Arrested Development has spurred a development that could get people arrested. It’s also landed us the award for ‘most laboured pun’, which we’re pretty happy about. Despite the entire show being released on streaming service Netflix, the show has been illegally downloaded using the torrent method.

100,000 people either ignored the fact they could get a free one-month Netflix trial and watch the whole season cost free, or they simply didn’t know it. The fact that is was available in its entirety, on a streaming service, has meant less illegal downloads, though. Game of Thrones, for instance, showsn on HBO in America and Sky Atlantic in the U.K, reached millions of downloads, as did shows like The Walking Dead, Lost and Breaking Bad. Arrested Development has received a mixed reception since coming back from the dead. It was cancelled for low ratings, despite being one of the most popular shows of its generation. Seasons one, two and three were all highly rated, and developed a cult following, which lead to this long-awaited return. Perhaps the method of watching it, with many people binging on season 4, and the weight of expectation have dragged it down into mediocrity.

There are a number of reasons for piracy; namely, people can’t afford to pay for premium television subscriptions, or the DVD box sets when they come out. But there’s another reason: the U.S gets licencing for most shows first, meaning that when they come out, usually on a Sunday, the rest of the world downloads it on a Monday after someone with nothing better to do records it and makes it available for file sharing.

Jason BatemanJason Bateman stars in Arrested Development

Michael CeraMichael Cera and Alia Shawkat at the launch of season 4