Party of Five will no longer continue on Freeform.
The reboot of the 1990s show followed the five Acosta children — Emilio, Lucia, Beto, Valentina and baby Rafa — as they navigate daily life struggles to survive as a family unit after their parents are suddenly deported to Mexico.
The show premiered in January and wrapped up it’s ten episode season back in March. The Sony produced drama had an average of 250,000 live same-day viewers for it’s run, THR reports.
They revealed that Party of Five will end its first season with a 90-minute episode on March 4 at 8:30 p.m. EST/PST.
Party of Five follows the five Acosta children as they navigate daily life struggles to survive as a family unit after their parents are suddenly deported back to Mexico.
Creator Amy Lippman, who also created the original series, said at the event (via Deadline), “What’s the same is that we took the characters of the original and translated them to this. If you knew the original you’ll come to it and you’ll feel like ‘I kind of know who these kids are.’ We put them in a different situation. That said, there are easter eggs.”
She teased that in this season, “all the kids have love interests and some of them will have echoes to the original.â€
“I’m as proud of this as I was of the other show,” Amy continued. “To me, it feels like it’s something that’s important. In many ways, this is a much better idea than the original because the thing is when you deal with the death of a parent, it’s less urgent every year you go passed that death. What we struggle to do with the [original] series, and I hope we did it successfully, that that ceased to be the unifying idea of the show. It was just a show about a family.â€
“This show you have an opportunity to look at these kids as kids who are growing up and learning things about themselves but in an extraordinary situation,” she added. “I wish it was more extraordinary.â€
Party of Five airs Wednesdays on Freeform. Watch a first-look clip from the upcoming episode now!
“thank you so so much for all of the love and support on tonight’s premiere. we’re so excited for the rest of the seasonâ¤ï¸” Emily, who plays Lucia, wrote.
Brandon, who is Emilio on the show, added, “You guys, I am overjoyed reading your responses. From all of us to you, thank you. This has been such an amazing experience so far. Feeling blessed and humbled. Goodnight and thank you for watching with us. #PartyOfFive.”
Check out what Elle and Niko, who play Valentina and Beto, wrote below, too!
Party of Five airs Wednesdays on Freeform.
From the bottom of all of hearts, thank you for tuning in tonight. We hope you enjoy the rest of the season. Catch ya next Wednesday! Love you allâ¤ï¸ #PartyOfFive
“It’s a very timely topic and needs to be talked about,” Emily shared with Lara Spencer on the program about the show’s subject matter of deportation. “Even just me as an immigrant – I was born and raised in Dominican Republic – so the fact that this is a full Latinx cast and we’re bringing so much diversity to the screen. It’s an honor that we’re the ones that get to tell this story.”
Check out their appearance below and their reactions to seeing the Times Square Billboard in action!
The 25-year-old actor recently opened up about how his parents filled him on just how big the show was before he landed his role in the Freeform reboot.
“I had no idea what the show was, how big it was back in the day,†Brandon told the New York Post. “When I [got the audition] and called my parents to let them know, they obviously informed me and I did my own research. I was astounded to realize how much of an impact this show had on an entire generation. To know that Amy and Chris’s writing impacted the lives of so many people already — I have no doubt that it will do the same for this generation.”
“I’m glad I’m going to be a part of something that’s so meaningful,†he added.
He also shared that while he didn’t have his own personal experience with deportation, he was sure to do a lot of research.
“I was very fortunate. My grandparents migrated here from Puerto Rico many years ago, and as we know, Puerto Rico is a territory of the US. They had it pretty easy compared to everybody else,” Brandon said. “So I was aware [of what’s happening with immigration] to an extent, but we’re constantly trying to educate ourselves on the subject. That way, we can give the show justice. We’re trying to step into the lives of these people who have to go through this on a daily basis.”
“Although at the end of the day it’s not us, and we’ll never have to go through the struggles that they go through, we try and empathize with them as much as we can.â€
Emily Tosta is opening up about her new Party of Five reboot and the important message it sends about activism.
The actress and model spilled all in a new interview with People en Espanol.
On her character, Lucia, Emily said, “She always played by the rules until her parents got deported, and that changed her so much. That changed her perspective toward life. It changed the way that she viewed the people around her, the way that she saw school and her surroundings and her environment, and she developed this anger toward the world.â€
“We’re humanizing a political subject that is something that the screen needs more of,†she continued. “We’re talking about something that’s very realistic. It’s happening right now in this country, it’s very timely. There are families that are being taken away from each other … and it’s something that I haven’t seen much of on screen. It’s such a blessing and an honor that we get to portray these stories.â€
If you don’t know, you can stream the first episode now on Hulu and fans have been doing just that, and letting the cast know just how much they loved it.
“Ready the responses about our early release of episode 1 on hulu makes me so happy,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories. “Thank you all so so much for the love and support!! This is just the beginning. you are in for one heck of a season.”
“It’s something that’s happening, especially in this country, on a daily basis,” Emily shared in a recent interview about the show. “We hope to deliver a message of love, unity and strength. Especially understanding that families cannot be broken by borders.”
Party of Five, a reimagining of the original 1994-2000 series, will debut on Freeform on Wednesday, January 8th @ 8PM ET/PT.