5 USA

Daytime schedule

5 USA opens the day with a three-hour block of Ideal World Shopping from 06:00, running until the first of two short Entertainment News on 5 bulletins lands at 09:00. That ten-minute update gives way to a morning devoted to NCIS, with three consecutive hour-long episodes starting at 09:10 and running through to noon. It’s a steady, procedural-heavy morning, and the show’s familiar rhythm carries the schedule into the lunchtime hours.

At 12:00 the channel switches allegiance to Law & Order, and here the day settles into its longest run. Six back-to-back episodes fill the entire afternoon, taking the viewer from midday through to 18:00 without interruption. That’s a solid six-hour stack of the original series, broken only by the natural episode boundaries at the top of each hour. There are no news bulletins or breaks in the crime drama flow during this stretch — just a continuous block of investigations, courtrooms and verdicts.

The late-afternoon period is therefore entirely Law & Order, with the final instalment of that run ending at 18:00. At that point, the schedule pivots back to NCIS for a further two episodes, airing from 18:00 to 20:00. So the daytime shape is clear: shopping first thing, a NCIS morning, a Law & Order afternoon, and then the early evening returns to NCIS before primetime begins. It’s a day built almost entirely on long, unbroken runs of two long-running US crime franchises, with only the briefest of news interludes at 09:00 to punctuate the proceedings.

Evening and primetime

The evening gets underway with NCIS at 18:00, airing two consecutive hour-long episodes that carry the channel through to 20:00. That double bill sets the tone for a primetime that stays firmly within the crime genre, but with a notable shift at the top of the hour.

At 20:00, NCIS returns for a third consecutive episode, running from 20:00 to 21:00. Then comes the standout slot of the night: a new episode of Blue Bloods at 21:00. Marked as new, this hour sits at the heart of the evening schedule, offering a fresh instalment of the Reagan family’s police-and-prosecution drama. It’s the only new-marked programme of the night, and it occupies the traditional 21:00 drama slot, giving the schedule a clear focal point after the earlier procedural run.

From 22:00, the channel moves into Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and here the evening stretches late. Four consecutive hour-long episodes air from 22:00 through to 02:00, a long stack that takes the schedule deep into the night. That run dominates the post-primetime hours, with no news bulletins or interruptions between episodes.

At 02:00, the tone shifts again with Prodigal Son, which airs as a two-part block: the first hour runs from 02:00 to 03:00, followed by a shorter 55-minute episode from 03:00 to 03:55. That’s a slightly unusual run length for the second instalment, leaving a five-minute gap before Entertainment News on 5 at 03:55. That brief bulletin rounds off the night’s entertainment content, and the schedule closes with two hours of Teleshopping from 04:00 to 06:00. All told, the evening is a long, uninterrupted stretch of crime procedurals, anchored by the new Blue Bloods at 21:00 and running late into the small hours.

Daytime schedule

5 USA opens its broadcast day with a three-hour block of Ideal World Shopping from 06:00, before a brief 10-minute Entertainment News on 5 at 09:00 sets the tone for a day dominated by US crime procedurals. The mid-morning belongs entirely to NCIS, with a 50-minute episode at 09:10 followed by three full hours of back-to-back episodes from 10:00 through to 13:00. That makes for a substantial run of the naval investigative drama across the late morning.

Lunchtime hands over to Law & Order, which takes the entire afternoon. From 12:00 right through to 18:00, the schedule is a stack of six consecutive hour-long episodes, meaning the original series occupies the whole post-midday stretch without interruption. This is a channel that clearly knows its audience: long, unbroken runs of familiar procedurals, with no news bulletins or breaks in the crime drama flow between the morning handoff and the early evening.

The late afternoon continues in the same vein, with Law & Order still running at 17:00. There is no change of pace or strand until 18:00, when NCIS returns for a two-hour run into the evening. If you are after variety, this daytime line-up offers little — but for those who want dependable, hour-long episodes of two of the most established US crime franchises, the pattern is consistent and easy to follow.

Evening and primetime

The evening on 5 USA begins where the daytime left off, with NCIS at 18:00 and 19:00 — two more hour-long episodes that extend the show's presence across the schedule. The 20:00 slot continues with a third consecutive NCIS episode, meaning the series runs for three hours straight into the heart of primetime. By the time the 21:00 handoff arrives, viewers have had a solid block of the naval crime drama since 18:00.

At 21:00, the schedule shifts to Beauty and the Beast, which takes the 21:00 and 22:00 slots with two back-to-back hour-long episodes. This marks the only change of title in the evening's core viewing, offering a different flavour of US drama after the NCIS run. The pair of episodes fills the final hour of primetime and the start of late evening.

From 23:00, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit takes over with four consecutive hour-long episodes, running through to 03:00. This is a substantial late-night stack of the long-running spin-off, keeping the crime drama theme going well past midnight. At 03:00, there is a 55-minute episode of Wild Cards — a notable outlier in the schedule, shorter than the standard hour and the only non-procedural title of the night — followed by a five-minute Entertainment News on 5 at 03:55.

The channel then closes with Teleshopping from 04:00 to 06:00, bringing the broadcast day to a clean end. The overall shape of the evening is one of long, unbroken runs: three NCIS episodes, two of Beauty and the Beast, four of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and a lone Wild Cards before the overnight shopping block.

Daytime schedule

5 USA opens the day with a three-hour block of Ideal World Shopping from 06:00, which runs until the first of two short Entertainment News on 5 bulletins at 09:00. That ten-minute update gives way to a lengthy run of police procedural Blue Bloods, beginning at 09:10 and continuing through five consecutive hourly episodes until 13:55. The final instalment in that stack is trimmed to 55 minutes, making way for the channel’s other major strand of the day.

From 13:55, NCIS: Los Angeles takes over and dominates the rest of the afternoon and early evening. Six back-to-back episodes follow, with the first running 55 minutes and the second stretching to 65 minutes before settling into a regular hourly pattern from 16:00 onwards. This is a channel built on long, unbroken runs of familiar US crime drama, and the daytime schedule offers little variation from that template. There are no news interruptions after the morning bulletin, and no other programmes appear between 09:10 and 20:00.

The lunchtime period is entirely given over to Blue Bloods, while the afternoon belongs to NCIS: Los Angeles, with the run continuing past the traditional early-evening handover. By 18:00, the sixth consecutive episode of NCIS: Los Angeles is underway, and it carries the schedule through to 20:00. Viewers looking for a switch of pace will have to wait until the evening, but for fans of the procedural format, the daytime offering is consistent and uninterrupted.

Evening and primetime

The evening on 5 USA continues the NCIS: Los Angeles marathon that has dominated the afternoon, with the seventh consecutive episode of the day airing from 19:00 to 20:00. That hour hands over to the parent series, NCIS, at 20:00, which occupies the first hour of primetime. This is the main change of gear for the evening: after a day of Los Angeles-set cases, the original show takes the 21:00 slot, running for a single hour until 22:00.

From 22:00, the schedule shifts to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which provides the rest of the evening and much of the night. Four episodes follow in a stack, with the first three running a full hour each from 22:00, 23:00 and 00:00, and the fourth trimmed to 55 minutes, ending at 01:55. This is a long, unbroken run of the series that takes the channel past midnight and into the early hours.

At 01:55, NCIS: Los Angeles returns for two further episodes, the first running 60 minutes and the second 55 minutes, ending at 03:50. A second Entertainment News on 5 bulletin airs at 03:50, lasting ten minutes, before Teleshopping closes the night from 04:00 to 06:00. The overall shape of the evening is one of sustained procedural drama, with only the brief news update breaking the sequence. Primetime gives its fullest attention to NCIS at 21:00, but the surrounding hours are devoted to the two companion series, making for a consistent, crime-focused night.

Daytime schedule

5 USA opens the day with three hours of Ideal World Shopping from 06:00, before the first of two short Entertainment News on 5 bulletins lands at 09:00. That five-minute update gives way to a single episode of Cops, the long-running fly-on-the-wall series, at 09:05.

From 09:30 the channel settles into a familiar daytime groove: a stack of four consecutive episodes of Blue Bloods, the New York police family drama. Each instalment runs between 55 and 60 minutes, so the run carries through the entire mid-morning and into the lunchtime hour, ending at 13:20. It is a solid, uninterrupted block for fans of the Reagan clan’s cases.

Then the day shifts gear decisively. At 13:20, 5 USA begins an extended afternoon devoted to Columbo, with four feature-length episodes back to back. First up is Requiem for a Falling Star (90 minutes), followed by Negative Reaction (120 minutes) from 14:50, then Lovely But Lethal (90 minutes) at 16:50. The run continues past the traditional daytime cut-off, with Lady in Waiting starting at 18:20 and running a full 100 minutes.

The shape of the day is clear: shopping and a news bite in the early hours, a lengthy Blue Bloods block through the morning, and then a Columbo marathon that dominates the afternoon and early evening. There is no news bulletin in the middle of the day; the only other Entertainment News on 5 appears just before 04:00 the following morning. For viewers wanting a fixed point, the Blue Bloods episodes all start on the hour or half-hour, while the Columbo films run long, so the schedule stretches well beyond the usual daytime pattern.

Evening and primetime

The evening on 5 USA is built around one of television’s most durable detectives. The Columbo run that began at 13:20 continues through primetime, with Lady in Waiting concluding at 20:00. That hands over directly to the night’s main event: Death Hits the Jackpot, a two-hour Columbo mystery starting at 20:00 and running until 22:00. It is the longest single film of the day alongside Negative Reaction, and it anchors the entire peak viewing period, giving the channel a clear, unbroken strand from late afternoon through to ten o’clock.

At 22:00, the tone changes. Four consecutive episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit take over, each running 55 to 60 minutes. The first starts at 22:00, followed by another at 23:00, a third at 00:00, and a fourth at 00:55. This stack carries the schedule deep into the night, with no news break or junction between them — just a straight run of the long-running procedural.

After the SVU block ends at 01:55, NCIS: Los Angeles provides the late-night offering, with two episodes back to back: the first runs 60 minutes from 01:55, the second 55 minutes from 02:55. That brings the evening’s scripted content to a close just before 03:50, when a ten-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin airs. From 04:00, Teleshopping fills the remaining hours until the next day’s schedule begins.

The overall arc is simple but effective: Columbo owns the entire evening from 18:20 to 22:00, then SVU takes over for a four-episode run, with NCIS: Los Angeles as the wind-down. The lack of any news programme in primetime means viewers can settle in for long, uninterrupted stretches of crime drama.

Daytime schedule

5 USA opens the day with a long stretch of Ideal World Shopping from 06:00, which runs right through until 09:00. That gives way to a brief ten-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 09:00, before the channel settles into its first major block of the day: three consecutive episodes of NCIS, running from 09:10 through to midday. These back-to-back episodes form the backbone of the mid-morning, offering a steady run of crime-procedural action for viewers who want a familiar lead-in to the afternoon.

At 12:00 the schedule switches to Law & Order, and this is where the day really finds its rhythm. Six straight episodes of Law & Order occupy the entire lunchtime and afternoon, from midday through to 18:00. That is a substantial six-hour stack, meaning the channel is essentially dedicated to the franchise for the whole of the afternoon. There are no news breaks or interruptions during this stretch; it is a continuous run designed for viewers who want to settle in for a long binge. The episodes are hour-long each, so the pacing is steady and unchanging throughout.

The late afternoon hand-off comes at 18:00, when NCIS returns for another three-episode run. This takes the schedule from 18:00 through to 21:00, bridging the end of the daytime block and the start of primetime. By the time the third NCIS episode finishes at 21:00, the channel has delivered a full day of procedural drama, with only the morning shopping and the brief entertainment news break interrupting the flow.

Evening and primetime

The evening on 5 USA begins with the tail end of the NCIS run that started at 18:00. Episodes at 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00 keep the procedural theme going into the early evening, giving viewers a solid three-hour block before the channel’s headline offering arrives. At 21:00, the schedule features a new episode of Wild Cards, which stands as the only programme marked as new in the entire evening line-up. This hour-long slot at 21:00 is the clear centrepiece of the night, breaking up the otherwise uniform run of franchise dramas.

From 22:00, the channel moves into Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, with four consecutive episodes taking the schedule through to 01:55. The first two of these, at 22:00 and 23:00, are hour-long, while the 00:00 instalment runs a slightly shorter 55 minutes. A fourth episode at 00:55 completes the stack. This is a long, late-night run that will appeal to viewers who want to keep the crime drama going well past midnight.

After 01:55, the schedule shifts to Blue Bloods for an hour, followed by NCIS: Los Angeles at 02:55, which runs for 55 minutes. A final ten-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 03:50 brings the evening’s programming to a close, before Teleshopping takes over from 04:00 through to 06:00. The night is dominated by extended runs of familiar titles, with the new Wild Cards episode at 21:00 providing the one distinct change of pace in an otherwise consistent evening of crime procedurals.

Daytime schedule

The day on 5 USA opens with three hours of Ideal World Shopping, running from 06:00 to 09:00, before a brief 10-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 09:00 sets the tone for the rest of the morning. From 09:10, the channel settles into a long run of NCIS, with three consecutive hour-long episodes carrying through to 12:00. This is a steady, familiar stretch of crime procedurals, and the pattern continues into the afternoon.

At midday, the schedule switches to Law & Order, which dominates the next six hours. Six back-to-back episodes fill the slot from 12:00 all the way to 18:00, making this the backbone of the daytime line-up. There is no variation in the format here — each episode runs a clean 60 minutes, and the strand provides a consistent, unchanging rhythm through the middle of the day. Viewers looking for a break from the procedural format will find none, as the channel commits fully to this block.

The late afternoon hands over at 18:00 with the return of NCIS, kicking off another run of three consecutive episodes that carry through to 21:00. This early-evening stack mirrors the morning’s approach, offering a familiar lead-in to the primetime hours. Notably, there are no further news bulletins or interruptions during the daytime; the only scheduled break comes at the top of the day. The overall shape is simple: shopping, a short news update, then wall-to-wall crime drama from mid-morning until the evening.

Evening and primetime

The evening on 5 USA begins with the tail end of the NCIS run, as episodes at 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00 complete a three-hour block that started at 17:00. This gives viewers a solid hour of the series before the schedule shifts gear at 21:00, when a new episode of Law & Order: Special Victims arrives. This is the only programme marked as new in the entire schedule, and it sits at the heart of primetime, offering a fresh instalment after the steady diet of earlier episodes.

From 21:00, the channel commits fully to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The new episode at 21:00 is followed by three further hour-long instalments, running at 22:00, 23:00 and 00:00. The final of these is slightly shorter, at 55 minutes, ending at 00:55. A fifth episode follows immediately, from 00:55 to 01:55, meaning the strand occupies five consecutive hours in total. This is a long, uninterrupted run that carries the channel deep into the night.

At 01:55, the schedule switches to Beauty and the Beast, with two episodes airing back to back. The first runs a full hour to 02:55, while the second is trimmed to 55 minutes, finishing at 03:50. This marks a clear change of pace from the crime procedurals that dominated the evening. A final 10-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 03:50 wraps up the night’s output, before the channel moves into a two-hour Teleshopping slot from 04:00 to 06:00. The handoff is clean: primetime’s heavy SVU run gives way to the late-night drama, a brief news update, and then the overnight shopping block that closes the broadcast day.

Daytime schedule

5 USA opens the day with a three-hour block of Ideal World Shopping, running from 06:00 until 09:00, before a brief Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 09:00 sets up the morning’s viewing. From 09:10, the channel moves into a steady run of crime procedurals that defines the daytime line-up. A single episode of NCIS: Los Angeles occupies the slot until 10:00, followed by a pair of back-to-back NCIS episodes running through to midday.

Lunchtime hands over to Law & Order, which dominates the afternoon in a substantial stack of six consecutive episodes from 12:00 through to 18:00. This is a long, uninterrupted stretch of the franchise, giving viewers a solid six hours of case-of-the-week storytelling without any breaks for news or other programming. The consistency of the schedule means the channel offers a dependable diet of familiar police and legal drama across the daylight hours.

The late afternoon remains firmly in procedural territory, with the Law & Order run continuing right up to the 18:00 handover. At that point, the channel shifts back to NCIS for the early evening, beginning a new sequence that will carry into primetime. The daytime shape is simple and repetitive: shopping, a short news insert, then a near-continuous procession of US crime shows, with NCIS bookending the Law & Order marathon in the middle.

Evening and primetime

The evening opens with two more NCIS episodes, running back-to-back from 18:00 to 20:00, extending the afternoon’s procedural theme seamlessly into the early evening. This pair of episodes acts as a bridge between the daytime Law & Order stack and the main primetime attraction, keeping the channel’s identity consistent as the clock moves past the traditional watershed.

Primetime proper begins at 20:00 with a third consecutive NCIS episode, airing until 21:00. This gives the show a three-episode run across the early evening, a substantial commitment for viewers who want to settle in for the long haul. At 21:00, the schedule introduces a marked change of pace with a new episode of Prodigal Son, the psychological crime drama that headlines the channel’s evening offering. The episode runs for the standard hour, and it is followed immediately by another new episode of the same series at 22:00, forming a two-part block that occupies the heart of late primetime.

This double bill of Prodigal Son is the clear centrepiece of the night, offering fresh material back-to-back for viewers who have worked through the earlier NCIS and Law & Order repeats. The 23:00 hour then winds down with a single episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, running until midnight. That final hour brings the schedule full circle, returning to the franchise that dominated the afternoon, and closes the channel’s day on familiar ground. The handoff from NCIS at 20:00 to the Prodigal Son double at 21:00 is the key transition, after which the late-night slot settles into a quieter, single-episode finish.