Season five of The Incredible Hulk is barely a season, just seven episodes. For those who are not aware, the series was actually canceled by CBS before the fifth season would have aired, but, the producers filmed the first seven episodes to be aired in the fifth season at the end of season four to have ready in case a strike shut down Hollywood productions. I don't know if the strike ever materialized, but unbeknownst to anyone involved with the show, the head of CBS decided to can the show basically right before he was fired from the Network, and as a result, the show was left without any real conclusion to the story. The seven episodes were really just the same story-of-the-week episodes that the show had been running since the first season. Jack Colvin only appears in a single episode, and what ended up being the series finale (which for sharp-eyed viewers features a young Xander Berkeley, probably best known for his roles on 24 and the series Nikita), while a good episode (the best of the season) was just another "regular" episode. The showrunner, Kenneth Johnson, did try to get CBS to agree to film an additional six episodes to give the story a proper conclusion, but that never came to pass, and thus the show just abruptly ended.
For those who get the DVD set, the only extras are a 20-minute retrospective on the series in which Johnson and some of the other writers and producers shared their thoughts on the series. Of course, Bill Bixby had passed away by the time any of the extras for any of the seasons were filmed so he could not participate, and Lou Ferrigno was not interviewed for the feature. Then, there is a gag reel from episodes throughout the series, basically involving Bixby, which is funny but does include a lot of swearing (for those who care).
Overall, the season, for what it was, was good, but very much incomplete. It definitely had that early 1980s feel to it, and like the other seasons, some things hold up better than others. Surely the series would not be made the same way today as it was back then. For one, there probably would have been a lot less of recycling the same guest stars in different roles. This season Diana Mulder, who had guest-starred as David's sister in an earlier episode, played a nun in a convent near the Mexican border in an episode that involved the local bad guy trafficking illegal immigrants across the border and making them work for him. Even though the season ended abruptly and without a proper conclusion, if you have liked the other seasons, this one is worth having if nothing else to complete your collection.
For those who get the DVD set, the only extras are a 20-minute retrospective on the series in which Johnson and some of the other writers and producers shared their thoughts on the series. Of course, Bill Bixby had passed away by the time any of the extras for any of the seasons were filmed so he could not participate, and Lou Ferrigno was not interviewed for the feature. Then, there is a gag reel from episodes throughout the series, basically involving Bixby, which is funny but does include a lot of swearing (for those who care).
Overall, the season, for what it was, was good, but very much incomplete. It definitely had that early 1980s feel to it, and like the other seasons, some things hold up better than others. Surely the series would not be made the same way today as it was back then. For one, there probably would have been a lot less of recycling the same guest stars in different roles. This season Diana Mulder, who had guest-starred as David's sister in an earlier episode, played a nun in a convent near the Mexican border in an episode that involved the local bad guy trafficking illegal immigrants across the border and making them work for him. Even though the season ended abruptly and without a proper conclusion, if you have liked the other seasons, this one is worth having if nothing else to complete your collection.
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