The BEST episodes of Step by Step season 5

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

Set in Port Washington, Wisconsin, Frank Lambert, a divorced contractor with 3 children, sons J.T. and Brendan and daughter Al, impulsively marries Carol Foster, a widowed beautician who also has 3 children, daughters Dana and Karen and son Mark. Both were residents of Port Washington, but met while vacationing separately in Jamaica. Their children are surprised and angered when they learn of the marriage. Stories depicted typical situations of a new blended family, their differences causing arguments and resentments between them, but the family eventually growing to tolerate and develop loyalty to one another

Last Updated: 11/12/2024Network: CBSStatus: Ended
star
7.32
28 votes

#1 - Do the Right Thing

Season 5 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/8/1996

JT has a huge test coming up in one of his classes, and his friend is able to get a copy of the test. JT decides not to cheat on the test, but rather to study for it. JT ends up getting a B on the test, and when he and his friend get their books mixed up, Frank sees the cheat sheet and tells JT he is both disappointed and he will no longer pay for JT's schooling. Later, Frank overhears JT's friend returning for the book and he apologizes and they make up. Al gets an idea to get a tattoo. Even though she is told she can't she finds a way to get to the shop. Dana, however, saw her heading out and was able to tell Carol, who was able to arrive just before Al went in. Carol tried to tell Al several things, but was not able to convince her not to go through with it until she told and SHOWED her the ill effects of one.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.30
33 votes

#2 - The Fight Before Christmas

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/15/1995

Franks old friend Mitch Crawford is coming to town Carol and Frank set up a date for Al with Mitch's son,Matt. Both Matt and Al come in with a bad attitude, but they soon discover they have a lot more in common than they think and start having fun.There having so much fun they end making out in the driveway as the car is being covered in snow. When Frank discovers them, he kicks Matt and his family out of their house. Al goes with them because she thinks her father is being unreasonable. Frank has to go to the all-you-can-eat-turkey for to apologize and invite them back. Cody blows up his van by running Christmas lights from the main generator. Because ""The Night before Christmas"" was in his van, Cody was required to tell Lilly an impromptu version. JT has a job selling Christmas trees. Cody cannot make it because he was injured in the van accident; therefore, his friend, George, spends his free time with JT. George teaches JT that more important than money is the joy of a kid's

Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.17
30 votes

#3 - Forever Young

Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/16/1996

Frank and Carol go to a class with Lilly for parents of young kids. In this class they begin to feel they are too old for Lilly. They try to be ""young"" like some of the other parents. They go to a grunge club with the parents of another kid and they realize that they don't need to change their entire lifestyle for Lilly's sake. Rich and JT tell Dana that ""buds are thicker than babes."" Dana disagrees and challenges them, then she tries to get a friend, Brandy Hartman, to come between them. JT and Rich figure this out and end up trapping Dana into an embarrassing situation. Cody tries to make many strange greeting cards, including one that explodes for National Demolition Worker's Day.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.16
37 votes

#4 - Hello, Mister Chips

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/10/1995

Chaos ensues when Al takes her boss's chimpanzee home. J.T. tries to use Mark's newfound talent to swindle a pool hustler.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.15
41 votes

#5 - Party Animal

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/13/1995

Dana goes wild when she moves into her own place to live. J.T. and Mark think their new neighbor is a criminal.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.14
29 votes

#6 - Men at Work

Season 5 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/17/1996

J.T. and Rich eagerly apply and are hired at a restaurant (which Dana and her feminist friends had planned to protest against) with sexy waitress. They learn how bad harassment really is in those places, but they get in one final night of not caring. Frank converts part of the basement into a lounge using items he bought from a closed tavern. While the men love it, Carol has a serious accident with a one of the lounge's ""toys"". The closer shows interesting riding on the toy by everybody, especially Dana. Flash sleeps on the Lamberts' couch while his apartment is being fumigated. He brings a lot of energy to the house and the lounge.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.10
39 votes

#7 - Three Girls and a Baby

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/29/1995

The girls care for the new baby while Frank and Carol go on a romantic date. But everyone's evening is filled with surprises.

star
7.10
40 votes

#8 - Little Sister Don'tcha

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/22/1995

J.T. is excited about his double date with his pal and two girls, until he finds out who his pal's date is.

Directors: Joel Zwick
star
7.10
31 votes

#9 - What's Wrong with This Picture?

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/5/1996

Dana admires a abstract, feminist artist and is honored to be chose to pose for her. Knowing she will be a part of what be a great work, she agrees to pose nude. Since Dana is convinced that the work will be abstract, and she will not be recognizable, she proudly invites Frank, Carol, Karen and Al to a charity auction where it will be unveiled. Unfortunately, the painter decided to change styles to Photo-realism, and the painting is obviously Dana. Carol is determined to outbid the ""perverts,"" but Frank does not allow her to top $100,000. Fortunately, the artist destroys her work, because anything that appealing to the masses must be bad. JT goes on a date with Casey Maxwell, the daughter of an alleged crime boss, who requires him to spend $200 per plate for their date. When JT ends the relationship, he fears for his life. Frank refuses to hire an exterminator to kill the rat in the attic. He becomes so obsessed with catching the rat that he hurts himself (throwing out his shoulder, fa

Directors: Joel Zwick
star
7.09
34 votes

#10 - Beautiful Ladies of Wrestling

Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/12/1996

JT and Frank will do ANYTHING for Super Bowl tickets. They dress up like women and wrestle Assualt and Battery for 10 rounds to claim them. Meanwhile,Mark is placed in a school for the gifted. On his first day at the new school, Mark gets a ""C"" on a pop quiz. He neglects his friends and stays up all weekend studying. When Carol catches him, they decide that the new school is a step backward for Mark. Also, Cody ""invents"" clothing made from food when going camping. Without having to pack clothes or carry heavy food, it appears to be a good idea. However, Cody realizes that there are a lot of hungry animals in the woods.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
star
7.07
30 votes

#11 - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Season 5 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/23/1996

Cody's cheese hat gives him the ability to predict the winning lottery numbers. Karen, Mark, and Brendan try to take advantage of that and get the numbers from him. Cody didn't think it was fair to keep it all to himself so he put the numbers up on the big billboard at the Packers game and it made the ESPN Play of the Day-- making a lot of winners and the prize basically worthless. Dana introduces a psychology major named Fleming to her parents thinking he is ""the one."" Frank and Carol hate him and his ideas and so does Dana when the gift he promised turned out to be psychiatric help. Frank gladly throws him out. While baby sitting Lily JT Meets a girl who assumes he is Lily's dad and he uses this to get a date. It doesn't work out as she thinks he is too mature for her and doesn't believe him when he tells her the truth.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
Writer: Cary Okmin
star
6.97
36 votes

#12 - Snow Bunnies

Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/2/1996

Al's boyfriend, Matt, Al, and some other friends plan a ski trip, But Frank refuses to let Al go. So Stephanie ""Love Boat"", takes her place and after talking to JT,Al gets worried. JT and Al go up to check on Matt and the ""Love Boat,"" but Matt proves he only cares for Al. Cody has a gnarly case of the hiccups. He tries to scare himself, be hypnotized by Mark, and drink five gallons of water, but the only true remedy is time. In the meantime, Carol reads a horror book, despite Frank's encouragement to read Garfield. Finally, the nightmares are so bad, she needs ""Garfield"" to help her.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
star
6.97
33 votes

#13 - Baby Come Back

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/1/1995

J.T. and Al audition Lilly to represent a baby food company. Frank annoys Carol at her beauty products convention.

Directors: Joel Ronkin
Writer: Cary Okmin
star
6.95
60 votes

#14 - Secret Admirer

Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/9/1996

Frank buys Carol a fake Swiss Rolet watch (for Valentine's Day) and pretends it is the real thing. Carol feels so bad about Frank spending too much money that she tries to return it, and gets thrown in jail. When Frank bails her out, she tells him that she loved the watch because it was from him, and that the most important thing is honesty. Frank sweeps Carol off her feet with one of Cody's letters, but Carol is even more impressed that he tells the truth about it. Dana gets dumped just before Valentine's Day and turns into the man-hater she can be. Cody writes her ""Secret Admirer"" love letters to help lighten her up, hence improving her personality. It works perfectly and allows Dana to get a boy that she really likes.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
Writer: Julia Newton
star
6.95
38 votes

#15 - Midnight Caller

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/20/1995

Dana and J.T. get overly involved when they answer a call for a telephone counseling service.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
star
6.94
35 votes

#16 - The Wall

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/24/1995

Dana's feminist organization attracts a surprising new member, Cody. Mark is dateless for the school dance.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
Writer: Julia Newton
star
6.94
33 votes

#17 - Torn Between Two Mothers

Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/26/1996

Frank's mom comes to town to see Lilly. She tells Carol how to do everything. While everyone else is enjoying ""Nana,"" Carol grows more and more frustrated with her as her advice becomes more and more personal. Finally because of some advice from Carol (and Cody), Frank stands up to his mother. Then Frank's mother realizes what a terrible mother-in-law she has been. At the same time, JT gets a job as a dummy for a women's self-defense class. Dana, Karen, and Al join the class and after seeing what it is there practicing (shots to the groin) JT quits in the middle. Also, Cody gets a job doing brain experimentation.

Directors: Joel Zwick
star
6.93
29 votes

#18 - The Bodyguard Formerly Known as Prince

Season 5 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/15/1996

Dana, Karen, and Al go to a ski lodge for a weekend and meet 3 good looking guys one of whom is the prince of Calderone. The prince(Karen's) wants people to like him for who he is, and henceforth makes his bodyguard(Dana's) claim to be the prince. This causes Dana to gloat and Karen to sulk. Meanwhile, Rich gives the remaining Lambert/Foster clan a chain letter which promises good luck if you keep the chain going and vice versa. Everyone except Brendan decides not to return the letters. Everyone gets orange hair (except Brendan) from using Carol's free samples while Rich gave his shampoo to his parents.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
star
6.93
29 votes

#19 - We're Going to Disney World (2)

Season 5 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/10/1996

Directors: Richard Correll
star
6.90
29 votes

#20 - Major Pain

Season 5 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/26/1996

Dana cannot deteemine what to do and JT and Rich are not able to major in ""Nude Volleyball,"" therefore they all end up taking a career placement test together.The results of the placement test say JT and Rich should become doctors and Dana should become a guard at an women's prison. Dana, livid from the results, demands a re-test and ends up discovering the testing center is a fraud. Dana then investigates (doing a job so good JT tells her she should become an investigative reporter) and discovers the owner has been convicted of the same crime several times before. Meanwhile, Carol repays a favor by hiring Flash to work for Frank; Flash, in turn, destroys almost everything, and is only redeemed by his remarkable work done while staying up all night working.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
star
6.87
30 votes

#21 - We're Going to Disney World (1)

Season 5 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/3/1996

Frank's mother offers the entire family a trip to Disney World the weekend of Frank and Carol's anniversary. Flash shows up to return Frank's hammer and ends up staying the weekend, and over the weekend he visits more rides than anyone in the history of Disney World has beating out a Russian and bringing the title back to America. JT and Rich dip into their apartment fund to get Rich to come. JT poses as J.T. Disney and ends up spending the whole fund trying to attract 2 girls. They go different ways for a few hours until JT ""redeems"" himself by selling his plain ticket and agreeing to ride the bus back with Rich. Karen enters a country music contest with Dana and Al as backup singers but gets rid of them because they aren't dedicated enough. When she gets on stage the first time, though, she realizes that she needs them.After a little making up Al and Dana agree to re join the group and they rock the house with ""Girls with Guitars"" By ""Wynona""

Directors: Richard Correll
star
6.79
34 votes

#22 - Maid to Order

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/27/1995

J.T. hires a beautiful model to clean the house. Carol exposes her competitive nature when Karen competes to be head cheerleader.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
star
6.66
38 votes

#23 - Roadie

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/17/1995

Cody could leave town to tour with a rock star. Frank becomes obsessed with the kids' car.

Directors: Patrick Duffy
star
6.63
30 votes

#24 - Don't Ask

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/3/1995

Frank and Carol are overwhelmed by caring for everyone. Karen might get her big chance as a singer. Cody receives a surprise when he orders from a Russian mail-order catalogue.

Directors: Joel Zwick