The information below concerning the new episodes of Arrested Development arriving on Netflix in May does not pertain to the plot—as series creator Mitch Hurwitz has said, he wants to “hold back information about the plot because we want to reward the fans for sticking with us, and that’s so much fun.” This little tidbit is just a casting detail, and sharing it, we think, falls well within the rules for Netflix spoilers.
Still, it does reveal something surprising about the approach that Hurwitz and the other writers are taking to the material. So if you prefer to somehow remain, if possible, an utterly blank slate, surprised by every little choice Hurwitz and company make in their return to the show, then look away.
Still with us? Kristen Wiig is going to play the young Lucille Bluth! Which means that we’ll be getting a glimpse at the family’s matriarch in her younger days. There’s a vague resemblance between Wiig and Jessica Walter, and, what’s more important, they’re both terrific comic talents. And this may shed some light on how the episodes will proceed: Each one, you may recall, is devoted to a specific character, and they are meant to “build this peril” in the lives of each character, Hurwitz has said, “until they all come together, really, in the first scene of the movie.”
Are flashbacks going to be a prominent feature in these episodes? And will any of the other famous guest stars play younger versions of the regulars? Will Conan O’Brien be a young Stan Sitwell? Could Isla Fisher pull off a youthful Lucille 2? Seth Rogen a younger Gene Parmesan?
Maybe not. But we are, as ever, intrigued.
