Do you think it was a mistake to switch networks? Did it hurt the overall show? Should they just stayed put and be cancelled with dignity?

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Yes.When it moved to CBS,it changed.By that,as I've said before,the show when it was on NBC,Max was the not too-swift,bumbling one.Not agent Larabee,who was the not too-swift one in the CBS episodes.After all,the show was called "Get Smart"not "Get Larabee".One question:Were the gadgets made popular on the NBC shows (The Cone of Silence,The Magna-Lamp,Max's shoe phone)used on the CBS shows?They should have been cancelled with dignity,because when it moved to CBS,as I said,it all changed.

I disagree. IMO, I don't think the move hurt Get Smart at all. The show was obviously still strong enough to make a shift to another network that late in the game.

Aside from a few contemporary changes in credits and styles the show still retained it's humor and wit and is one of the few occasions where a major change doesn't hurt the overall product. There are a few clunkers in there but no more than any of it's previous seasons. The argument could be made that having the twins hurt the show but no more so than them getting married (which as stated in the original thread would have been part of the show ending with dignity). Aside from having the twins during sweeps period they really weren't a factor in the overall plots of the shows. Aside from maybe saying "I'll have Mom watch the kids so I can come help you." :) A little weird maybe but then again we're talking about Get Smart which embraced weird in its wonderful way.

If it went on another season, I think it would have been weaker but there are very strong and funny episodes in the 5th season. If it did end with season 4 that would've been fine too but going that extra season IMO doesn't hurt it. I think they finished up at just the right time and on as high a note as could be expected. Unlike say with Batman being a 'season 3' episode, or Andy Griffith being a color/Warren episode etc.

I also enjoy the 5th season. The move to CBS gave the series a slightly different look, there is an emphasis on visual gags which were not the norm during seasons 1 to 4. The season is a mixed bag with mostly good episodes and a few not so good, but overall I like it.

Speaking of Larabee, this character didn't really get established until the 2nd season. Robert Karvelas, who played the role of Larabee, had other small roles in a number of 1st season Get Smart episodes. In a couple episodes he was even cast as a KAOS agent!

I have to agree that on the whole, the fifth season of this show was good. Most any show on it's last season isn't going to be as good as earlier seasons, but Get Smart faired a lot better than many, take Bewitched season 8, just awful, compared to the early seasons of that great show.

I love almost every episode of Get Smart!:)

The last season didn't really hurt the show, but it didn't help it either. Many of the episodes were quite funny, but the best of its energy had gone out of it. I'm glad the fifth season exists, but I think a sixth season would have been pretty stale.

The last season didn't really hurt the show, but it didn't help it either. Many of the episodes were quite funny, but the best of its energy had gone out of it. I'm glad the fifth season exists, but I think a sixth season would have been pretty stale.

Well said, spot on post.

Yeah season 5 was just fine. There are a lot of great episodes there that we wouldn't have gotten if they just accepted cancellation after 4 years.

I don't think the tone changed for the worse. The climate of the late 60s gave it more of an edgy feel but that isn't a bad thing.

Actually, season 5 was my favorite season. It may be a matter of personal preference like if you prefered available 99, engaged 99, married childless 99 or mother 99; Max's catchphrases vs. unexpected punchlines; one of many phases of Larabee (a couple season 2 episodes were how he was like during parts of season 4 and all of season 5). Also, have you noticed how season 5 was more family-friendly? That might be why I like it so much.