The BEST episodes of Barnaby Jones season 5

Every episode of Barnaby Jones season 5, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Barnaby Jones season 5!

Barnaby Jones was a retired private investigator, but quickly came out of retirement after his son Hal, who had taken over Barnaby's job, was murdered. Hal's widow, Betty, helped Barnaby try and find her husband's murderer. The murder was solved, but Barnaby decided he wanted to return to investigating full-time and Betty decided to join him.

Last Updated: 10/31/2024Network: CBSStatus: Ended
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The Deadly Charade
star
9.00
3 votes

#1 - The Deadly Charade

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/13/1977

Paul Nugent kills his rich cousin Sandra, hurts himself and fakes a jewel burglary. Sandra had a $1000,000 life insurance policy and Barnaby investigates for the insurance company. Suspicion falls on Lassiter since he and his wife were separated. Meanwhile Betty is charmed and starts dating Paul. Barnaby and J.R. must come to the rescue when Betty finds herself in danger

Directors: Michael Caffey
Watch Now:Amazon
Duet for Dying
star
8.67
3 votes

#2 - Duet for Dying

Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/24/1977

The singing sisters Pearl and Ruby - prettier than talented - accidentally kill Harry Dunbar and Pearl steals his rare coin collection. Dunbar's widow hire Barnaby to find out if Dunbar did really drown or if he was murdered. While checking out clubs that Dunbar frequented, Barnaby is told that Dunbar left the club with the sisters and when they try to fence the coins it puts Barnaby and J.R. on their trail. After killing Pearl's boyfriend, Harley and framing his co-worker, Lester for the murder, J.R. poses as a friend of Harley and Lester's to trick the sister into confessing their involvement in the frame and murders.

Directors: Leo Penn
Watch Now:Amazon
A Simple Case of Terror
star
8.50
4 votes

#3 - A Simple Case of Terror

Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/3/1977

Since Vietnam Peggy Landry cares for her husband Tom as he suffers from a weakness of memory. Lee Wallace stabs Stevens and makes his friend Tom believe that he is the murderer. Barnaby is hired anonymously by Peggy when Stevens doesn't show up for work and she fears Tom may have something to do with it. J.R. goes undercover as a worker at the warehouse where the anonymous letter came from in an attempt to find out the facts leading to Stevens death.

Directors: Michael Caffey
Watch Now:Amazon
Run Away to Terror
star
8.40
5 votes

#4 - Run Away to Terror

Season 5 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/19/1977

Barnaby is hired by wealthy Mr Enright to find his daughter Julie who ran away from home. While waiting outside a parking garage for her boyfriend Steve, Julie hits a man coming out of the garage and not knowing her boyfriend had shot the man, Julie thinks she has killed the man. With the help of her friend, Gloria, Julie tries to hide out and find peace at the ""Garden of Elyseum"". Things are not what they seem at the garden and the leaders hold Julie hostage and demand ransom for her. It is up to Barnaby and J.R. to find and rescue Julie.

Watch Now:Amazon
Band of Evil
star
8.25
4 votes

#5 - Band of Evil

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/18/1976

During a fishing vacation Barnaby and J.R. are hired by rancher Tim Carter to investigate a conversation overheard by Carter's daughter,Cassie, on her CB radio. Cassie believes that a hired hand, was the victim of foul play on his way out of town. J.R. uses his knowledge of the lingo used on CB radios to help Barnaby figure out that the disappearance is tied to a drug smuggling operation.

Directors: Walter Grauman
The Bounty Hunter
star
8.25
4 votes

#6 - The Bounty Hunter

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/16/1976

During an attempt to escape from prison, Hopper gets away, two people are killed and Watson is caught and facing a murder charge. Hired to clear Watson, Barnaby tries to find Hopper who is looking for money from a robbery that he committed before going to prison. Bounty hunter Kilgore is also hired to find Watson and get rid of him.

Directors: Alf Kjellin
Writer: William Keys
Fraternity of Thieves
star
8.25
4 votes

#7 - Fraternity of Thieves

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/30/1976

Roger, Al and Lester, three former college fraternity brothers want to solve their financial problems by stealing diamonds. During their preparations Lester is shot by a guard. Barnaby is hired by Lester's wife to try and find the missing man. During the investigation, Barnaby and J.R. uncover and foil the plans that Roger and Al have continued with after Lester's death.

Directors: Mel Damski
Circle of Treachery
star
8.25
4 votes

#8 - Circle of Treachery

Season 5 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/3/1977

After an attempt on his life Fritz Simon is reluctant to testify against Monte Kovell in a race track robbery. J.R. falls in love with pretty Laura and even gets her a job at the detective agency, not knowing she is spying for Kovell's accomplice Stroop.

Directors: Walter Grauman
The Deadly Valentine
star
8.25
4 votes

#9 - The Deadly Valentine

Season 5 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/31/1977

The ""Valentine Murderer"" already has killed three women after sending them letters and candy. When Betty, who has just moved into a new apartment, also receives a Valentine gift everyone assumes she is next on the killer's list. While Barnaby and J.R. search for the killer, Betty is assigned a police body guard whom she dated briefly. Barnaby and J.R. find the killer but Betty turns out to still be in danger.

Directors: Walter Grauman
Writer: Mann Rubin
The Inside Man
star
8.25
4 votes

#10 - The Inside Man

Season 5 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/12/1977

When Ralph Alcott foils an armored car robbery he is celebrated as a hero and befriends Chris, the daughter of his boss. Barnaby is hired to find a possible inside man, who turns out to be Ralph. As Alcott kills one of his accomplices, the other one abducts Chris.

Voice in the Night
star
8.00
5 votes

#11 - Voice in the Night

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/2/1976

Barnaby investigates the murder of three people, a medic, a judge and the owner of a lodge. Shortly before their death they received phone calls from Cynthia, who after being raped was confined to a mental institution and was supposed to have drowned a year ago.

Copy-Cat Killing
star
8.00
5 votes

#12 - Copy-Cat Killing

Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/27/1977

Sheriff Bradden kills the lover of his young unfaithful wife Kitty by copying the ‘Colverton Hangman'. To clear the victim's name, his sister hires Barnaby, who is an old acquaintance of Rolly Bradden. Barnaby finds inconsistencies between this murder and the other murders and he and J.R. investigate to uncover the truth.

Final Ransom
star
8.00
5 votes

#13 - Final Ransom

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/11/1976

Just before collecting the ransom for the abduction of Bentley's little daughter Cathy Ann, Doyle Egan was caught for robbery. After leaving prison ten years later he makes another ransom call and threatens his former accomplice Angie who has cared for the girl.

Directors: Mel Damski
Writer: Mann Rubin
Blood Vengeance
star
8.00
7 votes

#14 - Blood Vengeance

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/7/1976

Barnaby's cousin, Monroe Jones, a Chicago police sergeant, gets a tip from an informant (Tony Ritter) that the man (Walter Cahill) who murdered his partner six years ago is living in Los Angeles. When Sgt.Jones arrives in L.A. to meet up with Ritter, he is murdered at the airport by the same killer. Monroe's son, Jedediah Romano (J.R.) Jones, arrives in L.A. to track down his father's killer and to avenge his father's death. J.R. goes to Barnaby for help in finding Tony Ritter hoping that Ritter can lead him to Monroe's killer. Barnaby and J.R. follow various leads but it is a phone call that is made while Barnaby is out of the office that leads J.R. to a confrontation alone with his father's killer. Unfortunately for J.R., Cahill is well skilled in karate and easily knocks J.R. out. Just as he is about to kill J.R., Barnaby shows up and shoots Cahill, wounding him so that he can not harm J.R.

Directors: Walter Grauman
The Marathon Murders
star
7.80
5 votes

#15 - The Marathon Murders

Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/17/1977

During a Marathon Group Therapy weekend Ken Scanlan talks about his unfaithful wife Ruth. Lorraine, with whom he had a brief affair, slays Ruth to help Ken. As Ruth's life insurance policy had a double-indemnity clause, Barnaby and J.R. investigate hoping to stop any further murders.

Directors: Walter Grauman
Duet for Danger
star
7.80
5 votes

#16 - Duet for Danger

Season 5 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/5/1977

The singing sisters Ruby and Pearl Connors from the episode ""Duet for Dying"" join a prison escape and seek Lester Gibson's help to travel to Nashville. His bride Mary Beth asks Barnaby to find Lester. When Ruby and Pearl try to cheat club owner De Marco he forces them to distract gambler Kingston. Eventually Barnaby and J.R. must come to the rescue of Lester and the duo.

Sister of Death
star
7.75
4 votes

#17 - Sister of Death

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/6/1977

When someone pulls the plug of comatose Marie's life support machine, her natural sister, a nun, is accused of murder. Barnaby and J.R. try to prove Sister Terry's innocence and find out that Marie was a prostitute involved in a blackmailing plot.

Directors: Michael Caffey
The Killer on Campus
star
7.67
3 votes

#18 - The Killer on Campus

Season 5 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/24/1977

Barnaby has to investigate the apparent suicide of instructor Kemper from Rutledge University. Barnaby and J.R. discover that Kemper and Doris Carson were former members of an underground revolutionary cell, and planned to write a revealing book.

Directors: Leo Penn
Renegade's Child
star
7.60
5 votes

#19 - Renegade's Child

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/23/1976

When Wayne Lockwood robbed a super market his girl friend was imprisoned. After her release Barnaby is hired to find her six-year old son Jody who accompanies his father Wayne on gun hijackings. Barnaby poses as a mercenary colonel and meets Wayne's orderer.

Directors: Harry Falk
Testament of Power
star
7.60
5 votes

#20 - Testament of Power

Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/20/1977

Matthews and Ryan want to get access to an altered last will of billionaire R.C. Bradley. While holding Margaret Jason against her will, she escapes and falls to her death. Her daughter Linda doubts a suicide and asks Barnaby for help. J.R. becomes infatuated with Linda and he and Barnaby try to find out the connection between Mrs. Jason and Mr. Bradley.

Directors: Alf Kjellin
Anatomy of Fear
star
7.60
5 votes

#21 - Anatomy of Fear

Season 5 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/17/1977

Three young men from a carpet cleaning company, Tony, Vic and Casey, intrude in the house of Betty's friend Sharon and she is raped by Tony. Barnaby and J.R. manage to capture Casey, but Tony abducts Betty and demands to receive Sharon in exchange.

Directors: Walter Grauman
Sins of Thy Father
star
7.43
7 votes

#22 - Sins of Thy Father

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/21/1976

In order to get the same recognition as his older brother, Danny Reeves robs laundered gambling money from his father, a syndicate man, and is responsible for the death of a pilot. Barnaby and J.R. investigate for the pilot's wife to find out what really happened to her husband since she does not believe it was an accident.

Directors: Walter Grauman
Deadline for Dying
star
7.33
6 votes

#23 - Deadline for Dying

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/14/1976

Ben Ross falls to death after telling reporter Larry Christopher about an ecological association that is a fraud. Barnaby and J.R. investigate for Ross' wife. Christopher spots Ross' informer Ruth Sorrell and becomes a murder suspect when she is killed.

Directors: Walter Grauman
The Fatal Dive
star
7.33
6 votes

#24 - The Fatal Dive

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/28/1976

The members of Trident Diving School hire Barnaby to investigate the death of their colleague. Barnaby meets Carl Everett and his assistant Alice Caldwell who claim to be searching for a sunken treasure. J.R. who is certified in scuba makes dives and searches for clues underwater while Barnaby and Betty do the same on land.

Directors: Walter Grauman