After much hemming and hawing from viewers and critics following the show's cancelation in 2006, Netflix scooped up Arrested Development from Fox and resurrected the series as a Netflix "semi" original production. (This after plans for the show to be revived as a movie were canceled.)
Netflix's other two original series, House of Cards and Hemlock Grove, are suspected to have attracted renewed loyalty from the exclusively-streaming set after the dilution brought on in the last 3-4 years by competitors like Hulu, and the explosion of easily streamable content by sites such as Sidereel.
(The author of this blog confesses to being absolutely ADDICTED to everything about Hemlock Grove, from the Dexter-like intro music, to the plot twists, supernatural themes, and the bone-chilling but irresistible villainness Olivia Godfrey, played by the beautiful Famke Janssen).
So, impressions after viewing the first 10 (out of 15 total) episodes of Arrested Development? If you're just at the beginning, hang in there - the content does get a *little* better down the line. Things begin to make sense.
But even this far in, I keep wondering whether it will measure up to prior fame. Dare I say I fear it runs the risk of being...sophomoric?
The show may have jumped the shark in previous seasons - whether they'll be able to reasonably surpass those seasons remains to be seen. Given the brilliance of other Netflix originals and the fact that John Krasinski was involved in this season, I have hope. :)
