Freeform organises new Party of Five

The original 90s show Party of Five aired on Fox

US cable network Freeform has ordered a pilot remake of 1990s family drama Party of Five from Sony Pictures Television (SPT).

The original Fox series will be reimagined for a modern audience, following the five Buendías children as they struggle to survive as a family after their parents are deported to Mexico.

Original creators Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman have penned the new pilot with Castle scribe Michal Zebede. Keyser, Lippman and Garcia will executive produce and Zebede serves as co-executive producer. Rodrigo Garcia is attached to direct.

“Twenty-five years ago, we imagined a story about five kids navigating the world after the untimely death of their parents,” said Lippman and Keyser. “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 re-tread 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.”

The drama will be another teen-skewing addition to Disney ABC Television-owned Freeform’s growing slate of original scripted dramas. It recently extended Marvel series Cloak & Dagger to a second season and also has Siren, The Bold Type and the upcoming Good Trouble.