Yahoo News Party of Five reboot is coming with immigration twist
In yet another blast from the past, Party of Five is finding new life in the era of endless TV reboots.
Last year, it was reported that the original series creators Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman were at work on a new version of Party of Five that would be told from the perspective of the Buendias family, whose parents are abruptly deported back to Mexico.
The pitch of basing the show around a first-generation family of Latino immigrants is particularly timely, given the massive backlash to US President Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies.
Now, US cable channel Freeform has confirmed it has ordered a pilot of the new Party of Five.
"Twenty-five years ago, we imagined a story about five kids navigating the world after the untimely death of their parents," Keyser and Lippman said in a statement. "Today, stories of families being separated, children having to raise themselves in the wake of their parents' deportations, don't require any imagination; they are everywhere.
"This new iteration of Party of Five isn't a retread of the original; it's a whole new look at kids trying to parent each other in the wake of circumstances beyond their control, yet learning a similar lesson: that families persist no matter how great the obstacles."
There has been no casting announcements yet, so fans of Party of Five will have to wait a little while longer to meet the new versions of Bailey, Charlie, Julia and Claudia.
The original series aired on Fox in the US between 1994 to 2000, and made household names of stars Scott Wolf, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell, Lacey Chabert and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
It was popular with both TV viewers and critics, having won the prestigious Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama Series in 1996.
Last year, it was reported that Freeform was developing a remake of the hit UK science fiction series Misfits, although original producer Howard Overman has denied any involvement in the American translation.
"They're always having a go at remaking it, Jesus Christ," he complained to Digital Spy. "I'll get some royalties - that's my involvement this time around.
"You know what? It's been round the houses and there's been lots of falling out and people moving to different studios... If it ever sees the light of day, great. I'll cash the cheques when they come in, that's my attitude to it."
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.
('You Might Also Like',)
