Brian Grazer hints episode order for ‘Arrested Development’ season 5

No matter however long it takes, we remain hopeful and committed to the idea that there will be more “Arrested Development” on Netflix … just in due time. We recognize that the entire cast is very busy, but sooner or later there will be enough of a story and enough availability for it to work out. In a way, we almost compare this to another beloved show in “Sherlock” over on the BBC. They’ll go away for a while, but then come back when they are ready to take on new chapters. In keeping the adventures of the Bluth family sparse, it makes it feel special when the gang does come back together. If they were forced to do 15-18 episodes ever year, the show may be officially dead in the water now.

Whenever the show does return, we do have an idea now for how many episodes a fifth season could be: 17. This is what show executive producer Brian Grazer said in a chat on Bill Simmons’ “B.S. Report.” That’s a number we are personally very pleased with if it comes to fruition, since it’s a a big chunk of story without going completely overboard.

Now, the question is when. Jason Bateman has movies, Portia de Rossi has a “Scandal” arc, Will Arnett is developing a new project for Netflix, Tony Hale has “Veep,” David Cross has a new project with Bob Odenkirk for Netflix, and Jeffrey Tambor has “Transparent.” That is just a small sample of everything that is going on right now. Where do you cram in 17 episodes?

What we imagine is that the show will probably need to do a format similar to season 4, where select cast members appear in certain episodes and there are very few group ensemble scenes. Given how much we loved season 4 (at least after we were a few episodes in), this works for us.