Canceled TV Shows That Were Saved By Netflix – Looper

When “Arrested Development” first arrived on Fox in 2003, critics hailed it as a clever, inventive, smart comedy unlike anything else that was on the air. Fans agreed, and it grew a fervent following that helped it get three seasons, despite seriously low ratings. To their credit, Fox gave it more than a fair shot to catch on, but wider audiences didn’t seem ready for its offbeat, eccentric sense of humor and long-running gags that sometimes took years to pay off. 

The show’s uniqueness, attention to detail, and hidden humor make it perfect for binging, but streaming services didn’t exist when “Arrested Development” first aired. A full seven years after it was booted from network television, Netflix decided to take a chance and bring back the series. It was a truly unexpected comeback, but producer and creator Mitchell Hurwitz was able to corral the entire cast back together, including Jason Bateman, Jessica Walters, David Cross, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, and Portia De Rossi, among others — even as some of them had become huge stars in the interim.

Relaunched in 2013, “Arrested Development” was better than ever, and Hurwitz used its new status as a bingeable series to tell a nonconventional, nonlinear story. The show got two more seasons as well as a fun bonus extended, recut version of its first revived year.