleep until they have watched all 15, which is what a cult following is by definition.
“’Arrested Development’ was like an indie movie – only it was on TV. It was so against the grain from everything else on the networks, from the way it was shot–who can forget the hand held camera shots?–to showing us that a dysfunctional family is awesome,” entertainment writer Michael Cohen told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. “Even if the show was cancelled because of low ratings it had instant cult status, which is why people are going insane.”
“On one hand, it is surprising, because ‘Arrested Development’ was never a huge hit. But its fans are fanatically devoted to the show, and that means a lot these days. In today’s TV landscape, with so much audience fragmentation and the power of social media, a passionate fan base is more important than ever. That passion is what got ‘Arrested Development’ back on the air,” said Dave Nemetz, content producer for Yahoo! TV. “The show is brilliantly funny; it still stands as one of the best TV comedies of the last twenty years. But it also rewards repeat viewings with lots of inside jokes and callbacks to previous episodes. So the more you watch; the more little nods you pick up on.”
Thank you, Netflix.
