Re-cut version of Arrested Development season 4 will hit Netflix on Friday

Arrested Development originally ran from 2003 to 2006, and was written by Mitchell Hurwitz (The Ellen Show) and directed and narrated by Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon, Happy Days). Over its original three year run, the show won six Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe. Despite critical acclaim, the show was cancelled by Fox in 2006 due to low viewership figures.

Rumours of a reunion persisted for several years until 2011 when Netflix confirmed that a fourth season was in production. The fourth season was released exclusively via Netflix in 2013.

It has been announced that the fourth season, in which each episode focused on a singular character rather than a chronological timeline, had been re-cut in chronological order prior to the release of the fifth season, which has an undisclosed release date.

On the next... Arrested Development pic.twitter.com/NjP26k9KE7

— Arrested Development (@arresteddev) 1 May 2018

The star-studded cast contains Jason Bateman (Michael Bluth), Michael Cera (George Michael Bluth), Portia de Rossi (Lindsay Bluth Fünke), Will Arnett (Gob Bluth), Tony Hale (Buster Bluth), Alia Shawkat (Maeby Fünke), David Cross (Tobias Fünke), Jeffrey Tambor (George Bluth Sr. & Oscar Bluth) and Jessica Walter (Lucille Bluth), the members of a formerly wealthy and habitually dysfunctional family, struggling with life after the patriarch George Sr is suspected of treason for building luxury condos in Iraq during the Iraq war.

The shows irreverent humour is legendary, and throughout the three original seasons there are a host of running gags and 'easter eggs' for die-hard fans.