“Arrested Development” is a TV show that tells the story of a wealthy family who lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to keep them together. For those who don’t know, “Arrested Development” ran on Fox from 2003 to 2006. In 2006 – despite talks of another season and even a movie – the family’s future was abruptly canceled. Recently, the fourth season was picked up by Netflix, and was available for instant streaming Sunday.

Because Sunday was my graduation day, and I thought that Netflix would crash if I tried to start watching the show at midnight, I didn’t stay up to watch it. Instead, I graduated, went out to dinner and had a nice night’s sleep before I started watching. That said, I did manage to see all 15 episodes in one day, a true couch potato accomplishment. And I must say, I loved it.

If you’ve never seen “Arrested Development,” I have one piece of advice for you: Watch it. All four seasons are available on Netflix now. It’s one of those shows that is so well-written, well-acted and full of brutally honest comedy that I averaged a laugh every 20 seconds. But it also makes you care for the characters, who you find yourself rooting for after every ridiculous thing they do. The protagonist, Michael Bluth, puts himself in charge of keeping his family and his company together after his father is arrested on charges of fraud and treason, among other things. Sometimes Michael can come off like a stick in the mud, but that’s only because he’s trying to get work done while his family members try to join the Blue Man Group and ride around on Segways.

Reviews of the new season online harp on the fact that Michael’s boring-ish character is even more boring and a bit pathetic, but I think Michael should be given some slack. He’s been dealing with magic shows and seal attacks for the past three seasons. Other critics cite this season’s slow start and the new format among their grievances. I agree with those, but I counter that it does pick up around episode five or six, and that the episodes centering on Lindsay, Tobias, Maeby and George Michael are as riotous as usual.

If you’re a fan that’s been reading the mixed reviews online and doubts the quality, don’t fear. Go ahead and watch and review them yourself – ignore this “review,” too, if you’d like.

I haven’t put much money in critical reviews assuring quality since the Chicago Tribune gave the movie, “Les Misérables” one-and-a-half stars. For the fans, everything that you want is there, including Ann being ignored, Tobias’ cutoffs, the keen narration and Maeby and George Michael’s horribly awkward relationship. The only thing I really missed was Franklin.

If you haven’t watched before, I highly recommend it. It’s in the vein of some of my personal favorite comedies such as “30 Rock,” “The Office” and any movie Judd Apatow has been involved with. It’s a comedy that’s worth its weight in gold and – in my opinion – worth the wait of seven years.

• Courtney Phelan just graduated from Geneva High School. She is an outgoing and energetic young writer who likes to swim, read and participate in general teenage activities. She can be contacted at editorial@kcchronicle.com.