Expect More Arrested Development

It's one of several Netflix projects in the works
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 7, 2014 9:11 AM CDT
Expect More Arrested Development
This undated publicity photo released by Netflix shows Will Arnett, left, and Jason Bateman in a scene from "Arrested Development."   (AP Photo/Netflix, Michael Yarish)

The triumphant return of Arrested Development may have fizzled a bit last year, but Netflix is looking to try again. Chief content exec Ted Sarandos tells USA Today that he's "positive" another season is coming, though its timing depends on the actors' schedules. The plan is to have the cast spend quality time together on screen—an omission that led to what Sarandos calls "fair criticism" of the last reboot. It's just one of several Netflix projects in the works, including five new series based on Marvel comics characters; cartoons geared toward adults; and original offerings in sci-fi (Sense 8), drama (Marco Polo), and comedy (Grace and Frankie). Plus Chelsea Handler and new House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black episodes.

All of which helps explain why Netflix hit what CEO Reed Hastings called a "minor milestone" in a post on Facebook: "Last quarter we passed HBO [in] subscriber revenue ($1.146B vs $1.141B)." Business Insider recalls that HBO exec Jeff Bewkes dismissed the idea of Netflix as a threat in 2010, saying, "It’s a little bit like, is the Albanian army going to take over the world? I don't think so." Well, writes Jay Yarow, "the Albanian army is now winning." (More Netflix stories.)

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