Party of Five tells the story the five Salinger siblings who lose their parents to a car accident and how they manage to recover from that tragedy, while navigating the choppy waters of adolescence. The show tackled every social issue from alcoholism to infidelity to teen suicide but audiences were always there, rooting for the Salingers no matter how flawed their characters were.

Charlie, the eldest brother, finds himself guardian of his younger brothers and sisters at the tender age of 24. He has to put his life on hold to care for them and run the family's restaurant at the same time. Financial troubles hit Charlie the hardest and he often resents the burden of responsibility; still, he tries his best to protect and guide the rest of the family now that he's the head of it. Bailey is the second youngest boy at 16 whose carefree existence is upended first by his parents' death and then by his alcoholism which almost tears the family apart. After hitting rock bottom, Bailey admits his problem and struggles against the addiction. Julia, 15, is a serious, diligent girl who is not always up to the challenge of caring for the younger siblings. She hides a deep insecurity that leads her to make some bad choices in life, especially where men are concerned. Claudia is 11-years, a violin prodigy who seems the most level-headed of the group. She struggles to get noticed by her siblings who are busy with their own messy lives but she manages to pull the family together more often than not. Youngest Owen is a baby when the Salingers become orphans and represents one of the more difficult responsibilities for Charlie and the others. He doesn't survive the show unscathed, as he becomes the object in a heated custody battle between Charlie and Bailey.

That the Salingers had some bad luck would be a mild understatement. They dealt with mentally ill girlfriends, abusive boyfriends, teen pregnancy, bankruptcy, legal problems and cancer, to name a few. Every small victory was accompanied by another defeat but Lord bless them, they stuck it out and we were weepily entertained by their determination and familial love.

The show launched the careers of several young stars who portrayed the Salingers. Matthew Fox, who played Charlie, went on to star in the megahit Lost; Neve Campbell went from Julia Salinger to several movie roles, as did Jennifer Love Hewitt, who played Bailey's girlfriend. Party of Five ran for six seasons on Fox and even though it had a rocky start, it nabbed a Golden Globe for Best TV Drama.