The announcement of a new season of Arrested Development is good news for fans of the show—those who know that Jason Bateman deserves better than co-starring in an all-male version of Freaky Friday. It’s also potentially good news for Hulu and Netflix. Or, I should say, Hulu or Netflix, as the two companies may be about to find themselves in a bidding war for the show’s return.
Netflix, which is already planned to premiere David Fincher’s remake of British political thriller House of Cards as well as another series called Lillyflower, was mentioned alongside premium cable channel Showtime as a potential venue for the returning sitcom, and now New York Magazine is reporting that Hulu is also making moves to grab the show.
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The new season is expected to be co-produced by 20th Century Fox, but it’s seen as unlikely that the show will be broadcast by its original network, Fox. The expected cost-per-episode is presumed to push FX, Fox’s cable sibling, out of the running also, making the show available to other outlets.
With both Netflix and Hulu having some background in the idea of debuting original content on their streaming services, Hulu most likely has the advantage in this head-to-head conflict. Netflix may have more money to offer upfront, but Hulu is still part-owned by 20th Century Fox’s parent company News Corp., and as fans of Arrested Development know all too well, sometimes family bonds can win out over profit. Or even common sense.
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Graeme McMillan is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @Graemem or on Facebook at Facebook/Graeme.McMillan. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.