Interesting you say that. I haven't seen them but wasn't the season supposed to be 10 episodes, than 12, 13, now 15, and they kept adding more episodes because of the extra footage?
Finished the whole thing just now and I completely agree with BillJ. This feels like it was all setup and no payoff. There is also not really anything to root for with these characters anymore. They're not lovably disfunctional, they're just assholes. I almost wish it had just stayed dead at this point. I'm going to go cry in a corner now.
I half agree. I definitely think what you say about it being all setup and no payoff is true. There's supposed to be a movie coming up, so basically this whole season was setup for the movie. That's unfortunate, because 1) we don't need 8 hours of setup for a 2 hour film, and 2) every season/episode should be able to stand on its own to some degree. I feel that these episodes make sense within the larger context of the entire series/a film, but they don't make much sense on their own. I can't see myself ever rewatching this season, as there wasn't anything hilariously funny enough to want to see again and most of the episodes (especially the early ones) are just different versions of what we see again in the later episodes. Also, though I got used to the character based episodes, I really prefer it when they are all together. It's really an ensemble cast. The way that Buster, Gob, Lindsay, and Michael play off of each other is much funnier than anything they could do on their own. I know it was mostly the shooting schedule that caused them to do things this way, it's just unfortunate. I yearned for more family moments! But at the same time, I am still glad that these episodes were made and I still found them enjoyable, though not as enjoyable as the first seasons of the show.
I will say that the season really steps it up when you sit down and do a rewatch. All of those boring "setups" in the early episodes become jokes once you know the punchlines from the later episodes. For example, in the first episode, Michael walks into the dorm room when George Michael and P-Hound are talking about Fakeblock. The conversation is completely different when you know what it really is.
Most shows should have stayed dead after they were canceled the first time. What I find sad is the fact they took 15 episodes, which the creator calls the "first act" of the movie that is supposed to come out. The problem with is, as mentioned, what's the point of having 6-7 hours of a "first act" of a 1.5-2 hour movie? Also, the movie hasn't been green light, it hasn't been written. These could be the last time we see these characters. It should have been the first "movie" of a trilogy. The season can stand on it's own, but you can still go back and add more stories to it.
We haven't seen these characters in five years, which is a pretty big gap to cover. This "first act" is really a recap of what they've all been up to since we've last seen them. Now, a movie won't need to waste time on that.
They backtracked almost immediately and said that regardless of if there was a movie or not they'd like to return for another season. First link I could find on it here.
I don't think there will be a movie either, but I see a more traditional season being made. They had to do the weird format for this season because of scheduling hell. But if they all had time o do a movie in 6-8 weeks sometime then they can do 6-13 real episodes and make a miniseries like season.
I think they will be a season 5 on Netflix. I don't know if it will be like season 4, which become genius once you watch it twice. I hope there is more Buster next time.
Season 4 is pretty damn good, IMO, so I'm happy to see more. But I don't think it's representative of what we'd see in the future. They had 6 years of backstory to catch us up on and scheduling problems to get the cast together enough to film group scenes. I think I read they had them for a day as a group. Often had them filming lines without the other person present and it only being evident how it actually worked once it was edited together. So I can forgive it any of these niggly problems.
Only 6 episodes in, and so far I think it's okay. The format bothers me. One of the reasons I loved the original show was because of the interaction between these family members. Now, they barely get to interact at all. It's rough going several episodes without even seeing characters like Gob or George Michael. The story isn't bad so far, but there's definitely something missing.
One of the most common things I'm seeing across multiple forums is that a lot of people are making it to episode 6 and taking a break from fatigue. That George Sr. episode is probably the worst of the season, and a lot of people get their hopes down after watching it. I sure did, I watched it and had to stop. Fortunately, episode 7 (a GOB episode) is probably one of the funniest of the entire season, and is also a turning point where storylines start coming together and making the previous episodes funnier.
Problem being, I didn't have to go back and figure out why episodes were funny during the first three seasons. Yeah there were rewards for watching then watching again, but the show didn't depend on it.
This doesn't depend on it. I had as many laughs in this season as any other. I haven't rewatched any.
Except for "Feral Jesus", I haven't had a single laugh-out-loud moment. That was never an issue during the first three seasons. But your mileage obviously varies.