The latest season of the TV comedy “Arrested Development” has stirred up a mix of emotions among fans, primarily confusion and frustration due to Portia de Rossi’s peculiar presence.

Unlike a typical hair mishap or fashion faux pas, what’s causing a stir is the way de Rossi frequently pops up on screen through the use of green screen technology, shooting her scenes in isolation from her castmates.

Viewers who have been following “Arrested Development” for a while will recall the challenges faced during the filming of the fourth season back in 2013.

Due to conflicting schedules, the main actors had to film separately and later be digitally inserted into scenes during post-production.

This method did not sit well with audiences as it created a disjointed viewing experience that was hard to ignore.

Assurances were given by the producers that such issues would be resolved in the fifth season.

All the cast members were back on board and ready to shoot their scenes together.

However, it appears that this plan did not apply to Portia de Rossi, a native of Australia, who is noticeably present via green screen in many scenes portraying Lindsay Bluth.

A Twitter user going by the handle @MrEAnders shared a compilation of peculiar shots featuring de Rossi from the current season.

In these scenes, her character is seen repeatedly with a sheet over her head, supposedly in defiance of her mother’s remarks about her appearance.

This creative choice also made it easier to incorporate de Rossi into scenes by only requiring her voice and using a stand-in hidden under the sheet.

What led to this unconventional decision to remain off the set?

De Rossi had made headlines recently by revealing on her wife Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show that she was practically retired from acting.

Despite expressing reluctance to join the fifth season, she found herself written into five episodes after a discussion with the show’s creator, Mitch Hurwitz.

Her absence from a group interview with The New York Times, where male co-stars overshadowed Jessica Walter as she discussed past mistreatment by Jeffrey Tambor, raised further questions.

Considering de Rossi’s retirement from acting and lack of other ongoing projects, could her green-screened appearances be a result of her own conditions?

Was this an effort by de Rossi to distance herself from a set tainted by the alleged verbal abuse experienced by co-star Walter?

Regardless of the motives behind de Rossi’s virtual presence, fans are left divided, with some expressing a preference for her character to be written out rather than digitally inserted.

The original version of this article was first featured on News.com.au.