“Arrested Development,” the comedy about the Bluth family that upended so many television conventions, is coming back. Again.
On Tuesday, Netflix announced that eight episodes comprising the second half of its fifth season will be released on the streaming service March 15.
In these episodes, according to a news release, “Pressures mount on the Bluth family as Buster heads toward a murder trial. The Bluth company is on the hook to build a ‘smart’ border wall that puts them in debt and risks exposing a software hoax perpetrated by George-Michael. Soon the gay mafia is involved and it appears that even Michael can’t save the family this time. And Tobias becomes a Golden Girl.”
Last spring, the show’s public image came under harsh scrutiny during the press tour for the first half of Season 5 after The New York Times published a controversial interview featuring most of the main cast. Tensions ran high when the subject turned to Jeffrey Tambor (who plays George Sr.), who had recently been fired from the Amazon series “Transparent” after accusations of sexual misconduct on set. Tambor admitted he “had a temper” and “yelled at people.”
In response, Jason Bateman (Michael) suggested that Tambor’s “atypical behavior” was the nature of the entertainment industry. Alia Shawkat (Maeby Fünke) interjected: “But that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.”
Jessica Walter (Lucille) teared up when she spoke of her own experiences with Tambor: “Verbally, yes, he harassed me, but he did apologize.
“Almost 60 years of working, I’ve never had anybody yell at me like that on a set, and it’s hard to deal with,” Walter continued, “but I’m over it now.”
After criticism of the statements made seemingly in defense of Tambor, Netflix canceled its U.K. press tour; some of the actors, including Bateman and his co-star Tony Hale, who also participated in the interview, publicly apologized for their comments.
It’s unclear whether these new episodes of “Arrested Development” will be the last. In an interview on the “Late Night with Seth Meyers Podcast,” David Cross (Tobias Fünke) said, “I’ve learned to say ‘never say never,’ but I can’t see it happening again, I think for a number of reasons.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.