Reboot With A Twist: 'Party Of Five' Lands At Freeform With Original Creators
Calling all '90s kids and families! Freeform is bringing back one of Fox's most endearing family dramas: Party of Five!
Original Creators Sign-On
The creative team of Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman will helm the latest television revival. Keyser and Lippman played essential parts when the series was initially broadcasted on the Fox Broadcasting Company from Sept. 12, 1994 to May 3, 2000.
Together, these two creators introduced the world to the Salinger siblings, who were five orphans whose parents were killed by a drunk driver.
Over six seasons and 142 episodes, fans came to know and love the siblings. Also, the show helped launch the careers of several actors including Scott Wolf, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell, and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
A Current Events Twist
Keyser and Lippman are co-writing the pilot with Castle and Devious Maids alum Michal Zebede. The trio will introduce Freeform's audience to a new set of five siblings who are Mexican-American.
Instead of their parents being taken away from them by a drunk driver, the force that will take these siblings' parents away are the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Thanks to ICE, the orphans must grow up fast and learn to grow as a family.
Keyser, Lippman, and Zebede will executive-produce the pilot, while Rodrigo Garcia is expected to direct the pilot episode.
The Revival Phenomenon
The Golden Globe-nominated series is not only the latest series from the 1990s to be revived.
In March, ABC will welcome back the Conner family to the network as Roseanne returns the airwaves after 21 years of being off the air. Original series stars Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Sara Gilbert, and Laurie Metcalf are all expected to return to the show. Roseanne will air new episodes starting on March 27.
NBC found success when it brought back Will And Grace into its primetime television line-up. The show's signature quartet of Eric McCormick, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes, and Megan Mullally to reprise their roles as Will, Grace, Jack, and Karen. In the revival, the quartet welcomed back previous recurring cast members including Leslie Jordan and Minnie Driver, who respectively portrayed Karen's rivals, Beverley Leslie and Lorraine Finster. The show is also expected to welcome fan-favorite guest star Jennifer Lopez, who will play two roles in the future.
Hulu also announced that it would team up with Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. Animation to bring back fan-favorite cartoon Animaniacs for two seasons. The series will follow the misadventures of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, whose antics turn the fictional Warner Bros. Studios upside down. Animaniacs is set to start airing new episodes on Hulu in 2020.
Freeform has not released a specific date of airing the Party of Five reboot.
