Well, thanks to the new channel Decades and their binge marathons, I was able to finally see the rest of season 5 in the syndicated package. However, I noticed that some of the segments were rehashed from previous stories from the earlier seasons. For example, Love and the Secret Spouse had the same plot as Season 2's Love and the New Roommate except there are fathers in the place of the mothers in the older version. Another example is the Season 5 story Love and the Last Laugh which is a carbon copy of Season 1's Love and the Comedy Team. This leads me to believe that they couldn't have created new and different stories for the final season which may have lead to a very quick end to the series. I'm sure there would have been great potential for new stories dealing with interracial couples, teen marriages, etc. Still, there are some great segments in the final season such as Love and the Comedienne with Phyllis Diller, Love and the Model Apartment and others. What are your thoughts about the final season for those who have seen these on TV during its original run or in syndication?

I had not seen most of Season 5 since they aired on ABC and in local syndication on Los Angeles KTLA 5 in 1975. It was not my favorite year. Saul Turtletaub and Bernie Orenstein were the new Executive producers. I didn't think they were a good fit. They were much better when they produced Sanford and Son. Most of the shows that year were down right boring! The feel of the show was quite different, and as you say, they did repeat some ideas with mixed results. Stuart Margolin was gone from the black outs. Replaced by Jed Allen. ABC apparently felt the show ran out of gas too, as they cancelled it mid season during the 73-74. My favorite years were season one, and up to season 3 when Harvey Bullock and RS Allen were in charge. There were attempts to do some unusual episodes in the last year such as 'Love and the Unsteady Steady' with Brandon Cruz, and of all things directed by Ross Martin! On the upside, they did get some celebs that had not been seen in season's past. Jerry Orbach and Bernadette Peters come to mind. But why oh why did we have to see Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs kissing!!?? Oh and then there was 'Love and Carmen Lopez' which was positively dreadful! You can see the show had run it's course. I almost think ABC renewed as an after thought for season 5, simply to rack up a few more shows they could repeat during their early 70s daytime run. (pre 1975 syndication)

I had not seen most of Season 5 since they aired on ABC and in local syndication on Los Angeles KTLA 5 in 1975. It was not my favorite year. Saul Turtletaub and Bernie Orenstein were the new Executive producers. I didn't think they were a good fit. They were much better when they produced Sanford and Son. Most of the shows that year were down right boring! The feel of the show was quite different, and as you say, they did repeat some ideas with mixed results. Stuart Margolin was gone from the black outs. Replaced by Jed Allen. ABC apparently felt the show ran out of gas too, as they cancelled it mid season during the 73-74. My favorite years were season one, and up to season 3 when Harvey Bullock and RS Allen were in charge. There were attempts to do some unusual episodes in the last year such as 'Love and the Unsteady Steady' with Brandon Cruz, and of all things directed by Ross Martin! On the upside, they did get some celebs that had not been seen in season's past. Jerry Orbach and Bernadette Peters come to mind. But why oh why did we have to see Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs kissing!!?? Oh and then there was 'Love and Carmen Lopez' which was positively dreadful! You can see the show had run it's course. I almost think ABC renewed as an after thought for season 5, simply to rack up a few more shows they could repeat during their early 70s daytime run. (pre 1975 syndication)

LOL! That's how I was introduced to LAS by it airing on KTLA and then KCOP and the show stuck with me as a kid thanks to the opening and blackouts. I did find other stories like Love and the Forever Tree, Love and the Three Timer, the Eats Cafe and Opera Singer entertaining.

From what little I have seen of the final season, it’s still better than the awful 1985 daytime run.

Oh, the 1985 series is an abomination. Cheap with crappy guests and videotaped. You can catch a little of it on Youtube. The have a blackout sketch with Marcia Wallace that is so unfunny and so cheaply done (they put a desk in front of a white wall for a set) that it’s unbelievable. But compared to the rest of the daytime lineup, it was expensive. ABC was hoping they could get 100 episodes in the can and then add maybe 10-15 new episodes per season to keep it fresh. But it didn’t last long enough.

ABC had a weak daytime lineup outside the major soaps. From 1985 to 1987 you had (in no particular order) a dying Family Feud, Angie reruns (an odd choice), New Love American Style, and several bad short lived game shows. Far cry from their 70s heyday.