'Bailey's Got a Problem': An Oral History of the 'Party of Five' Intervention Episode

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https://www.thrillist.com/entertainm...e-oral-history

Interventions depicted on television shows tend to follow a set format: Concerned loved ones devise a ruse to get addict to show up, addict gets upset upon realizing what's happening, tense confrontation ensues, and addict either storms out or agrees to get help. But in 1997, the FOX family drama Party of Five broke the mold with its Season 3 weep-fest "The Intervention." The very special episode, in which the family and friends of beer-guzzling Bailey (played by Scott Wolf) gather to pin him down about his drinking, takes place primarily at the Salinger house over a 24-hour period. No one stands in a circle. The addict makes the most penetrating attacks and arguments. And no one agrees to go to AA or rehab. It's all desperately ugly, messy, and real.

With Freeform set to debut a Party of Five reboot series on January 8, Thrillist contributor Jennifer Vineyard spoke with original series (and reboot) creators Amy Lippman and Christopher Keyser; co-executive producer Ken Topolsky; episode director Steven Robman; Wolf and co-stars Neve Campbell, Lacey Chabert, and Tamara Taylor to re-examine one of the most authentic and powerful storytelling arcs about addiction ever depicted on scripted television.