Netflix Orders Two To Five More Episodes Of 'Arrested Development'

A little over a year ago, Netflix made TV lovers' dreams come true with the announcement that they'd be reviving Arrested Development for a ten-episode season. The word came as even the most diehard fans had lost all hope of ever seeing the Bluths again, no matter how optimistically creator Mitch Hurwitz talked up the movie sequel. Today's news can't quite top that initial announcement, but it's pretty sweet nonetheless.

The streaming service has agreed to bump up the original order by two to five more episodes, bringing the Season 4 total up to 12 or 15. Production is currently paused while Hurwitz adjusts for the expanded season, which is still on track to debut this spring. More details after the jump.

The additional episodes came about when Hurwitz wound up with more material than he'd planned on and started coming up with ideas for additional story arcs. He approached Netflix, who agreed to bump up the order. More episodes means more work, of course. Production has already run over its slated post-Thanksgiving end date by a few weeks, and is now going on hiatus until late January so Hurwitz can rework the episodes for new scenes and plotlines.

Once Hurwitz has his plan figured out, the studio will arrange for the actors' return. One of the challenges will be working around their schedules, since they may be tied up with other television or film projects. As of now, though, we're still expecting all 12-15 episodes of Arrested Development Season 4 to hit in the spring.