Bonanza: Season 5
Bonanza season five continues the long-running American western television series, which was developed and produced by David Dortort. The season consists of 34 episodes that follow the ongoing adventures of the Cartwright family. The narrative remains centered on the lives of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they manage and operate the Ponderosa ranch. Set in the period immediately following the American Civil War, the
Season 5 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- The series is set in the American West during the period immediately following the American Civil War.
- The narrative focuses on the lives of Ben Cartwright and his sons.
- The primary setting for the family is the Ponderosa ranch located in the High-Sierra region.
- The series is an American western production developed and produced by David Dortort for the NBC network.
Season overview
Bonanza season five continues the long-running American western television series, which was developed and produced by David Dortort. The season consists of 34 episodes that follow the ongoing adventures of the Cartwright family. The narrative remains centered on the lives of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they manage and operate the Ponderosa ranch. Set in the period immediately following the American Civil War, the series explores the family dynamics and challenges faced by the protagonists within the High-Sierra region. As part of a production that spanned 14 seasons on the NBC network between 1959 and 1973, this season maintains the established tone of the action, adventure, and family drama genres that define the series. The episodes continue to document the daily operations of the Ponderosa and the various conflicts encountered by the family members as they navigate life in the American West. The season serves as a continuation of the overarching saga, focusing on the relationships and responsibilities of the Cartwright men as they maintain their land and influence in the region during the post-Civil War era.
Episode Guide
Season 5 Progress Shield
She Walks in Beauty
Sep 22, 1963 · 49 min
Hoss wants to marry mysterious Regan Miller, a woman with less than a pristine past. When he thinks Adam is trying to steal her away, he loses control and beats Adam up.
A Passion for Justice
Sep 29, 1963 · 49 min
Renowned English novelist Charles Dickens comes to Virginia City. In short order, he is accused of a crime he didn't commit. The problem then becomes how to convince the stubborn a
Rain from Heaven
Oct 6, 1963 · 49 min
A destitute rainmaker and his family arrive in drought-stricken Virginia City. While Ben tries to help him make rain, Hoss tends to the man's seriously ill little girl.
Twilight Town
Oct 13, 1963 · 49 min
Joe is bushwhacked in the desert and awakens to find himself in Martinville, a town that may or may not be populated by ghosts. An errie, surrealistic and well-produced episode.
The Toy Soldier
Oct 20, 1963 · 49 min
Adam encounters drunken artist James Callan, branded a "squaw man" because he is married to an Indian, and whose talent is going to waste in the town of Sheep Head.
A Question of Strength
Oct 27, 1963 · 49 min
Hoss and a pair of nuns, the younger one having a difficult time training for the order, are robbed and stranded at a way station.
Calamity over the Comstock
Nov 3, 1963 · 49 min
Joe has a run-in with Calamity Jane, and takes her home with him after promising her dying father to take care of her. At first the Cartwrights (besides Joe) think ""Cal"" is a bo
Journey Remembered
Nov 10, 1963 · 49 min
Ben finds an old journal that he kept while in a wagon train travelling from St. Joseph, Missouri to Ash Hollow. As he is reading it Ben remembers the journey he undertook with hi
The Quality of Mercy
Nov 17, 1963 · 49 min
Joe struggles to understand whether his friend was right in killing a dying man who pleaded to put out of his misery.
The Waiting Game
Dec 8, 1963 · 49 min
Adam becomes involved with the recently widowed Laura Dayton and her little girl, Peggy.
The Legacy
Dec 15, 1963 · 49 min
Adam, Hoss and Joe mistakenly believe their father was murdered. They split into 3 different directions to confront the supposed killers. In his heart, Ben knows his sons will no
Hoss and the Leprechauns
Dec 22, 1963 · 49 min
In what is arguably the best comedy of the series, Hoss swears he has seen green elves running around the Ponderosa and a smooth-talking Irishman complicates matters even worse.
The Prime of Life
Dec 29, 1963 · 49 min
Ben becomes irritable and reckless when the completion of an important timber contract is hindered by an old rival.
The Lila Conrad Story
Jan 5, 1964 · 49 min
Joe and Adam protect a saloon girl, who has killed in self-defense, from an angry lynch mob. The accompanying Judge, along with his wife, takes a liking to Lila, and before it is
Ponderosa Matador
Jan 12, 1964 · 49 min
Adam, Hoss, and Joe vie for the attention of a pretty young lady named Dolores. Hoss talks Joe into entering a bull fight, but it doesn't work out quite as planned.
My Son, My Son
Jan 19, 1964 · 49 min
Ben's plans to marry Katherine Saunders are upset when her son Eden is accused of killing his former girlfriend.
Alias Joe Cartwright
Jan 26, 1964 · 49 min
A man who looks similar to Joe uses Joe's name and gets Joe in the position of facing the firing squad.
The Gentleman from New Orleans
Feb 2, 1964 · 49 min
The new stranger in town claims to be the famous pirate Jean Lafitte, and Hoss believes him.
The Cheating Game
Feb 9, 1964 · 49 min
In this sequel to "The Waiting Game", Laura resents Adam's advice on how she ought to be running her ranch. A newcomer, Ward Bannister, comes to her aid, but is actually part of a
Bullet for a Bride
Feb 16, 1964 · 49 min
While out hunting for a mountain lion, Joe accidently shots Tessa Caldwell causing her to go blind. As a result of his guilt, Joe ends up proposing to the girl. However, other ci
King of the Mountain
Feb 23, 1964 · 49 min
When mountain man Jim Leyton decides to marry, he chooses Hoss as his best man. Julie's father, Grizzly, does not agree and Hoss must come to the rescue.
Love Me Not
Mar 1, 1964 · 49 min
While talking with an Indian, Ben is given an unexpected present...a woman. She is a young white woman named Joan who has lived with the Indians since she was a little girl. Thro
The Pure Truth
Mar 8, 1964 · 49 min
Hoss is suffering from spring fever, goes to the wrong town and is accused of bank robbery.
No Less a Man
Mar 15, 1964 · 49 min
The town council feels Roy Coffee can no longer do his job, and with the notorious Wagner gang on their way to rob the bank, everyone is in a panic. Ben and Adam disagree with the
Return to Honor
Mar 22, 1964 · 49 min
Ben must travel to pay his respects after he learns of the death of his nephew Will. When he visits the grave, he finds his nephew barely alive with a bullet wound. He takes him to
The Saga of Muley Jones
Mar 29, 1964 · 49 min
The Cartwrights are visited by their second cousin, Muley Jones of Weedville, Missouri who sings with a window-shattering voice and stirs up trouble with Indian negotiations that B
The Roper
Apr 5, 1964 · 49 min
Will is having second thoughts about staying on at the Ponderosa, and outlaws hit the ranch and take him with them. The leader, Lee Hewitt, is a young killer and plans on robbing
A Pink Cloud Comes from Old Cathay
Apr 12, 1964 · 49 min
A headstrong Chinese girl (Marlo Thomas) visiting the Cartwrights incites labor unrest among local workers.
The Companeros
Apr 19, 1964 · 49 min
Mateo Ibara and his wife Carla visit the Ponderosa. Ibara asks Will to return to Mexico with him. Ibara and Will fought together for Juarez's cause and Ibara saved Will's life. Fo
Enter Thomas Bowers
Apr 26, 1964 · 49 min
After a triumphant tour in Europe, a famous Negro singer encounters racial prejudice in Virginia City when he arrives for a concert.
The Dark Past
May 3, 1964 · 49 min
Moody bounty hunter, Dev Farnum, shows up on the Ponderosa, where the Cartwrights are harboring the wife of the man he is after.
The Pressure Game
May 10, 1964 · 49 min
Laura Dayton's Aunt Lil comes to visit and quickly decides it's time she help the hesitant Adam propose to her favorite niece. Her plan is to make Adam jealous by using his cousin
Triangle
May 17, 1964 · 49 min
Adam and Laura are finally engaged. Adam is secretly building a house and planning for the future. Laura realizes that it's Will she is in love with. Adam is then confined to a wh
Walter and the Outlaws
May 24, 1964 · 49 min
Hilarious sequel to "Any Friend Of Walter's" in which Obie leaves Walter in Hoss' care. The three outlaws, Macy, Teague, and Willard, kidnap Walter and hold him for ransom, leavin