The power of web video is illustrated every day in myriad different ways. One minor illustration arrived recently, when plans were announced for a fresh series of Arrested Development and it was two online streaming services, Hulu and Netflix, slugging it out for the right to screen it, rather than network TV broadcasters. And, as it happens, that slugfest has just been concluded, with the end result being that Netflix will show the new series.

It was in 2006 that ensemble comedy Arrested Development was canned, the victim of ratings which failed to match the rapturous reviews. Since then rumours of a movie have persisted, and these seemed to harden into fact a couple of months ago, when the comedy’s creator, Mitchell Hurwitz, revealed that a film was indeed finally coming.

However Hurwitz also made the surprise announcement that the movie would be preceded by a fresh series of the show, this being required in order to update the Arrested Development devotees about what their favourites had been up to in the half-decade since their on-screen antics were so cruelly axed. Here's Hurwitz explaining all. 

That series will now shoot next year, before airing on Netflix from 2013 – a striking component of that web video company’s move into original programming. It’s first self-produced show, House of Cards, produced by the pair of Kevin Spacey and David Fincher (and yes, based on the BBC parliamentary drama from 20-odd years ago) will screen in late 2012.

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