Netflix Is Removing Every Season of a Beloved Modern Sitcom

After more than a decade of being the digital home for the Bluth family, Netflix is finally saying goodbye to one of its most legendary comedies. The Emmy-winning series Arrested Development is officially scheduled to depart the streaming platform on Sunday, March 15.

This move marks the end of a unique era, as the show was one of the very first titles to be revived by Netflix back when the service was just beginning to produce its own original content.

The sitcom originally had a rocky but critically acclaimed start on Fox, where it aired for three seasons between 2003 and 2006. Despite a passionate fan base, the show struggled with low ratings, leading to its initial cancellation.

At the time, showrunner Mitchell Hurwitz admitted that he had given everything he could to the project to meet the high expectations of the audience. He eventually felt that he couldn’t continue to deliver that level of quality on a weekly schedule, leading to the decision to step away.

The series lived on in cult status until Netflix stepped in to co-produce a fourth season in 2013, followed by a two-part fifth season that concluded in 2019. While there were rumors that the show would leave the site back in 2023, a last-minute licensing deal between Netflix and Disney extended its stay for another three years. Now that the agreement is expiring, fans have only a few weeks left to stream all 84 episodes of the dysfunctional family’s misadventures.

As of February, the cast of Arrested Development has remained incredibly active in both film and television. Will Arnett is hitting a high point in his career this year with the release of the Searchlight Pictures film Is This Thing On?, which arrived on digital platforms on February 10.

The movie, which Arnett also co-wrote and produced, stars him alongside Laura Dern and Bradley Cooper in a story inspired by the life of comedian John Bishop. Arnett plays Alex, a man navigating middle age and a failing marriage by trying to break into the New York comedy scene. Shawkat has stayed busy with her role in the hit series Severance, while Hale remains a fixture in high-profile voice acting and character roles.

Do you think Arrested Development will find a permanent new home on Disney+ or Hulu, or is this the final curtain call for the Bluth family on streaming? Share your thoughts in the comments.