Arrested Development’s season 4 episodes on Netflix are right around the corner (May 26!), and Hypable had the chance to speak to the cast ahead of the highly-anticipated return to the small screen.

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Though we’ll be unveiling the majority of our interviews later this month, for now we can share a little tease to whet your frozen banana-craving appetite.

Seven years off the air is a long time. But when the cast reunited on May 4 to speak to the media, it felt like we just tuned into for the premiere of season 3. Save for the two lead kid actors Michael Cera (George Michael Bluth) and Alia Shawkat (Maeby Fünke), the cast still have the same looks, wit, and energy you fell in love with during seasons one through three.

Now Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, David Cross, Michael Cera, Jessica Walter, and the rest of the original cast are back for a 15-episode run on Netflix at the end of this month. They spoke with Hypable and other media about all areas of the triumphant return, including one of the most pressing questions…

Is the original ‘Arrested Development’ magic still there?

The cast is confident that fans will enjoy the new episodes as much as they did the original three seasons. Walter, who plays Lucille Bluth, recalled the moment it felt like they were truly back in action. “The first time we all sat down in that penthouse which was recreated, we were so excited,” she told us. “We needed about 30 minutes to calm down. And once we heard the voices and saw the faces that looked the same, except for the kids who are now adults, that’s when I knew we were really back. It was surreal.”

Cross echoed the “surreal” sentiment and added that it was “cool for all of us to be looking at each other in our outfits and getting to do this after seven years. That’s when it felt real real.”

What’s different in season 4?

When asked if the characters have changed since we last saw them, the group were compelled to emphasize that things have actually gotten worse – in a way only Arrested Development fans can appreciate. “We don’t really grow that much – uhmmmmm, riiiight?” de Rossi mused.

“Things have actually gone the opposite direction,” Bateman admitted amongst laughter from his fellow cast. “If we’re ever full rehabilitated, there would be no show. We’re deeply banged up. The seven years off have not been kind to any of us. The fun is seeing everybody’s flaws.”

“The desperation is magnified,” said Walter.

“Overall, the tone is a lot darker,” added Bateman.

De Rossi disagreed. “It feels very similar to the original series though, to me.”

Bateman insisted “there’s there’s a little more edge.”

The cast were all in agreement about one big difference that may be quickly noticed by fans. The individual cast members’ busy filming schedules outside of Arrested Development meant it was difficult to get them all together for shoots. Because of this, it will be rare to see many of the characters together in the same scene. In fact, Walter tells us that there are only two scenes in the entire 15 episodes where the entire cast is assembled in one room.

“It is one of the differences that people are going to have to make a friend of,” Bateman told us. “Not everybody is in every episode. As much as you treat these as individual episodes, the fifteen are meant to be one singular act of this three-act saga that [creator Mitch Hurwitz] is going to tell. It’s a good thing that they’re all being released on the same day, so that you can get your fill of everyone.”

We’ll release our full report from our time with the Arrested Development cast later this month prior to the release of the 15 episodes on Netflix.