Arrested Development returns looking like a "reanimated corpse"

Vanity Fair

While Season 5A made a concerted effort to return to form after the controversial Season 4, "watching Season 5B deflated my enthusiasm," says Sonia Saraiya. She adds: "This offloaded dump of eight irrelevant episodes is a pile of silly gags and pointless puns, and sure, it’s got some laughs. But something about the season’s recursive narration seems desperate this time around, as if by running in circles, time will somehow cease to move forward. I used to like Arrested Development’s frantic energy, but right now, it just makes me sad. Even though Season 5 may not officially be the final season of the sitcom, by the end of the tepid journey, it feels as if the whole production has given up."

ALSO:

• Season 5B's attempt to atone for the Jessica Walter disaster falls flat
• The second half of Season 5 isn’t bad, but it’s bumpier, longer, and less hopeful than its initial episodes
• Season 5B marks a low point for the once-great series: "recycling gags, reheating limp characters, swirling complicated narrative strands without the old snappy grace" and a 45-minute season (series?) finale