'Arrested Development' Reveals Nine Character-Free Character Posters

It seems like every major film or TV campaign now includes at least one set of character posters, but trust Arrested Development to have a little fun with theirs.

Nine new posters have dropped for the highly anticipated fourth season of the comedy, but they don't show the Bluth clan's handsome mugs. Instead, they showcase a series of objects that should look very familiar to anyone who's followed the first three seasons of the show. Check 'em out after the jump.

In terms of what to expect from Season 4, these are no more revealing than that first teaser poster that dropped last week. But diehards know that much of the series is fueled by running gags like Tobias' never-nude syndrome and Buster's juice box obsession. And since most of the people tuning in for Season 4 will be people who've already enjoyed Seasons 1-3, these character-specific images and slogans are a clever way to highlight some of the series' best jokes, not to mention a welcome assurance that the show hasn't lost its touch.

At the same time, though, we know the new episodes won't be exactly like the ones that came before. Creator Mitch Hurwitz has spoken before about the slightly different format of the upcoming season. Instead of an chronologically ordered plotline that centers primarily around Michael but involves the entire cast, each of Season 4's fifteen episodes will revolve around a single character, though others may weave in and out.

If all goes well, the new episodes will serve as a bridge between the comedy's original run and the long-promised movie. In fact, star Jason Bateman told IAmRogue of Season 4 and the film sequel:

One doesn't really work without the other. They keep saying it's a new season, but it's actually a bunch of episodes that set up the movie. It asks a bunch of question that then the movie answers, so it's kind of a package.

But, he cautions, "the movie is not a done deal yet." And even assuming it gets made at all, "there's probably going to be about a year, maybe a year and a half gap between the two, so you'll end up having to watch these episodes again." Somehow I doubt Arrested Development lovers will be all that upset about that last part.

Season 4 of Arrested Development (or Act One of the movie, if you prefer to think of it that way) hits Netflix in its entirety at 12:01 AM Pacific Time on Sunday, May 26.