Freeform: Party of Five (reboot?)

So dear reader I was a HUGE fan of Party of Five that debuted on the Fox Network in the fall of 1994 and aired until 2000. That was back when Fox was the network for tweens and teens a like. The timeframe in which FOX had 90210, Melrose Place, X-files, The Heights and a slew of others. For a while it seemed that if Aaron Spelling could crap out a show Fox would put it on the air.

Party of Five was my jam! For the record this was not an Aaron Spelling show but it was in the same league as those because of the quality that Christopher Keyers and Amy Lippman brought to the table. I loved the Salinger Family so much that in college I had to write a script for a class and I used a story I wrote that would today have been a fan fiction. Of course I got an A. I had been working on that story for a stupid number of years so I was not surprised by that grade. I knew those characters, I knew how they would interact, I knew how they would play against one another, this show taught me how to build drama into a story. My professor even asked me later if that was a real show. I told him yes and then proceeded to give him several VHS tapes I had made over the years for him to watch. He loved the show as much as I did. I was a member of the group who flooded the network with letters, like honest to goodness letters on notebook paper mailed to the network, when we thought it was going to be cancelled both times. I remember loggin into Prodigy (that's right) to go into message boards to talk about the show immediately after it was over. The show beat out ER and NYPD Blue for the Golden Globe in 1996 and the explosion of excitement that came out of my bedroom scared our dog. My freshman year of college my roommate and I made a pact that I could watch Party of Five and she would be allowed to watch X-files. I wanted a soft-top Jeep like Bailey had. My password in college had PO5 in it. No joke. I loved everything about this show and support everything this cast has done since. 

This show suffered the same fate as Red Band Society of a few years ago (which Fox tanked on early as I discussed here) it sounded stupid depressing and thus people didn’t get behind it early. I mean it’s about a show of 5 kids whose parents are killed by a drunk driver and the ups and downs of what follows next. That sounds like a GREAT time doesn’t it. However the show was about so much more than that. It was a show that put a spotlight on drinking, teenage angst, the ups and downs of growing up, struggling with grades and friendships and independence. It was a show that could have been recorded in anyone's house had a camera been set up. It felt real. It felt honest. It felt like this was a family I could have been a part of.  

The cast alone was worth coming to the TV for, I mean you had Matthew Fox (Charlie), Scott Wolf (Bailey), Neve Campbell (Julia), Lacey Chabert (Claudia) and a younger son Owen who was just there as an extra thing to deal with as the main cast. Add to that Scott Grimes (Will – Bailey’s BFF), Paula Devicq (nanny/Charlie’s eventual GF), Jennifer Love Hewitt (Sarah – Bailey’s GF), Michael Gorjan (Justin – Julia’s first BF), Jermey London (Griffin – Julia’s Bad boy BF), Tom Mason (Joe – Co-owner of Salinger’s (family Resturant) and BFF of Dad Salinger), Mitchell Anderson (Claudia’s music teacher), Megan Ward (Bailey’s GF #2 (Bailey went through a good number of them) and a host of so many others that got their start on Party of Five. Plus they had a super awesome dog. I’m just saying it’s a great show of whose who of actors that went on to bigger and better things after their time in San Francisco.

However here’s where I am concerned. Freeform has developed a “reboot”of the show featuring 5 kids who must take care of themselves after their parents were deported back to Mexico. They appear to also be in SF but I'm not sure on that. My fear is that this show will take away from the show that I loved and the show that made me want to be a writer from a very early age. This show showed me what the written word could do in the right hands. I have nothing against this show I wish it well but believe that the comparison to the original will either make it or break it (another great show on ABC Family that should have been able to finish their story). It’s going to debut next week and both Keyser and Lippman are back at the helm and I’ve seen the amazing things they can do with the right cast. So I'm in but I'm also concerned. 

News about the rebooted show can be found here and here. 

I’m going to watch this show. I’m going to give it a chance but here’s what concerns me. 

• Original Party of Five had a family that ran a Resturant and upon their death the oldest son had to put his dreams to the side so that he could keep the Resturant going. 
• Party of Five reboot also has a family that ran a Resturant and upon their dad’s deportation the oldest son is faced with having to put his dreams aside to keep the Resturant going. 

• Original Party of Five the second oldest takes on the role of running the family, while failing school and dealing with the stress of that while the oldest son struggles with being the head of the family
• Party of Five reboot according to the commercial the second oldest son is also failing school and appears to be taking on the role of caring for the family at home while the oldest son struggles with being the head of the family. 

• Original Party of Five the youngest kid in the family is scared that the family will be split up at the drop of the hat cause of any problems in the family. At one point in the pilot she turns to Bailey with tears in her eyes and says “Are they going to split us up?” to which Baily says “of course not” but he’s terrified that they will.
• Party of Five reboot again according to the commercial the youngest daughter says “are they going to split us up?” 

• Original Party of Five from the very first episode the social worker assigned to the family is a presence that at any moment could destroy everything. At the end of the day she had the best interest of the family at heart but they all knew that she had the power to take everything away. The episode when she comes for a surprise visit and Baily is trying to act like it isn’t all falling apart when it clearly is in my top ten list of amazing episodes from this series.
• Party of Five reboot the social worker, again according to the commercial will also be a key figure. 

• Original Party of Five in the first episode (or the first few episodes) Julia bails on the family dinner cause she’s a rebellious teen upset with the world. Bailey pulls her aside and explains to her why it was so important while they are on a swing set in the park that they took Claudia and Owen to. It’s a very powerful scene.
• Party of Five reboot according to the commercial the character that I’m assuming is the new Bailey (second oldest son) is on a swing talking to his sister in what looks like a similar conversation happening. 

• Original Party of Five has 5 kids, 3 boys and 2 girls between the ages of say 20 and 6 months. 
• Party of Five reboot again according to the commercial there are 5 kids, two boys two girls and I’m not sure if the baby is a boy or girl, I believe a boy. 

• Original Party of Five The family would come together every week for a family dinner at the family Resturant. Hence the name of the show, as the guy (usually Joe but sometimes a random waiter or waitress) would yell “Salinger Party of Five” as he led them to their booth. Most shows would incorporate this family tradition which was a nice way to see this family as a normal family even after all the crazy.
• Party of Five reboot according to the commercial the family is at the Resturant having dinner when dad gets a phone call and rushes to the kitchen to “clear it out” saying “you know what to do” as the ICE people raid the kitchen only to have the twist be that they are there for the parents not the staff. So I’m guessing that is yet another aspect that the shows have in common. 

I can’t get over the idea that they did this to themselves. According to the commercials the parents don’t have “papers” to show the “ICE” people and thus are deported for not having the proper identification to be in the country. I am not going to get caught up in a debate on that point. However in the original the idea that this family was ripped to shreds by something they couldn’t have controlled (AKA a drunk driver running a red light) is what drove the story. By far the most powerful episode of the entire series was when the drunk driver got out of jail after something dumb like 11 months and how each of the kids dealt with that news was super powerful. 

It also concerns me that this show seems like a shot by shot remake of the original with the exception of the parents being deported not dead. The entire thing that made the original so compelling was that these kids were literally on their own. They had to figure everything out together as a group. The idea that the new show will be able to call mom and dad for assistance whenever they need it takes away some of the stress. Granted mom and dad can’t help but I know my day goes better sometimes by just hearing my mom’s voice.

As I said I’m going to give this show a chance, I’m going to watch it but my fear initially is that Keyser and Lippman just took their scripts from back in the day did a find and replace for the characters and turned in their scripts. However I know them better or at least I hope so. I believe they are better than that. I have to believe that. I just don't want this show to ruin the awesome that was the original and this show should have had its own identity cause it's going to be compared to the original and had it had the opportunity to stand on its own feet maybe it would have had a better chance. 

Anyway the new reboot will air Jan. 8^th on Freeform with the first two episodes airing at 9/8 central feel free to check it out along with me cause if it’s only half as good as the original it’s going to be worth your time.

Enjoy,

Marcy
@beaslma

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

Happy New Year to all my readers, or those that accidently clicked on this link when it was posted on Twitter. Welcome to the random thoughts that fall our of my mind, through my arms and fingers and into this blog. I’ve decided I’m not making any New Year’s resolutions, every year I do and every year it just becomes a list of things I didn’t do, or accomplish. So I’m not falling for it again. Nope not me. 

It’s been a very interesting year. From the struggles with my mom’s health (she’s doing amazing by the way), to work stress, it just felt like one long Groundhog type day. You know one of those days where no matter what I did during the day I get up and we do it all over again. That’s not to say there weren’t fun or good moments sprinkled in throughout the year cause there was.

I got a little more involved at the Church, helping the finance office, serving on the “Imagine Team” and once again helping with VBS and dressed as Marvin the Martian at our annual Trunk or Treat in October.  

In January I got to see Vanessa Peters at the Listening Room, for the 2^nd time. She’s as lovely today as she was a year ago when I met her. I would make my way back to the Listening Room – now known as the People’s Room of Mobile - in a few months to see my musical hero. I really should spend more time at the Listening Room (AKA People’s Room). I should spend more time doing a lot of things but especially that. I keep saying I’m going to go down there one day and just see whose playing. Maybe this year.

Auburn of course was another highlight of my life, as it has been for the last 40 something years. I got to see a Baseball game, a basketball game, a few football games, softball and volleyball games as well as a couple gymnastic meets all in person or TV. I really want to see more in person. I mean what is science doing if not building me a portal that allows me to teleport to these venues so I can have these fun experiences then get back in time for work the next day. I mean comeon! Get on that.

In March I got to go to a work conference and visit my cousin to meet her new daughter, who has recently started walking, the daughter not my cousin. Int was that trip that I also got to spend a few days with a dear friend of mine. I think that would have been a TON of fun if I weren’t also on my social media break for lent. I might have to not do that again this year. ha!

In April I attended my first (and likely only) Kiss concert with a friend which I have to admit I enjoyed more than I thought I would. They are her all time favorite band and since this was their farewell tour it was now or never. I also saw KC and the Sunshine band with this same friend back in June.

In May I took a work trip to Tampa to help with a project. I think they are expecting me to do that again this year. It was nice to get out of the office that’s for sure. Later that same month I got to fart around with Golden for her birthday where we watched movies, ate good good, laughed and reconnected.

In August I got to sit in a room and listen to my musical idol play music, I could listen to Bryan White read a phone book and be happy as a clam.

Golden and I made another trip to Dragon Con and while it wasn’t exactly as we had hoped or planned that it would be I think we made the best of it and had a really good time.

As far as this blog is concerned I brought it back to life some what with 50 posts with only 3 months without a post. I am kind of proud of that. Of course my 30 posts in November as part of a challenge I gave to myself helped in that effort but I’m trying to keep this thing going. I still can’t believe that I’ve been using this thing since 2014 that’s over 200 posts that you guys have sat through and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you guys indulging me when I need to give my brain a break from the world.

Marcy
@beaslma