Party of Five reboot with immigration twist ordered by Freeform
Freeform has officially decided to get this Party re-started.
The cable network confirmed on Thursday that is rebooting Party of Five, giving original creators Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman a put-pilot order to bring the Fox drama back to new life. And there’s a contemporary angle to the new show’s premise.
Airing from 1994 to 2000, the critically admired series centered on the angst-ridden struggles of the orphaned Sallinger siblings — Charlie (Matthew Fox), Bailey (Scott Wolf), Julia (Neve Campbell), Claudia (Lacey Chabert) and baby brother Owen — whose parents were killed by a drunk driver. The show thoughtfully explored tough topics, including alcoholism, abortion, cancer, and suicide, earning a Humanitas Prize and Golden Globe along the way. The reboot will chronicle the adventures of first-born Latino siblings, who are left on their own when their parents are deported to Mexico. The pilot will be written by executive producers Keyser and Lippman as well as Michal Zebede (Castle), who will serve as co-executive producer.
The news comes a few months after The Hollywood Reporter reported that Sony Pictures Television Studios was developing the reboot.
Party of Five begat a spin-off, 1999’s Time of Your Life, featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt as Bailey’s (ex-)girlfriend Sarah, but the New York-set series lasted only one season.
