# Ellen season 5

The fifth and final season of Ellen, an American television series, began September 24, 1997 and ended on July 22, 1998. It aired on ABC. The region 1 DVD was released on November 28, 2006. Although Disc 2 of the Region 1 DVD release has "The Funeral" before "Womyn Fest", the content of the next two episodes suggests that "Womyn Fest" goes before "The Funeral".

## Cast
### Main cast

* Ellen DeGeneres as Ellen Morgan
Only Ellen appeared in all 22 episodes. Though listed as regulars, other cast members were seen on a less frequent basis:
* Joely Fisher as Paige Clark (17 episodes)
* David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell (9 episodes)
* Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney (10 episodes)
* Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak (11 episodes)

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 88 | 1 | "Guys or Dolls" | Gil Junger | Ric Swartzlander | September 24, 1997 (1997-09-24) | C402 | 11.99 |
| An old boyfriend, Dan, shows up, making Ellen think she might be bisexual. (Dan previously appeared in the season 2 episodes "30-Minute Man" and "30-Kilo Man"). Absent: David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell and Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney ||||||||
| 89 | 2 | "Social Climber" | Gil Junger | Mike Larsen | October 1, 1997 (1997-10-01) | C401 | 17.32 |
| Ellen climbs a difficult mountain to impress an athletic woman. Absent: David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell and Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney ||||||||
| 90 | 3 | "Roommates" | Gail Mancuso | Dan Cohen & F.J. Pratt | October 8, 1997 (1997-10-08) | C403 | 15.08 |
| Ellen's friends teach her the gay codewords. Absent: David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell ||||||||
| 91 | 4 | "Gay Yellow Pages" | Gil Junger | Tod Himmel & Lisa K. Nelson | October 15, 1997 (1997-10-15) | C405 | 15.53 |
| Ellen hires a plumber out of the gay yellow pages. ||||||||
| 92 | 5 | "Just Coffee" | Gail Mancuso | Maxine Lapiduss | October 29, 1997 (1997-10-29) | C404 | 13.36 |
| Ellen meets Laurie Manning, her mortgage banker (Lisa Darr) for coffee. ||||||||
| 93 | 6 | "G.I. Ellen" | Gil Junger | Mike Larsen | November 5, 1997 (1997-11-05) | C407 | 12.61 |
| Ellen plays a soldier in a Civil War re-enactment. Angie Dickinson guest stars. Absent: Joely Fisher as Paige Clark, David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell, Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney and Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak ||||||||
| 94 | 7 | "Public Display of Affection" | Gail Mancuso | David Walpert | November 12, 1997 (1997-11-12) | C406 | 14.78 |
| Ellen has trouble expressing her affection for Laurie in public. Absent: David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell and Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak ||||||||
| 95 | 8 | "Emma" | Gail Mancuso | Lawrence Broch | November 19, 1997 (1997-11-19) | C410 | 13.72 |
| Paige gets Ellen a job as Emma Thompson's personal assistant and Ellen learns Emma's most shocking secret. Absent: David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell, Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney and Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak ||||||||
| 96 | 9 | "Like a Virgin" | Gail Mancuso | Jane Espenson | November 26, 1997 (1997-11-26) | C408 | 11.24 |
| Ellen is anxious about her first time being intimate with a woman. Absent: David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell ||||||||
| 97 | 10 | "All Ellen, All the Time" | Gil Junger | Ric Swartzlander | December 3, 1997 (1997-12-03) | C409 | 14.15 |
| Ellen gets a job at a radio station. Absent: Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney and Jeremy Piven As Spence Kovak ||||||||
| 98 | 11 | "Break Up" | Gil Junger | Matt Berry | December 17, 1997 (1997-12-17) | C411 | 12.83 |
| Laurie misunderstands Ellen's 1-month gift as an invitation to move in. Absent: Joely Fisher as Paige Clark ||||||||
| 99 | 12 | "Womyn Fest" | Lorraine Sevre-Richmond | Jane Espenson | January 7, 1998 (1998-01-07) | C413 | 12.86 |
| Ellen, Paige and Audrey go to Womyn Fest (a fictionalized Lilith Fair), where a fortuneteller convinces Audrey that Ellen will meet a new soulmate at the festival and forget about Laurie. Guest appearances by Sarah McLachlan and the Indigo Girls. Absent: David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell ||||||||
| 100 | 13 | "The Funeral" | Gil Junger | Matt Berry | January 14, 1998 (1998-01-14) | C412 | 11.83 |
| Now back together, Ellen helps Laurie deal with the death of her father. Absent: Joely Fisher as Paige Clark, Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney and Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak ||||||||
| 101 | 14 | "Escape from L.A." | Gil Junger | Lisa K. Himmel & Tod Nelson | January 28, 1998 (1998-01-28) | C415 | 11.02 |
| Ellen and Laurie go on vacation, but Laurie is annoyed that Ellen won't follow the vacation itinerary. The two of them hang out with an interracial straight couple. Absent: Joely Fisher as Paige Clark, David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell, Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney and Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak ||||||||
| 102 | 15 | "Ellen in Focus" | Gil Junger | Leif Sandaas | February 11, 1998 (1998-02-11) | C417 | 10.27 |
| Paige gets Ellen on a focus group so Ellen can convince the others that Paige's idea for a TV show featuring a tall cop and a short cop is a good idea. Absent: Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney and Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak ||||||||
| 103 | 16 | "Neighbors" | Gail Mancuso | Story by : Kit Pongetti Teleplay by : Cynthia Greenburg & Charmaine Noel Dixon | February 18, 1998 (1998-02-18) | C416 | 8.49 |
| Ellen gets off on the wrong foot with her new neighbors, the Patels, an immigrant couple from India, when a variety of circumstances conspire to make Ellen look like a fool in front of them. Absent: David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell, Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney and Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak ||||||||
| 104 | 17 | "It's a Gay, Gay, Gay, Gay World!" | Gil Junger | David Walpert | February 25, 1998 (1998-02-25) | C414 | 9.58 |
| After an accident, Spence imagines a parallel Earth in which gays are the norm. Spence rejects Joe's advances because he's straight. ||||||||
| 105 | 18 | "Hospital" | Gail Mancuso | Matt Berry & Ric Swartzlander | March 4, 1998 (1998-03-04) | C419 | 12.32 |
| Ellen goes to the hospital after getting the news Laurie was in an accident. There, she meets Laurie's ex, Karen (Anne Heche). Absent: Joely Fisher as Paige Clark, David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell, Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney and Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak ||||||||
| 106 | 19 | "Ellen: A Hollywood Tribute" | Gil Junger | Tim Doyle | May 13, 1998 (1998-05-13) | C421 | 9.91 |
| 107 | 20 | "Ellen: A Hollywood Tribute" | Gil Junger | Tim Doyle | May 13, 1998 (1998-05-13) | C422 | 9.91 |
| A mockumentary traces Ellen's career from her days in vaudeville to the present. Guest stars include Cindy Crawford & Helen Hunt as auditionees for the role of Ellen and Woody Harrelson as Ellen's husband. Guest starring as themselves are Phil Donahue, Jennifer Aniston, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Kathy Najimy & Bea Arthur. ||||||||
| 108 | 21 | "When Ellen Talks, People Listen" | Gil Junger | Mike Larsen | July 15, 1998 (1998-07-15) | C420 | 6.34 |
| On her talk show, Ellen suggests that everyone should reach out to their neighbors with a helping hand. This winds up having negative consequences. Absent: David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell, Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney and Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak ||||||||
| 109 | 22 | "Vows" | Lorraine Sevre-Richmond | F.J. Pratt & Dan Cohen | July 22, 1998 (1998-07-22) | C418 | 5.58 |
| Ellen's parents renew their vows in a special ceremony. Ellen asks Laurie to marry her but Laurie is reluctant. Absent: David Anthony Higgins as Joe Farrell, Clea Lewis as Audrey Penney and Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak ||||||||