‘Arrested Development’ Spoiler: Fan-Favorite Characters Back for Season 5

Arrested Development returned to the small screen last week, and it brought many of its most beloved characters back with it.

Arrested Development is famous for intricate loops of self-referential humor. The show builds on inside jokes again and again, creating an internal syntax that fans love to decode.

This could create a challenge for some viewers of the new fifth season, which was released five years after the previous season. The fourth season, in turn, came out eight years after the one before that. The long years between premieres make it hard to count on audiences to remember all of the references in the show.

Add to that the lackluster reception of season 4. The show is now hosted by Netflix, and every episode is available to stream every time. Unfortunately, fans were not impressed with season 4, making them unlikely to re-watch it before diving into season 5.

To make up for this, the new season relies heavily on the zany characters and their strange web of relationships and dynamics. The show brings back all of the core Bluth family members, as well as many more of the strange people in their social orbit.

Here is a look at some of the most beloved Arrested Development characters who returned for Season 5.

Steve Holt

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Steve Holt announced his own return to Arrested Development. The quarterback who found his family in the Bluths is still just as charasmatic as an adult.

Tony Wonder

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Ben Stiller reprised his role as Tony Wonder, Gob Bluth’s magican nemisis.

Ron Howard

In season 4, the show’s narrator, Ron Howard, set foot on screen at last. Many fans felt this was a jumping-the-shark moment for the show, but for better or worse, he is returning this season.

Gene Parmesan

via GIPHY

Lucille Bluth’s trusty private investigator, Gene Parmesan, sleuths his way back into the series in the course of season 5.

Kitty Sanchez

via GIPHY

In the first three seasons on network TV, Kitty Sanchez went from George Bluth Sr.’s assistant to a crazed force of nature, wreaking havoc on the family’s schemes. She is back again to do the same, but this time she is an executive in her own right.

Barry Zuckercorn

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The Bluth family’s preoccupied lawyer, Barry Zuckercorn, is back in their corner this season.

via GIPHY

Stan Sitwell

The Bluth family’s biggest corporate rival, Stan Sitwell, returns in the opening of season 5. The hairless real estate mogul is pulling no punches this time.

Warden Stephan Gentles

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Warden Stephan Gentles, portrayed by James Lipton, has more screenplays to force on unsuspecting readers in the new season.

John Beard

Real-life newscaster John Beard is also back in action for the new season.