Party of Five
Party of Five | |
---|---|
File:Party of Five title card.png | |
Created by | Christopher Keyser Amy Lippman |
Starring | Scott Wolf Matthew Fox Neve Campbell Lacey Chabert Scott Grimes Paula Devicq Jennifer Love Hewitt Michael Goorjian Alexondra Lee Jeremy London Jennifer Aspen |
Opening theme | "Closer to Free" by BoDeans |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 6 |
No. of episodes | 142 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Running time | 43–45 minutes |
Production companies | Keyser/Lippman Productions Columbia Pictures Television (1994–98) (seasons 1-4) Columbia TriStar Television (1998–2000) (seasons 5-6) |
Original release | |
Network | Fox |
Release | September 12, 1994 May 3, 2000 | –
Related | |
Time of Your Life |
Party of Five is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994 to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by Scott Wolf as Bailey, Matthew Fox as Charlie, Neve Campbell as Julia, and Lacey Chabert as Claudia Salinger, who with their baby brother Owen (played by several actors) constitute five siblings whom the series follows after the loss of their parents in a car accident. Notable co-stars included Scott Grimes, Paula Devicq, Michael Goorjian, Jeremy London, and Jennifer Love Hewitt. While categorized as a series aimed at teenagers and young adults, Party of Five explored several mature themes, including substance and domestic abuse, cancer, and the long-term effects of parental loss.[1]
Despite receiving positive reviews from television critics after its debut, including TV Guide naming it "The Best Show You're Not Watching" in 1995,[2] the series suffered from low ratings during its first and second seasons, during which speculation arose that it would soon be cancelled. However, in 1996, Party of Five won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama, after which ratings and popularity grew for the majority of the remainder of the series.[3] A spin-off starring Hewitt debuted on the network in 1999, Time of Your Life, which was cancelled after one season.
Synopsis
The show, set in San Francisco, centered on the five Salinger siblings (the "party of five" of the show's title), who become orphans after their parents are killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. The family is composed of 24-year-old Charlie (Matthew Fox), the eldest, a womanizing, immature manual laborer who struggles with the responsibility of being the new head of the family; 16-year-old Bailey (Scott Wolf), the once-rebellious teen turned responsible caretaker—and later-turned-substance abuser; 15-year-old Julia (Neve Campbell), a sensitive teen; 11-year-old Claudia (Lacey Chabert), a precocious child prodigy; and baby Owen, age one.
The siblings take over the running of their family's restaurant, Salinger's. Charlie initially serves as bartender and manager, and later Bailey takes over. The struggles the Salingers face over the years include Charlie's battle with cancer in Season 4, Bailey's battle with alcoholism in Season 3, Julia's dealing with domestic violence in a relationship in Season 5, and the long-term effects of parental loss.[1]
As the series progressed, romantic relationships became plot points and new cast members joined the show, including Jennifer Love Hewitt as Bailey's girlfriend Sarah, Jeremy London as Julia's bad-boy boyfriend and later husband Griffin, and Paula Devicq as Owen's nanny Kirsten, who developed an on-again-off-again relationship with Charlie throughout the series.
Cast and characters
Main
- Scott Wolf as Bailey Salinger (ages 16–22); the second-born sibling who is forced to grow up fast and deal with life after his parents' deaths. Bailey was a rebellious teenager before his parents died and decide to change and become a better person.
- Matthew Fox as Charlie Salinger (ages 24–30); the eldest sibling who struggles to live his own life in the reluctant role of legal guardian to his brothers and sisters. Immature and insecure, he dropped out of college his senior year to "find himself" and was planning to re-enroll when his parents' deaths made him his siblings' legal guardian. At the beginning he was a screw up and irresponsible. He started to become a better person and more responsible. Unlike his parents, he decided let his siblings make their decision and choices in this family.
- Neve Campbell as Julia Salinger (ages 15–21); a highly intelligent, emotionally sensitive teen who struggles to adjust to being an orphan and having more family responsibilities.
- Lacey Chabert as Claudia Salinger (ages 11–17); a gifted violinist struggling to build a life for herself and also deal with being an orphan.
- The role of the youngest, Owen Salinger; (ages 1-7) was recast three times as the character grew. He was played by Alexander and Zachary Ahnert in the pilot episode, Brandon and Taylor Porter as an infant, Andrew and Stephen Cavarno as a preschooler, and Jacob Smith until the end of the show.
- Paula Devicq as Kirsten Bennett Salinger; a graduate student who is hired as Owen Salinger's nanny and becomes romantically involved with Charlie off-and-on during the series.
- Scott Grimes as Will McCorkle (seasons 1–2, 6, recurring otherwise); Bailey's best friend from high school.
- Michael Goorjian as Justin Thompson (season 2, recurring otherwise); Julia's friend, and later boyfriend, during the series.
- Jennifer Love Hewitt as Sarah Reeves Merrin (seasons 2–6); Bailey's sensitive, off-and-on girlfriend from high school who also struggles to "find herself" and Julia's best friend.
- Alexondra Lee as Callie Martel (season 3); Bailey's roommate during his first year at college.
- Jeremy London as Griffin Chase Holbrook (seasons 4–6, recurring seasons 2–3); moody and troubled teenager with whom Julia becomes involved. When you get to know him, he is a good guy and become a responsible guy. He thinks of the Salingers as a second family to them. Older brother of Jill Holbrook. The character was originally portrayed by James Marsden in one first-season episode.
- Jennifer Aspen as Daphne Jablonsky (season 6, recurring seasons 4–5); a part-time "erotic dancer" who becomes involved with Charlie and later has his baby.
Recurring
The following lists all actors who appeared in five or more episodes during the run of the show.
Production
The show was created by the team of Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman and produced by Columbia Pictures Television (CPT) and High Productions. CPT would later be folded into Columbia TriStar Domestic Television, which soon afterward became Sony Pictures Television. In March 2009, Sony began streaming the third season of the show on Crackle.[citation needed]
Nielsen ratings
Season | Episodes | Timeslot (ET) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | Rank | Rating (Households) |
Viewers (in millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 22 |
Monday 9:00 Wednesday 9:00 |
September 12, 1994 | March 15, 1995 | #125[4] | 6.2[4] | — |
2 | 22 |
Wednesday 9:00 |
September 27, 1995 | March 27, 1996 | #96[5] | 7.1[5] | — |
3 | 25 |
Wednesday 9:00 |
August 21, 1996 | April 2, 1997 | #82[6] | 7.4[6] | — |
4 | 24 |
Wednesday 9:00 |
September 17, 1997 | May 13, 1998 | #56[7] | — | 11.5[7] |
5 | 25 | Wednesday 9:00 | September 16, 1998 | May 19, 1999 | #70[8] | — | 10.1[8] |
6 | 24 | Tuesday 9:00 | October 5, 1999 | May 3, 2000 | #113[9] | 6.6[9] | 6.135[10] |
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 22 | September 12, 1994 | March 15, 1995 | |
2 | 22 | September 27, 1995 | March 27, 1996 | |
3 | 25 | August 21, 1996 | April 2, 1997 | |
4 | 24 | September 17, 1997 | May 13, 1998 | |
5 | 25 | September 16, 1998 | May 19, 1999 | |
6 | 24 | October 5, 1999 | May 3, 2000 |
Home releases
This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2010) |
On April 27, 1999, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the season 2 episode "The Wedding", the season 3 episode "Intervention", and the season 4 episode "Richer, Poorer, Sickness, and Health" on VHS.[11][12][13]
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released all six seasons of Party of Five on DVD in Region 1 between 2004 and 2013.[14][15][16][17][18][19] Seasons 4 to 6 are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases, available exclusively through Amazon.com and WBShop.com and only in the US. In Region 2, Sony has released the first two seasons on DVD.[citation needed]
In August 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including Party of Five.[20] They subsequently re-released season 1 on DVD on June 24, 2014 followed by season 2 on January 6, 2015.[21][22] On January 5, 2016, Mill Creek released a complete series set featuring all six seasons of the series, available together for the first time.[23]
In January 2016, it was announced that Hulu had acquired the rights to every episode of the series.[24]
DVD Name | Ep # | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | DVD Special Features |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Complete 1st Season | 22 | May 4, 2004 June 24, 2014 (re-release) |
Sept, 25 2006 | May 5, 2006 | Audio Commentary On Selected Episodes.
"Party of Five: A Family Album", 17 minutes of a documentary about the shows first 4 seasons. 9 Behind The Scenes Featurettes with the Cast and Crew |
The Complete 2nd Season | 22 | December 20, 2005 January 6, 2015 (re-release) |
Sept, 3 2007 | February 14, 2007 | Audio Commentary On Selected Episodes.
Documentary on the Series Featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt. |
The Complete 3rd Season | 25 | March 25, 2008 | N/A | N/A | Minisodes |
The Complete 4th Season♦ | 24 | March 5, 2013 | N/A | N/A | None |
The Complete 5th Season♦ | 25 | July 2, 2013 | N/A | N/A | None |
The Complete 6th and Final Season♦ | 24 | October 1, 2013 | N/A | N/A | None |
The Complete Series | 142 | January 5, 2016 | N/A | N/A | "Party of Five: A Family Album", the complete 44 minute documentary. |
Due to licensing issues, the majority of the music from the original broadcasts have been replaced on the DVDs. The new music was handpicked by the original music supervisors from the series.[citation needed]
♦ - Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release.
Footnotes
- ^ a b "Party Of Five Fares Better Than 'On Our Own'". Chicago Tribune. September 12, 1994. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. p. 212. ISBN 0-7624-3007-9.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (July 22, 2013). "Party Of Five is the great forgotten drama of the '90s". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Complete TV Ratings 1994–1995". Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Complete TV Ratings 1995–1996". Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Complete TV Ratings 1996–1997". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b "The Final Countdown". Entertainment Weekly Published in issue #434 May 29, 1998. May 29, 1998. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b "TV Winners & Losers: Numbers Racket A Final Tally Of The Season's Show (from Nielsen Media Research)". GeoCities. June 4, 1999. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
- ^ a b "Complete TV Ratings 1999–2000". Archived from the original on May 10, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "US – Jahrecharts 1999/2000". May 30, 2002. Archived from the original on March 13, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Party of Five: The Wedding (VHS) (1994)". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ "Party of Five: The Intervention (VHS) (1994)". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ "Party of Five: Richer, Poorer, Sickness, and Health (VHS) (1994)". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ "Party of Five – The Complete Second Season (1994)". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ Lambert, David (February 23, 2004). "Party of Five – Season 1 announced, including WINNING Cover Art!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Lambert, David (January 4, 2008). "Invitation to a Party at Last! 3rd Season Set Coming in March, 3rd Season Arrives 2¼ Years After The 2nd Season!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Party of Five DVD news: Update about Party of Five – The Complete 4th Season – TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on March 8, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Party of Five DVD news: Box Art for Party of Five – The Complete 5th Season – TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on June 29, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Party of Five DVD news: Box Art for Party of Five – The Complete 6th Season – TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on September 3, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Site News DVD news: Mill Creek Licenses 52 TV Shows from Sony for Low-Cost DVD Release – TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Party of Five DVD news: Release Date for Party of Five – Season 1 – TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on April 22, 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Party of Five DVD news: Announcement for Party of Five – The Complete 2nd Season (MCE) – TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on October 28, 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Party of Five DVD news: Announcement for Party of Five – The Complete Series – TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on October 29, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (January 9, 2016). "Hulu Inks Multi-Year Licensing Deal with Sony: Acquires 'Dawson's Creek,' 'Party of Five,' More". Variety. Michelle Sobrino. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
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References
- John J. O'Connor. "Trying to Make a House a Home". The New York Times. October 17, 1994. p. C16.
- Brenda Scott Royce. Party of Five: The Unofficial Companion. Los Angeles: Renaissance Books, 1998. ISBN 978-1-58063-000-9. OCLC 37392928.
External links
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