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The series originally aired on CBS from September 17, 1972 to February 28, 1983, but can still be seen in syndication. The series spanned 251 episodes and lasted longer than the war which served as its setting.
Behind the scenes, those most involved with the show were Larry Gelbart, Gene Reynolds , and Burt Metcalfe .
Much like the movie, it combined elements of comedy with a darker antiwar message. Many of the stories in the early seasons were based on real-life tales told by hundreds of real-life M*A*S*H surgeons, interviewed by the production team. Some said the series seemed to be more about the Vietnam War, given the attitudes of the characters, than the Korean War. The show's producers have said that the movie was really about war in general.
Originally intended as an ensemble show, M*A*S*H became increasingly centered around Alan Alda's character, Hawkeye Pierce. Alda wrote and directed some of the most emotional and award-winning episodes.
The show's tone changed over the years. Initially, it placed most of its emphasis on the "zany" elements, but later focused on more serious topics and character development; however, both the serious and the comedic sides were present throughout. Eventually much of the audience felt that the story lines became stale and the comedy dulled, though the show remained in the top of the ratings. Alda and his fellow actors voted to end the series with the tenth season, but CBS and 20th Century Fox offered the actors a shortened eleventh season, permitting an opportunity for the show to have a grand finale.
The series had three spin-offA spin-off (or spinoff is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. Spin-offs include a dissenting faction of a membership organization, a sect of a cult, a denominations, the short-lived AfterMASHAfterMASH was a situation comedy that ran for two seasons ( 1983- 1985) on CBS. A sequel to the long-running hit series M A S H, AfterMASH took place immediately following the end of the Korean War and chronicled the adventures of three members of the ori, which featured several of the show's characters reunited in a midwestern hospital after the war, a more successful Trapper John, M.D.Trapper John, M. was a television series spinoff of the show M A S H that ran on CBS from September 23, 1979 to September 4, 1986. It featured 'Trapper John' McIntyre 28 years after he had left the 4077th MASH. The series had Trapper working as chief of s, and a television movie W*A*L*T*E*RW A L T E R was a pilot for a series that was never picked up. It related the adventures of Corporal Walter (Radar) O'Reilly after he had returned home from the Korean War. The woman he had romanced during his final appearance on M A S H was nowhere to be, in which Walter "Radar" O'Reilly joins the police force.
A letter to TV GuideTV Guide is a weekly magazine about TV programming. The bulk of the publication consists of localized TV listings. It also features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and reviews. TV Guide was first published on April 3, 1953. Its premi, in about 1973Events January events January 1 United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark enter the European Economic Community now known as the European Union January 3 Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) sells the New York Yankees for $10 million to a 12-person syndicate led, written by a former M*A*S*H doctor stated that the most insane jokes and idiotic pranks on the show were the most true to life, including Klinger's crossdressing. The hellish reality of the M*A*S*H units encouraged this behavior out of sheer desperate need for something to laugh at.
Gary Burghoff (Radar O'Reilly) was the only M*A*S*H actor to reprise his role from the movie, retaining his extraordinary ability to detect the arrival of choppers transporting wounded long before anyone else could hear a thing. When Burghoff left the series, the company clerk role was taken up by Jamie Farr as Corporal (later Sergeant) KlingerKlinger, Maxwell Corporal (later Sergeant) Maxwell Q. Klinger is a fictional character from the M A S H television series played by American actor Jamie Farr. A Lebanese-American hailing from Toledo, Ohio, Maxwell Q. Klinger served as a medic and later a, whose cross-dressing never got him the discharge he wanted. Radar's departure meant Klinger became a more prominent character in the series.
The show survived many personnel changes. Out of all the starring characters Hawkeye, Maj. Houlihan, Klinger, and Father Mulcahy were the only ones in the show for its entire run. (Klinger and Mulcahy, in fact, were listed as guest stars throughout the first few seasons of the show.)
McLean Stevenson left the show at the end of the third season, and his character Henry Blake was discharged and sent home. In the final scene of his last episode it was reported that Blake's plane had been shot down over the Sea of Japan and he was killed. None of the cast (with the exception of Alan Alda, who wrote the scene) knew about that development until a few minutes before Gary Burghoff was told to go in and have Radar report that Blake had died. Up until then, as far as anyone knew, they were going to get a message that Blake had arrived safely home.
Wayne Rogers left the series after the end of season three due to disagreements about his character. He felt that his character was never given any real importance, that all the focus was on Alda's character.
The fourth season was in many ways a turning point for the entire series. At the beginning of the fourth season, Hawkeye was informed by Radar that Trapper had been discharged while Hawkeye was on leave, and audiences did not see Trapper's departure. At the same time, Colonel Sherman Potter was assigned to the unit as commanding officer, replacing Blake, while B.J. Hunnicutt was drafted in as Trapper's replacement. The series, while still having an element of comedy, began to become more rounded emotionally. Major Houlihan's role continued to evolve during this time; she became much more friendly towards Hawkeye and B.J., and had a falling out with Frank. The 'Hot Lips' nickname was rarely used anymore to describe her. Loretta Swit wanted to leave the series in the 8th season to pursue other acting roles, but the producers refused to let her out of her contract.
Further changes were still in store for the series. Larry Linville left during the first episode of season six as Frank Burns suffered a breakdown, was transferred stateside, and promoted. Major Charles Winchester ( David Ogden Stiers) was brought in because the producers still felt a need for someone to play a role opposite of the other surgeons, but his relationships with the others was not anywhere near as acrimonious as Frank's was. Unlike Frank, Winchester did not really care for the Army and was a very highly skilled surgeon whom the others respected professionally. At the same time, as a Boston " blueblood", he was also a snobbish man, which drove much of his conflict with the other characters. Still, the show's writers would allow Winchester's humanity to shine through — such as in his dealings with a young piano player who had partially lost the use of his right hand, or his keeping a vigil with Hawkeye when Hawkeye's father went into surgery 8000 miles away.