| Adventure Time | |
|---|---|
| Season 5 | |
 Blu-ray cover | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Cartoon Network |
| Original release | November 12, 2012 – March 17, 2014 |
| Season chronology | |
The fifth season of Adventure Time, an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward, premiered on Cartoon Network on November 12, 2012 and concluded on March 17, 2014, and was produced by Frederator Studios and Cartoon Network Studios. The season follows the adventures of Finn, a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake, a dog with magical powers to change shape and size at will. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo, where they interact with the other main characters of the show: Princess Bubblegum, The Ice King, Marceline the Vampire Queen, Lumpy Space Princess, BMO, and Flame Princess.
This season comprises 52 episodes, making it twice the length of any of the show's previous seasons. The episodes were storyboarded and written by Tom Herpich, Jesse Moynihan, Cole Sanchez, Rebecca Sugar, Steve Wolfhard, Skyler Page, Somvilay Xayaphone, Ako Castuera, Michael DeForge, Kent Osborne, David OReilly, Ward, Graham Falk, Thomas Wellmann, Luke Pearson, Seo Kim, and Andy Ristaino. The season also featured OReilly and James Baxter as guest animators in the episodes "A Glitch is a Glitch" and "James Baxter the Horse," respectively. Furthermore, this was the last year of Adventure Time to feature Sugar and Page as they both left before the season ended to create their own shows. (Sugar with Steven Universe; Page with Clarence). It was also the final season to feature Ward as the showrunner.
The first episode of the fifth season was the two-parter episode "Finn the Human" / "Jake the Dog," both of which aired on November 12, 2012. 3.435 million viewers viewed the episode; this marked a dramatic increase from the previous season's premiere and finale. The season ended with "Billy's Bucket List," which was viewed by 2.335 million viewers.
The season was met with largely positive critical reception. In June 2013, the series was nominated for "Best Animated Series" at the 2013 Critics' Choice Television Awards, although it did not win. Both "Simon & Marcy" and "Be More" were nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for Short-Format Animation at the 65th and 66th Primetime Emmy Awards respectively. Former character designer Andy Ristaino and series' art director Nick Jennings both won Emmys for "Outstanding Individual Achievement In Animation" in 2013 and 2014, respectively. In addition, several compilation DVDs that contained episodes from the season have been released. The complete season set was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 14, 2015.