Two More Seasons?

[tvfan0101]

From E! Online:

Hallelujah! Arrested Development fans, brace yourselves. I have some good news and--well, you might want to sit down for this--some mind-blowing, earth-shattering, out-of-this-world fantastic news.

Earlier this week, a friend here at E! interviewed Jason Bateman at a charity event with his good friend Ben Stiller. When asked the status of Arrested Development, he lit up like a banana stand: "Actually, great. Supergreat. There is a heartbeat. There is no flatline. And there may be twins. I'm going to let Kristin figure out what that means. I can't comment any further, but there will be an announcement next week."

Mary-Kate, Ashley OlsenAfter various calls to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Pamela Anderson and Jennifer Garner's OB-GYN re "twins," I can tell you that Jason's little hint had nothing whatsoever to do with any of those things. And while there are 17 listings for a J. Bateman in the local Hollywood white pages, none of them know a damned thing about the fate of Arrested Development. But glory be, after much badgering and pestering, two rock-solid Fox sources, who have never failed me before, caved and gave me the lowdown.

Though they're still dotting I's and crossing T's on the final documents, I'm told Fox network and 20th Century Fox studio are "99.9 percent of the way there" to reaching an agreement on the new season. According to these highly placed sources, it looks very likely that Arrested Development will be coming back not only for a full season of 22 episodes but actually two full seasons of 22 episodes. How freaking fantastic is that?

I am well aware this sounds far-fetched, as my friends at Defamer have pointed out. But I'm told the reason Fox network wants to go with 44 episodes instead of 22 is that by ordering bulk, the licensing fee will be cheaper.

At press time, I can tell you this is precisely where the show's fate stands. So, barring any last-minute switch-a-roonies or bad acts by Satan or Rupert Murdoch, we will get glorious "twin" seasons of the best damn comedy on TV.

According to these insiders, even though the ratings weren't exactly American Idol numbers, Fox's new prez, Peter Liguori, bless his perceptive little heart, has faith that the show will do well in a different time slot. He also wants to bring AD up to the magical episode number required for syndication and feels the show will do very well in repeats and also in DVD. Can I get a "Hell, yeah!"?

Fantastic. Despite only getting into the show at the end of this season I would have been quite upset had it ended without a resolution.

[Sean Snow]

That is EXCELLENT news!

[L&OFan4Eva]

There is a God, There is a GOD!

[Brent88]

While I think and hope it comes back, I'll will be stunned if it lasts 2 more seasons with the ratings it's getting.

Stranger things have happened though...

[barwars]

I'm not surprised that it's returning.... and not surprised that it'll be returning for 2 seasons. What does surprise me though is that they are going to have 2 full seasons. I would've thought they'd go for two shortened seasons. However, it seems FOX has faith that the show will find a larger audience. I was thinking they'd just bring it back so it could dominate the Emmys, yet again.

[Stigmata]

Best news I've read in a long time. I hope for two additional full seasons, and 5 more after that!

Hopefully in the next two years, the popularity of this show will continue to grow. It's too good to go unnoticed for so long. Seinfeld got off to a slow start before people started to catch on. I'm not comparing this show to Seinfeld, but it doesn't need Top Ten Nielson type ratings to remain long running show on Fox. That 70's Show, Malcolm in the Middle, and King of the Hill are all examples of show with sub-par ratings that last for many years.

[DiggityDawg]

The "2 Seasons" thing ended up being bunk, but this ain't bad :


Released by FOX :


FOX DOES MORE TIME WITH "ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT," ORDERING A FULL THIRD SEASON

FOX gets ARRESTED again. The network has ordered a third full season of the Emmy Award-winning comedy series ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, it was announced today by Peter Liguori, President, Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company.

"ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT is one of the best comedies on television. The decision to order another season becomes easy when you consider its amazing cast, creative brilliance, critical acclaim and advertiser appeal," said Liguori. "It's my first official pick-up since taking the job, and I think it's a great way to start."

The critically acclaimed series revolves around Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), the good son who must run the family business and continue to pick up the pieces as he keeps his offbeat family from falling apart. The comedy has featured guest appearances by numerous stars including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Liza Minnelli, Heather Graham and Ben Stiller. Last year, the show received five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, Writing, Directing, Casting and Editing. Additionally, Jason Bateman won a Golden Globe for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role - Musical or Comedy Series and the show was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Outstanding Musical or Comedy Series. This past season, the cast was nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. The show was also named an AFI Program of the Year and received the Critics' Choice Award for Best Comedy, among other accolades.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT is produced by Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television. Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, David Nevins and Mitch Hurwitz are executive producers.

[theshark8777]

That's off the hook!!!

[tvfan0101]

Fantastic. Even one more season will be great.