Party of Five
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Party of Five | |
|---|---|
 Scott Wolf, Paula Devicq, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell, Lacey Chabert, Jacob Smith |
|
| Genre | Soap opera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Creator(s) | Christopher Keyser Amy Lippman |
| Starring | Scott Wolf Neve Campbell Matthew Fox Lacey Chabert Scott Grimes Paula Devicq Jennifer Love Hewitt Jeremy London Jennifer Aspen |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Original channel | FOX |
| Original run | September 12, 1994–May 3, 2000 |
| No. of episodes | 142 |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Party of Five was an American television series that premiered on September 12, 1994 and ended on May 3, 2000 after six seasons.
The show, a drama aimed at the teenage market and set in San Francisco, centered on five siblings who grow up orphans after their parents were killed by a drunk driver in an auto accident. Before becoming a hit, it dodged cancellation due to disappointing ratings for the early episodes.
The general guideline was to approach the hardships that an average citizen could face in Western society. The Salingers were not really average, however, since the show had them face arguably every single difficulty possible. Over the show's six-year run, the family had to deal with a variety of themes such as alcoholism, domestic violence, date rape, gambling problems, drug overdose, cancer in the form of Hodgkin's Disease, and post-traumatic stress.
Several of the key cast members, including Jennifer Love Hewitt, who went on to star in the CBS hit series, Ghost Whisperer, and Neve Campbell, went on to carve out careers in Hollywood during and after the series. Matthew Fox went on to star in the 2004 ABC primetime hit drama Lost, while Scott Wolf would go on to co-star in Everwood and The Nine. Both Fox & Hewitt are currently under contract with Touchstone Television.
The show was also followed by a spinoff titled Time of Your Life, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt as her character Sarah Reeves moving to New York.
The show was produced by Columbia Pictures Television, High Productions and Keyser/Lippman Productions and distributed by Columbia TriStar Domestic Television and the Fox Network, which aired the show in the U.S. Reruns of the show are distributed by Sony Pictures Television.
In the U.S., Lifetime Real Women broadcasts Party of Five and also the show airs on the British television channel, ABC1.
Contents |
[edit] The Cast
- Scott Wolf played Bailey Salinger.
- Matthew Fox played Charlie Salinger.
- Neve Campbell played Julia Salinger.
- Lacey Chabert played Claudia Salinger.
- The role of the youngest, Owen Salinger, was recast no less than three times, as the character grew. He was played by Alexander and Zachary Ahnert as an infant, Andrew and Stephen Cavarno as a preschooler, and Jacob Smith until the end of the show. Although he is the fifth family member referred to in the show's title, none of the actors portraying the character were ever in the opening credits.
- Paula Devicq played Kirsten Bennett Thomas (seasons 1-2, 5-6, recurring otherwise).
- Scott Grimes played Will McCorkle (seasons 1-2, 6, recurring otherwise).
- Jennifer Blanc played Kate.
- Michael Goorjian played Justin Thompson (season 2, recurring otherwise).
- Jennifer Love Hewitt played Sarah Reeves (seasons 2-6). This character was also the center of a spin-off drama called Time of Your Life on the Fox Network, which also starred Jennifer Garner. The show was cancelled during its first season.
- Alexondra Lee played Callie Martel (season 3).
- Jeremy London played Griffin Chase Holbrook (seasons 4-6, recurring otherwise). This character was played by James Marsden only in episode 22 (The Ides of March).
- Jennifer Aspen played Daphne Jablonski (season 6, recurring otherwise).
- Carroll O'Connor played the grandpa, Jacob (Jake) Gordon (6 episodes, season 2).
- Brenda Strong played Kathleen Isley (6 episodes, season 2)
- Megan Ward played Jill Holbrook (9 episodes, season 1)
- Noah Wilker played Dirk Walters (season 2, recurring otherwise)
[edit] DVD Releases
Season Releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Ep # | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | May 4, 2004 | 22 | Commentary Tracks with the cast and the creators, "Party of Five: A Look Back" featurette, Nine-part making-of featurette, "Party of Five: A Family Album" |
| Season 2 | December 20, 2005 | 22 | Commentary Tracks, Jennifer Love Hewitt featurette. |
| Season 3 | Not scheduled for release. | 22 | n/a |
The first season, consisting of 22 episodes, was released in May 2004 on Region 1 DVD from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Season Two, again 22 episodes, was released on December 20, 2005.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- John J. O'Connor. "Trying to Make a House a Home." The New York Times. October 17, 1994. C16.
- Brenda Scott Royce. Party of Five: The Unofficial Companion. Los Angeles: Renaissance Books, 1998.
