The WORST episodes of Party of Five

Every episode of Party of Five ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Party of Five!

Nothing could be worse than the sudden death of parents. One day Nick and Diana Salinger were killed in a terrible car crash, and left their five children all alone. Charlie, the oldest, Bailey, the middle brother, Julia, Claudia, and little baby Owen, who was only 6 months old when his parents died. Together, they go through all sorts of problems.

Last Updated: 11/1/2025Network: FOXStatus: Ended
Summer Fun, Summer Not
star
6.82
17 votes

#1 - Summer Fun, Summer Not

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/21/1996

Bailey and Will plan a trip to Mexico, and the girls want to go too. The car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and later the car is stolen. Bailey and Will end up having a fight but they realize that 10 years of friendship is not worth a fight. Kristen's mom is spending a few days with them because her marriage is falling apart. She tells Kristen that Gene discovered about an old affair of hers, and Kristen won't forgive her until she forgives Charlie. Julia runs into Griffin, who got back without telling her. He never answered her letters and she gets mad. He tells her that he's in love with her. Claudia returns from summer camp in love with a boy who everybody thinks it's made up, but he comes to visit Claudia and she gets mad at everybody for not believing in her.

Directors: Steve Robman
Adjustment
star
6.83
12 votes

#2 - Adjustment

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/3/1997

Sarah convinces Julia that she needs to find a real job for herself. Charlie won't accept the help that his family is offering him. Bailey misunderstands Charlie's frustrations towards Annie. Claudia is furious to find out that Julia and Griffin fired Reed to get out of their financial problems.

What If ...
star
6.85
13 votes

#3 - What If ...

Season 6 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/22/2000

In this special episode, we, the viewers, get to take a look at what the Salingers' lives would have been like if their parents hadn't died. Claudia is a touring violinist, Bailey and Charlie become unsettled with their father and Julia is engaged to Justin until she meets a mechanic named Griffin, which sparks second thoughts.

Directors: Ken Topolsky
Fight or Flight
star
6.86
14 votes

#4 - Fight or Flight

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/22/1997

Charlie and Nina's relationship gets slowed down when they realize they have different looks at the world. Bailey and Annie start bonding and talking about their addictions. Griffin realizes that something in wrong with Julia.

Parent Trap
star
6.92
12 votes

#5 - Parent Trap

Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/14/1998

Tired of hiding their relationship to Natalie, Bailey and Annie decide to tell her the truth, who does not takes it too well. Reed finally tells Claudia the hard truth to convince her that he is not her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Julia and Griffin's relationship worsenes. Prompted by an unexpecting persistent rash Charlie decides to try out a medicine.

Promises, Promises
star
6.92
38 votes

#6 - Promises, Promises

Season 3 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/19/1997

Bailey is sober for a week. Callie gets jealous because Bailey is spending much more time with Sarah than with her, so she tries to help Bailey, but she can't. She goes to Sarah and tries to find out why Sarah is helping Bailey so much. Sarah tells her that she doesn't love Bailey, because she has a new boyfriend. Callie gets drunk and Bailey moves back to the house. Julia starts skipping school in order to hang out with Griffin, and she starts to get F in history, but he tells her to go back to school, and she goes. Claudia is convinced that Grace doesn't care> about her and Owen, so she makes up a story about a reporter just to spend some time with Grace. But she is more concerned about the reporter.

Directors: Lou Antonio
Fools Rush In
star
6.92
13 votes

#7 - Fools Rush In

Season 4 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/6/1998

Griffin wins a free trip to Los Angeles when he turns out to be the thousandth customer at the supermartket. He and Julia gets closer and ther relationship seems to filled with love again. Meanwhile, Charlie is bothered by Daphne's stripping and that makes some troubles in their relationship. The real shock comes when she admits being pregnant. Claudia is finally happy when Jamie asks her to go to his prom.

Directors: Michael Engler
Gimme Shelter
star
6.93
14 votes

#8 - Gimme Shelter

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/13/1996

Charlie has a slogan contest at Salinger's and the winner wants to bring homeless people to have dinner at the restaurant. Charlie has to kick them out so his clients won't leave and Grace prints in the paper what he did, giving him a hard time. They have a discussion and after Grace admits being wrong about him they come up with a solution. Sarah is worried because Bailey is drinking too much, but he says he's only celebrating. He tries to get in the hockey team but he's not in good shape, so he gets invited to the wrestling team, which is the worse in school. He doesn't support Sarah's new job and they have a fight. She says he's changed. Julia is having problems with the roofers. Alec offers her pot, and she turns it down. She talks with his brother and he fires him. They flirt. Claudia tries to get back at Charlie for not letting her go to the conservatory.

Directors: Steve Robman
Mixed Signals
star
6.93
14 votes

#9 - Mixed Signals

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/18/1996

Julia moves into the attic now that Bailey is living with Callie. Cooper wants to sleep with Julia, but she's not ready yet, so he threats to break up. She decides to sleep with him but backs off in the last minute, which gets him really pissed. Bailey and Cooper have a fight and he dumps Julia. Callie convinces Bailey to pose as her boyfriend. Turns out his teacher used to date Callie. She tells Bailey that TJ is a psycho and Bailey confronts him, but it was all Callie's imagination. Claudia and Jody are back together. Claudia is sleeping over every night and Jody reveals that her mother's boyfriend is harassing her. Jody is missing and Claudia tells Charlie what's going on, and he tells her mother. Kristen is taking medication, but it doesn't seem to help. Claudia is worried about Kristen and call her parents.

Directors: Ken Topolsky
Close to You
star
6.93
14 votes

#10 - Close to You

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/20/1996

Bailey saves Callie from being raped. She is scared of going out of the house and Sarah tries to be her friend and wonders why she doesn't have many female friends. Charlie is helping Grace. He worries about her safety because she lives in a dangerous neighborhood. She tries to kiss him, but he tells her that he has someone - Kristen. After Sam gets fired for not covering the roof, Julia rehires him from her own money. He discovers her lie and she kisses him. Claudia is offered a column in the school paper about heart stuff and she soon realizes that something's up with Bailey. Callie tells him that she wants someone like him.

Handicaps
star
6.93
14 votes

#11 - Handicaps

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/1/1997

Griffin holds back the truth about his financial problems to Julia. Bailey and Sarah decide to move in together, believing they will resolve their problems that way. All Charlie's dates turn out to be a disaster.

Directors: Lou Antonio
Going, Going, Gone
star
6.93
15 votes

#12 - Going, Going, Gone

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/28/1996

Will is leaving for college and his new roommate comes from Seattle so they can go together. He's a freak, but Will has to be nice to him - after all they're spending a year together. Bailey feels threatened by his presence and they have a fight. Bailey finds his car and decides to live in a dorm to meet people and move on with his life. Will leaves. Kristen gets a job far away and they have to deal with the distance. She tells Charlie that if they were married things might have been different. Julia wants Griffin to find a place of his own, but he spends his money buying her a car. She gets fired after he confronts her boss and decides to leave to San Diego to get on with his life. Claudia wants her relationship with Byron to be just like Julia and Griffin's, but Byron is more interested in Julia than in her. Claudia blames Julia for stealing her boyfriend but later realizes that he's the jerk.

Directors: Michael Engler
Strange Bedfellows
star
6.94
17 votes

#13 - Strange Bedfellows

Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/24/1996

Claudia is caught smoking, and her teacher advises Charlie to make a deal with her. The deal is that Claudia won't smoke is Charlie doesn't get involved with her teacher, which he does. Claudia walks on them making out and she starts to smoke. Charlie dumps her, but when she gets back by giving hard tests to Claudia's class, Jody asks her to get them back together. Will has a new girlfriend who is really annoying, and he breaks up with her because Bailey doesn't like her. He regrets and Bailey apologizes in chemistry class. They get back together and Bailey tries to like her for Will. Justin's parents are trying to make them stop having sex, worrying that Julia might get pregnant. Justin's mother is pregnant and Justin worries about his father's affair, so he goes talk to him, and he says that's over.

Directors: Steve Robman
I Declare
star
6.97
39 votes

#14 - I Declare

Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/22/1997

Bailey is not doing so well in school. Callie throws a big party at their place and the landlord threats to kick them out. He is trying to stay sober, but it's hard. Unable to keep up with school, he decides to quit. Charlie doesn't want to rush things with Grace, but the more they try to slow it down, the more they want to be together, so they sleep together. Julia is accepted in Stansford, but is not sure she wants to go. She wants a time off studies, and to find herself. Charlie thinks it's all Sam's fault. Ross is dating one of Claudia's teachers, and she outs him to the entire school. She tries to fix it, but Ross tells her it's not that easy.

Directors: Michael Engler
Opposites Distract
star
7.00
12 votes

#15 - Opposites Distract

Season 4 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/29/1998

Julia expects help from Justin to solve her marriage, but it all turns out differently. Sarah wants to make peace between Annie and Bailey, so she finally decides to get them together to resolves their problems. Charlie stars in Daphne's musical.

Directors: Julianna Lavin
Writer: Lisa Melamed
Altered States
star
7.00
18 votes

#16 - Altered States

Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/28/1996

Julia doesn't want to go to school, and when she does she feels awful and guilty. She lies to Justin and Charlie and runs away to New Orleans to meet Griffin. She feels safe around him. They spend time together, talking about what happened to her, and he tells her to go back home. Bailey is jealous about Sarah for wearing tight clothes in her shows and for hanging out too much with her band. They fight because she thinks he's controlling her too much. Kathleen wants to be more in Charlie's life. She invites the whole family to go to Hawaii and Charlie gets mad at her because he wants to keep it casual. He tells her that he doesn't love her and she attempts suicide.

Directors: Michael Engler
Personal Demons
star
7.00
16 votes

#17 - Personal Demons

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/30/1996

Charlie is angry because Kristen is gone. Grace comes into the restaurant looking for support in her homeless program. She wants the leftovers from Salinger's, but Charlie kicks her out of the place. An old friend of Nick comes looking for a job, and Charlie gives him one because his father used to. Claudia believe that everything bad happening is the house's fault, so she gets an exorcist. Someone opens an account in the name of Nick Salinger, and they think it was the exorcist but actually it was Earl. Bailey tells Callie that the last time he had sex was 2 years ago. She seduces him and they sleep together. Sarah is throwing a Halloween party and Bailey goes so he won't feel so bad for cheating on her. Julia is upset because Justin is dating a new girl and tries to ruin everything, but regrets and get them back together. Bailey has a fight with Sarah and goes to Callie for comfort, but she is with another guy, so Bailey decides to look for comfort in a beer.

Directors: Michael Engler
Significant Others
star
7.00
40 votes

#18 - Significant Others

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/15/1997

Bailey is very excited with wrestling and wants to tryout for All Stars. Although Coach Petrocelli doesn't think he is able, Bailey gets obsessed to win. He wants someone to be there for him, but Callie is mad at him and wants him to move out, and everybody else is busy, but Claudia, who misses him at home. Bailey celebrates every victory with a few drinks, and every time he gets more and more drunk. Julia finds out that Sam was engaged and she joins him in his dinner with his ex-fiancée. She is getting married and he realizes he still loves her. Charlie gets an award for helping the homeless and realizes how much he likes Grace when another man asks her out.

Directors: Ken Topolsky
Writer: P.K. Simonds
Misery Loves Company
star
7.00
41 votes

#19 - Misery Loves Company

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/29/1997

Will surprises Bailey showing up at his place. Will thinks Bailey drinks too much, and asks Sarah what's going on, but she doesn't want to talk about Bailey. He tries to advice Bailey about his drinking, but Bailey says it's no big deal. Callie asks him to move into her room. Grace's place burned down, so she moves into the house. Charlie doesn't want Julia to turn down Stansford. Julia, angry with Charlie, moves to Sam's so she won't have to listen to him. Charlie doesn't want her there, and they have a big fight. Sam tells Julia she should go back to the house. Claudia tries to get Bailey to help, but he ignores her.

Directors: Rodman Flender
A Little Faith
star
7.00
39 votes

#20 - A Little Faith

Season 3 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/26/1997

Claudia is invited to play in L.A., and nobody can take her there, but Bailey. They go and Claudia kicks him out of the rehearsals because he is distracting her. In the hotel room, Bailey has nothing to do, and he really wants to drink. He calls Sarah, but she isn't at home, he calls Charlie, but he isn't at the restaurant. So he can't resist and drink, and forget to pick up Claudia. Joe shows up and find a drunk Bailey. He and his wife pick up Claudia, who is very disappointed at Bailey. In the way back, they pass by an AA meeting, and Claudia tells Bailey to go and he does. Grace is really sick, and she may be pregnant. But when the results arrive, and she isn't, Charlie is sad, and when they talk, Grace tells him that she doesn't want to have babies. Julia decides to travel with Griffin all the way to Nevada, but the motorcycle breaks and they have to get back to San Francisco to get it fixed. Griffin decides to buy the repair shop.

Directors: Ken Topolsky
Past Imperfect
star
7.00
14 votes

#21 - Past Imperfect

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/24/1997

Griffin is annoyed when his boring friend comes to a visit. Claudia gets busted while snooping inside Reed Isley's locker. Meanwhile, Charlie is bothered by the rumors about child abuse, so he decides to not let Owen go to pre-school.

Directors: Ken Topolsky
Writer: P.K. Simonds
Zap
star
7.00
14 votes

#22 - Zap

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/15/1997

Julia's co-worker Daniel misreads her intentions and kisses her. He tells her she does not seems like a married woman. Meanwhile, Owen finds Charlie the perfect woman called Nina. Bailey and Sarah are plotting something against the woman in near apartment – until Bailey realizes that she it at the AA meeting.

Empty Shoes
star
7.00
13 votes

#23 - Empty Shoes

Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/7/1998

Bailey realizes he needs to fire Julia from his restaurant, because she is a terrible waitress. Charlie asks for help at home and the restaurant after he realizes he is unable to function. Claudia realizes that Reed does not has the same feeling to her like she does to him.

Writer: P.K. Simonds
Of Human Bonding
star
7.00
12 votes

#24 - Of Human Bonding

Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/21/1998

Charlie puts on a new behaviour, prompted by his fellow friend who is also a patient. Julia spends time with Jeanie, a woman she works with and they talk about their troubled marriages. Bailey wants to bond with Annie's daughter. Julia is surprised when she finds out Jeanie left her husband.

Directors: Brian Mertes
True or False
star
7.00
12 votes

#25 - True or False

Season 4 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/25/1998

Claudia gets help from a psychologist. Griffin discovers that he cannot fight with his growing attraction to Rosalie anymore. Julia rediscovers the academic world in a college literature class.

Directors: Lou Antonio
Writer: Ellen Herman