A recut Season 4 brings the episode total to 75 – with Season 5 poised to add an additional 17 – and a subsequent syndication deal could “effectively [reduce] the pay-per-episode that was negotiated.”
Creator Mitch Hurwitz described the long-brewing recut as both a comedic experiment and “an experiment to find out, well … I guess ‘if I could make some money.’”
The studio argues it has the right to recut already-shot material, though the cast is apparently concerned the company “stands poised for a financial windfall thanks to a possible syndication pact.”