Party of Five

Synopsis

Set in San Francisco, the series centers on the five Salinger siblings, who become orphans after their parents are killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. The family consists of 24-year-old Charlie, a womanizing manual laborer forced into guardianship; 16-year-old Bailey, a once-rebellious teen who becomes a caretaker and later struggles with alcoholism; 15-year-old Julia, a sensitive teen; 11-year-old Claudia, a child prodigy violinist; and baby Owen.

The siblings take over their family restaurant, Salinger's. Over the seasons, they face parental loss, Bailey's alcoholism, Charlie's cancer diagnosis, and Julia's domestic violence. Romantic relationships develop, including Bailey with Sarah, Julia with Griffin, and Charlie with Kirsten, whom he marries in the final season.

Cast and characters

Scott Wolf portrays Bailey Salinger, the second-born sibling who matures from a rebellious teen to a responsible young adult, aged 16 to 21 over the series. Matthew Fox plays Charlie Salinger, the eldest sibling who becomes legal guardian at age 24, dropping out of college; he ages to 30. Neve Campbell is Julia Salinger, a sensitive and intelligent teen, aged 15 to 20. Lacey Chabert plays Claudia Salinger, a gifted violinist, aged 11 to 17.

Paula Devicq portrays Kirsten Bennett Salinger, Owen's nanny who has an on-again-off-again relationship with Charlie and marries him in season six. Scott Grimes appears as Will McCorkle, Bailey's best friend. Michael Goorjian plays Justin Thompson, Julia's friend and occasional boyfriend. Jennifer Love Hewitt portrays Sarah Reeves Merrin, Bailey's girlfriend who discovers she was adopted.

Alexondra Lee appears as Callie Martel, Bailey's college roommate and girlfriend. Jeremy London plays Griffin Chase Holbrook, Julia's bad-boy boyfriend and later husband. Jennifer Aspen appears as Daphne Jablonsky.

Production

Fox Entertainment Group chairman Sandy Grushow commissioned the show as a possible replacement for Beverly Hills, 90210, wanting a teen drama about kids forced to raise themselves after losing their parents. Jerry O'Connell was offered the role of Bailey but chose Sliders instead; Scott Wolf auditioned and was cast the same day. Neve Campbell auditioned while in Los Angeles with her roommate Tara Strong and won the role of Julia. The show was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and High Productions, later folded into Columbia TriStar Domestic Television and then Sony Pictures Television.

Home media

Columbia TriStar Home Video released three episodes on VHS in 1999: 'The Wedding', 'Intervention', and 'Richer, Poorer, Sickness, and Health'. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released all six seasons on DVD in Region 1 between 2004 and 2013.

Mill Creek Entertainment acquired rights from Sony and re-released season 1 on DVD in 2014 and season 2 in 2015, then a complete series set in 2016. Hulu acquired streaming rights to every episode in 2016. In 2021, a 4K HDR remaster was announced, and the remastered version became available on Prime Video in 2022 in 1080p quality.

Did You Know?

• The show is credited with moving televised young adult stories away from soap-opera tropes, influencing later series like Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls.
• In 2021, Party of Five was featured in the Vice Media series Dark Side of the 90s episode 'TV for Teens'.
• A Hindi adaptation titled Kyunki Papa Kehte Hain was announced in April 2026 for Sony SAB.