Netflix's Bluth bash a TCA press tour-palooza

Arrested: Tambor, Arnett, Walters, Bateman, Shawkat. S. Volland/Netflix

The one event I most wish I was at at this winter's TCA press tour was yesterday's reunion appearance of the cast of Arrested Development. Executive producer and creator Mitch Hurwitz, along with Portia de Rossi, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Jason Bateman, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett and Jeffrey Tambor were all on stage at the Langham in Pasadena. Tony Hale and David Cross are in the new episodes, too, but were missing yesterday.
Off the air for six years, the comedy returns with 14 new episodes next May on Netflix. The service will offer them all  at once, allowing for one, giant, seven hour "binge" viewing. (There are jokes about that in the tweeter feed, below.)
Critics LOVED the original series. I mean, we talk about it in hushed whispers. The next Seinfeld, declared Tim Goodman. Whenever something horrible like Gossip Girl or  How I Met Your Mother lurches years beyond its best before date, we all go, "and Arrested Development only lasted two-and-a-half years? Why, God, why??"

The Bluths. Critics blue themselves

So by all accounts it was a big wet kiss of a reunion Wednesday. You could apparently feel it right from the opening strains of the plunkity-plunk ukulele theme song intro. Even Michael Cera got some love.
Several reporters live blogged the event. You can read their coverage here and here and here.
Among the live reactions Wednesday on Twitter:

Tim Goodman ‏@BastardMachine

But Hurwitz said they decided not to be "precious" about it. Agree. The series is Hall of Fame, first ballot. This is new chapter.

 Retweeted by Bill Brioux

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22hDaniel Fienberg ‏@HitFixDaniel

If you don't like "Berlin ArrestedDevelopmentoplatz," you may prefer "14 Short Films About Arrested Development."

 Retweeted by Bill Brioux

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22hRick Porter ‏@Zap2itRick

So basically these 14 episodes are "Arrested Development: Rashomon." #TCA13

 Retweeted by Bill Brioux

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22hRoger Catlin ‏@rcatlin

Michael Cera got to write some of the parts of the episode that focused on his character George Michael #ArrestedDevelopment#Netflix tca13

 Retweeted by Bill Brioux

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22hScott D. Pierce ‏@ScottDPierce

Mitch Hurwitz: Always knew there would be 14 episodes. Told fans 10 so they would be pleasantly surprised. #ArrestedDevelopment#TCA13

 Retweeted by Bill Brioux

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Michael Schneider ‏@franklinavenue

Why upload all the episodes at once? Hurwitz says Netflix's Ted Sarandos compares it to releasing an album w/ multiple tracks at once #tca13

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Cera, de Rossi and Hurwitz. No sign of Bob Loblaw