‘Arrested Development’ star Will Arnett says the new season will be structured ‘much like the original’

“Arrested Development” star Will Arnett tells Business Insider that when the beloved comedy returns to Netflix for its fifth season, the star-studded cast will spend “much more” time together on the screen.

The new season will be structured “much like the original broadcast series,” he added.

Arnett was speaking to Business Insider about Timyo, a time-saving e-mail app in which he’s an investor and advisor.

His comments were in response to a question about the biggest criticism of the fourth season of “Arrested Development,” which aired on Netflix in 2013. Due to scheduling conflicts, the show’s large ensemble cast rarely appeared together in most episodes. Instead, the season was an interconnected series of vignettes focusing on only a few characters at a time.

The series’ ensemble cast includes Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Jeffrey Tambor, Tony Hale, Will Arnett, David Cross, Jessica Walter, and Alia Shawkat.

This time around, not only is the whole cast returning (“sadly, Jason Bateman has agreed to do it,” jokes Arnett), but Arnett tells us that the show will be structured in a way that’s similar to the original seasons. That means the cast will be appearing together and sharing more scenes, he hints, as opposed to season 4, which focused on one or two characters per episode.

Sam Urdank for Netflix

The cast of “Arrested Development.”

While Arnett notes that he’s worked with “Arrested Development” creator Mitch Hurwitz on projects like the Netflix series “Flaked” over the years, he’s excited to spend more time with the rest of the show’s cast once the new season starts filming this summer.

“It’s an opportunity to see everyone else,” says Arnett. “It will be very rewarding.”

“Arrested Development” had previously aired on Fox, for three seasons, from 2003 to 2005. The fourth season of the comedy debuted on Netflix in 2013. While the show never attained huge commercial success, it was a critical darling that has retained a sizable and devoted fan base over the years.

The fifth season of “Arrested Development” will debut on Netflix in 2018.