The 5th season of Bull is the post-covid-lockdown season, so it is shorter (just 16 episodes) and incorporated the pandemic into its storytelling (mostly the use of masks and social distancing in nearly every scene). The first episode, entitled Corona, was a totally covid-centric episode that saw the characters break the fourth wall at the very end to welcome the fans back. After that, the show continued on with its case-of-the-week format with the pandemic always looming in the background.
For those who get the DVD, it is just a MOD set. It does not have captions in any language and the only extras are deleted scenes for some, but not all, episodes. The length of the deleted scenes for a given episode range from about 35 seconds to over 6 minutes. Overall, the show does a good job with the ensemble cast, giving all of the main characters one centric episode, and then having actual story arcs for others. The focus is still on Bull and this season his relationship with Izzy. Benny had the second-largest arc of the season as he mulls a run for district attorney. Chunk and Miranda are also more involved in the cases this year with Chunk acting as lead attorney in several cases, which would never be the case in real life for someone with his experience level.
Overall, the show has evolved a lot since season one. The days of focusing a ton on jury selection and the mirror jury are over. The show presumes that the audience understands that (although people just jumping into the show this season may not get the full idea). The show deals with a lot of real-world issues, including BLM, the "Me Too" movement (which is a bit ironic given the allegations Eliza Dushku made against Michael Weatherly), and the like. I think the show continues to be strong, and I can mostly watch it even as a lawyer without getting too nit-picky. They get a lot of the court stuff right, and some they totally dramatize (like the length of time from the incident or crime until the trial). Hilariously, in one episode they ask someone why he does not have any bruises as if a trial would actually take place a week or so after the incident that prompted it. But, if you can overlook that, and things like the lawyers testifying when they question witnesses, it can be an enjoyable show even for those of us who know what they are taking creative license with. While I cannot say that everyone who was a fan of the first couple of seasons will automatically like this season, I think the show is still good and worth checking out.
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