The show stars Sally Field, Dave Annable, Rachel Griffiths, Calista Flockhart, Matthew Rhys, Ron Rifkin, Patricia Wettig, Luke Macfarlane, and Gilles Marini.

[2] There were several cast changes in 2011, with the departures of Rob Lowe, whose character Robert McCallister (Kitty's husband) died in the car crash that ended season 4, and of Luke Grimes, who played Ryan Lafferty, William Walker's illegitimate son.

[3] Additionally, Kerris Lilla Dorsey and Maxwell Perry Cotton, the actors who portrayed Sarah Walker's children, Paige and Cooper, respectively, were downgraded to recurring status.

[5] Emily VanCamp left the show and only appeared in two episodes during the fifth season to close out her character's storyline.

[8] It was announced that Ida Holden (Marion Ross), mother of Saul and Nora, would die off-screen without appearing in any of the last season's episodes.

Although she is initially intimidated by competing against a well-known psychiatrist, Nora wins the show after Kevin and Kitty call in with their problems.

Although they start off happy together, they eventually end their relationship after Karl finds it hard to deal with the rest of the Walkers and how close the family always seems to be.

Rose's information also makes Sarah temporarily question her paternity, so much so that she gets in contact with Brody who then turns up on Nora's doorstep.

Although she is initially reluctant to speak to him she finds herself enjoying his company until she realises the reason she left him in the first place was because of his inability to commit.

Kitty begins the season refusing to leave the side of a comatose Robert, convinced he'll wake up, despite the rest of the family's doubts.

She meets and begins to date a local man named Jack, who reveals he was once a corporate banker in the city and left for the same reasons she did.

However Kitty returns to support Sarah after discovering Brody is her real father and to help her plan her wedding.

Since the end of the last season and their surrogacy plans falling through, Kevin has been distant from Scotty and has kept himself busy with work.

Michelle calls Scotty and tells him she wants to stay involved as his mother but when Kevin reminds her that she has no right or relation she gives back their son Daniel.

Sarah is having trouble with Luc's busy and glamorous new career and begins to feel old around him; however, they become engaged at the end of episode five.

After selling off the land discovered in the season four finale, Sarah decides to get back into business and uses her share of money to buy a large media company.

She admits that part of her decision was that the company owns the radio station where Nora works, effectively making Sarah her boss.

When Brody returns, he admits to Justin that he lied about his blood type, he has the same one as William, meaning that he could also be Sarah's father.

Although they spend another night together, Rebecca decides, after being offered a photography job in New York and problems with her mother, that it's time for her to move away, leaving Justin heartbroken.

Later Justin meets Zach, an ex-marine, living on the streets and takes it upon himself help him sort out his life by letting him stay in his house and getting him a job in Scotty's restaurant.

David wants to move back to New York to teach but Holly is unsure about leaving and worries that she will never be a real mother to Rebecca.

After spending time with Nora, she realizes she has a chance to forget the past and begin a new life and so she leaves to be with David and Rebecca.