The grand experiment begins Sunday.

"Arrested Development," the beloved cult-comedy canceled by Fox in 2006 after just three seasons, returns with 15 new episodes available all at once on Netflix Instant streaming.

It's the highest profile original programming from Netflix, which made a splash earlier this year with the Kevin Spacey political drama "House of Cards."

"Arrested" is sure to be a financial success, what with its legion of rabid fans who have multiplied exponentially since the show left traditional airwaves. Bolstered by word of mouth, the comedy has had remarkable shelf life with strong DVD sales and wide availability across multiple streaming platforms, including Netflix and Hulu.

Whether it's a creative success is the larger question. Expectations are impossibly high, and even mega-fans are quick to turn on their beloved properties nowadays (check out the Trekkie anger concerning "Star Trek Into Darkness").

Personally, I'm ecstatic for the show's return, but if pop culture has taught us anything, rehashing the past can bring less than magical results. The trick, I think, is understanding what we're getting, and how these new episodes of "Arrested Development" are merely the first steps toward something much grander.

Previously on...

"Arrested Development" tells the story of a wealthy family who loses everything after their real estate empire is mired by corruption (and the illegal enterprising by family patriarch George Bluth, played by Jeffrey Tambor).

Most of the Bluth clan is spoiled and petty, including oldest son and hapless magician Gob (Will Arnett), sheltered youngest son Buster (Tony Hale), and the materialistic and lazy daughter, Lindsay (Portia de Rossi). Only Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), George's middle son and heir-apparent to the Bluth Company, has a moral compass, which he tries to pass on to his awkward teenage son George Michael (Michael Cera).

Bateman serves as straight man to this collection of selfish oddballs, which also includes a "never nude" David Cross and a boozy matriarch played to mega-maniacal perfection by Jessica Walter. The series is best experienced in order, as recurring characters and jokes continuously recur throughout the 53 episodes.

Next on...

Netflix's fourth season is comprised of 15 episodes, each focusing on an individual member of the Bluth family (some will have two-parters). Because the new season was produced in between the busy schedules of its cast, there will be very few scenes with the entire cast together. Bateman is said to be the connective character to this season's story and is rumored to appear in every episode.

Other cast members will pop in and out of each other's episodes, and recurring characters played by Henry Winkler, Carl Weathers, Ben Stiller and Liza Minnelli will return to the series as well. Oh, and Ron Howard returns to narrate the episodes... it just wouldn't be the same without him.

This fourth season serves as a "prequel" to a proposed movie that would include more interactions with the entire cast together. That movie is not official yet, so the reception to the Netflix run will determine its fate. Keep in mind fans have been teased with the prospect of a movie ever since the final episode of the third season. Netflix executives have said this is a "one-shot" season, but you better believe they'll ask for more episodes if the reception is off-the-charts.

For longtime fans, treat these new episodes as a gift, and try not to hyper-focus on how it isn't the same as it used to be. Budgeting and schedules made that impossible. And with such a talented cast and creative team, there's no reason to think this new iteration will be a disaster.

What to watch this week

The three previous seasons of "Arrested Development" are available for streaming on Netflix and Hulu Plus. All 15 new episodes debut this Sunday on Netflix.

Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].