Copycat comedy
Arrested Development season 5 is keeping it simple.
Arrested Development Season 5 Fridays (from 1 February) M-Net (*101) 22:00
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Fans of mockumentary sitcom Arrested Development (2003- current) waited for six years and two network changes, but the good news is that Jason Bateman and the core cast have returned. “I don’t think that we could have or would have done this any other way,” explains Jason, who has reprised his role as straight-laced widowed single dad Michael Bleuth. “Everyone has grown and aged, so we pick up where we left off. We went back into this fifth season with the same energy, excitement and comedy as with the first four. It was like being on a long holiday.”
PARENT PROBLEMS
But while the fun and games in front of the cameras were back to normal, there was a well-publicised incident offscreen that had to be dealt with. Jeffrey Tambor (Michael’s dad George Sr) was accused of assaulting his onscreen wife Jessica Walter (Lucille), although it wasn’t clear in which season it had happened. During a cast group interview, Jessica revealed that Jeffrey “let rip with an unbelievable tirade. In 60 years, I have never had anyone yell at me like that on a set”. The 74-year-old actor was forced to quit drama series Transparent (2014- current) in February after he was accused of sexual harassment, which he continues to deny. Jessica added that it felt right to reveal her harassment at the time so that it wasn’t used against her co-star later, making it clear that “it was never sexual – ever. Jeffrey has apologised and we’ve moved foreward. It’s hard when someone like Jason says, ‘Oh, it happens all the time.’ But I had to let go of it now.”