Critical response Reviews of the fourth season were generally positive, with Bateman's performance receiving high praise. On
Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 79% with an average score of 7.9/10, based on 147 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Though this new incarnation of the hit series isn't quite as effective,
Arrested Developments fourth season still delivers the dark humor and running gags we've come to expect." On the review aggregator website,
Metacritic, the fourth season has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Mike Hale, writing for
The New York Times after watching the first eight episodes, said that "Along the way there are doses of
self-referential and
metafictional humor that have made the show a cult item—enough for fans to compile lists, but not enough to re-enliven the episodes or distract from the story's dullness".
The A.V. Clubs
Emily VanDerWerff graded the season overall with a 'B', writing that "It is, in places, masterful. It is also, in other places, at once weirdly pleased with itself and too ready to hold the audience's hand where that hand needn't be held", and that "The scope of the whole project is hard to deny for its ambition and audacity." David M. Cook of
WhatCulture! gave the new season a positive review calling it "The Triumphant Return Of The Bluths". He said "it was great to see the Bluths return in such fine form" and that he "found a lot of the season to be funnier than anything that had come before it". Gem Wheeler of Den of Geek argued that the fourth season was "
Arrested Developments best yet", and "the Bluths officially rule the pop culture landscape. Long may they reign." Brian Lowry of
Variety gave the season a negative review, writing, "Ultimately, this 'Arrested' revival plays a bit like a reunion special, where the individual cast members come out and take their curtain calls. After the warmth of seeing them reunited (or semi-reunited, given how rarely more than one or two are featured in a scene together), there's a sort of awkwardness to it, as if nobody really has much to say. We're meant to bask in the nostalgia, while the particulars are of relatively little consequence."
Nathan Rabin of
The Wall Street Journal similarly wrote, "
Arrested Development has lost a step or two in its long stint on the sidelines. The pacing is notably slower than during its original run and the show lacks the breathtaking density that characterized its glorious past. At its worst, the new/old
Arrested Development is reduced to doing a shaky imitation of itself: the characters and themes are there but the beats are slightly off, as is the tone". David Pierce of
The Verge also gave it a mixed review, writing "Season four is kind of a confused mess, but then so is the Bluth family—and both somehow work despite all the chaos. From the way it was shot to the way it was released, the show was an experiment—covering a few events many ways, showing us the world through every character's eyes. It's very clearly just set-up in the larger sense, building toward something bigger for
Arrested Development. But the question is, what's next?" He also commented positively, saying, "Season four is absolutely worthy of the
Arrested Development name, though you'll have to slog through three episodes before it becomes so".
The Guardians
Hadley Freeman criticized the season, stating that "the biggest problem with having the episodes devoted to one character at a time. Each Bluth is such an extreme personality that a whole 35 mins of them makes you understand why none of them can live with one another." Freeman added that "the way various scenes intersect and explain events from past episodes is fun and oddly
Pulp Fiction-like." The season 4 remix,
Fateful Consequences, received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 25% with an average score of 5.3/10, based on 12 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "They've made a huge mistake."
Accolades The fourth season earned the series three
Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the
65th Primetime Emmy Awards, including
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for
Jason Bateman,
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, and
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series. For the
20th Screen Actors Guild Awards, the cast was nominated for Best Comedy Ensemble and Jason Bateman was nominated for Best Comedy Actor. Bateman also received a nomination for Best Comedy Actor for the
71st Golden Globe Awards. ==Future==