A year after Freeform entered a put-pilot order for the Party of Five reboot, the series is finally headed to television. Classic fans should be cautioned that this version will be different from the original in a few ways, and executive producer Amy Lippman told CinemaBlend and others at TCA about some of the changes audiences should expect. Of the things that have changed -- and yes we're about to get into some minor spoilers -- viewers may be surprised to find out the parents in this reboot are actually alive. She said:
When we did the original Party of Five those dead parents stayed dead for six years, and the fact of that never changed. One of the things that sort of excites us about doing the show now is that the parents are factored into it. They are not present but they are dealing with issues of how are we trying to parent our kids from a distance. How are our kids dealing with social services?
In this new version of Party of Five, the five Buendías children must find a new normal when their two parents are suddenly deported back to Mexico. As Amy Lippman mentioned, this sets up a unique set of challenges for not just the kids, but the parents who will try to raise their children from a distance. In the original Party of Five, the Salinger children were orphaned when their parents were killed in a car accident.
The change will certainly switch things up, which ultimately inspired Amy Lippman and Chris Keyser to finally pull the trigger on a reboot. Lippman mentioned they've had plenty of opportunities to reboot their original series over the years, but the current political climate and immigration issue in America inspired them to approach the concept with a different story. Lippman didn't want to "capitalize" on the situation, but instead wanted to show the reality some families face in America every day.
With that said, there will be some nods to the classic Party of Five for those who do tune in for the reboot. Amy Lippman explained those who've watched the original will spot something familiar should they catch the pilot.
There’s a scene in the pilot that was a scene in the original Party of Five pilot 25 years ago. It’s changed slightly, but I think there’s enough for our fans of long ago to see echoes of the original series in it.
At the moment, that may be one of the few similarities the two shows share, as Chris Keyser said there are no plans to bring in the original cast of Party of Five yet. That's not to say it won't happen, but it sounds like those who tune into the 10-episode season of the reboot hoping to get a glimpse of an older Claudia or anyone else will be disappointed, at least at this juncture.
CinemaBlend will keep an eye out for updates regarding Freeform's upcoming Party of Five reboot and other television news that happens to break. In the meantime, be sure to keep track of all things coming to television by visiting our midseason premiere guide.
