The series will be "dramatically revamped" for the new season, which is set four years after the last. Season four ended with the kids graduating high school but season five will begin post-college, when "some of the characters have found success while others have failed".
The present day narrative will be interspersed with glimpses of the missing four years, sometimes for just a moment or single scene, but other times for entire episodes.
The two hour premiere episode airs Tuesday, January 8 at 8pm. The show settles into its regular 9pm timeslot the following week, replacing freshman comedy drama Reaper, which returns later in the season.