A long-awaited fourth season of popular American sitcom Arrested Development has proven incredibly successful in its first few days as a Netflix exclusive – with reports of twice the amount of watches as any other exclusive on the streaming service.
Netflix delighted fans by dusting off the modern comedy classic and launched it on the streaming video platform this past Sunday and in the first day alone more than half of Netflix’s subscribers tuned in to catch up with the dysfunctional Bluth family. Returning actors Jason Bateman and Michael Cera were joined by high profile guest stars including Ben Stiller and ‘Fonz’ actor Henry Winkler – a Happy Days connection of the show’s narrator Ron Howard.
Interestingly, it was Xbox 360 and PS3 viewers that made up most of the numbers taking to Netflix to enjoy the new Arrested Development episodes. This followed a shortage of gaming talk at the recent Xbox One reveal, where Microsoft took time to emphasis the entertainment side of the new home console. It would seem they know the direction their products are taking and exclusive content through the likes of Netflix is becoming a trend for telly addicts.
Arrested Development had been on hiatus since being cancelled by the Fox network in 2006 and fans had eagerly awaited more since the end of Season 3. At one point there was even talk of a spin-off movie. Netflix has made all 15 episodes of Season 4 available to view now – and we heartily recommend you check it out!
Other popular shows rumoured for a revival include Heroes, The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With fandom for these cult shows still very much alive it’s a great time for them to migrate onto one of the ever-growing net-based streaming services.