Netflix, Hulu in Arrested Development Bidding War

Concerns mount over the two streaming services accidentally bidding on Liza Minnelli.

Our initial skepticism over Arrested Development's return to the airwaves is waning, as New York magazine reports that Hulu and Netflix are in a bidding war over the rights to air the cult comedy's new season. Creator Mitch Hurwitz and the entire cast of the show reunited over the weekend to say that a 10-episode season and a movie were on their way, but they had yet to line up a proper distribution deal. 20th Century Fox Television will produce the mini-series, but apparently won't air it because of its limited run. Enter Hulu and Netflix: The two online streaming services are said to be fiercely competing for the rights to the show, as AD reruns are among the two services' most popular programs. Plus, a marquee signing such as AD would likely lead to thousands of new subscriptions if one of them lands exclusive distribution. Either way, it finally looks like the show's return is imminent, although we are standing by our assertion that we won't be satisfied until we see a trailer. We will say, though, that we're rooting for Netflix as Hulu isn't (legally) available in Canada.