MAS*H
Summary
A vote by the cast ofMASHhad the accidental effect of leading to the enfranchisement ’s cock-a-hoop boner . Acclaimed as the long - running CBS sitcom might be , sealed creative decision did n’t sit well with some viewers . Some rooter much prefer the earlier seasons , which put more of an accent on comedy . The demise of Henry Blake inMASHseason 3saw the show move into more dramatic terrority , with this dramedy approaching proving divisive . Of naturally , some buff bonk this tonic shift and feel the show lasted so long because of this portmanteau of humor and heartbreak .
MASHran for 11 seasonsin sum , but like any long - running serial publication , it was start to run out of vitality towards the conclusion . It began recycle storylines and case arcs , and while it was never less than entertaining , it was clear byMASHseason 10 it near clip to enfold things up . MASH’sfinale became the most - watch scripted idiot box episodeof all time in 1983 and was a everlasting mode to send off the grapheme . It was n’t , however , the end of the franchise .
The MASH Cast Majority Voted To End The Show During Season 10
MASH’s ensemble realized it was time to bring down the curtain
MASH’sbad season 1 ratings almost receive the show cancel , but went on to become a huge success in re - runs . The rating for the sitcom remained constantly high , even towards the end of its run . Hence , CBS was utterly glad to keep it go as long as potential . The ensemble was n’t so keen soduringMASHseason 10 , the cast legal age vote to finish the series with the then - approaching season 11(viaUPI ) .
Key cast members like Alan Alda , Loretta Swift and Mike Farrell agreed it was best to cease beforeMASHsuffered a steep descent in timber .
According to executive producer Burt Metcalfe , it was felt that after 260 episodes they had " … run through the storyline and the actors need to get on with their career . " Cast phallus like Alan Alda , Loretta Swift and Mike Farrell agreed it was beneficial to end beforeMASHsuffered a steep decline in qualiity . This decision appears to have help the net season , as there is a common sense the dramatis personae and gang were motivated to close on a strong note with their final year .
The Actors Who Voted To Keep MASH Running Became The Stars Of AfterMASH
Not everybody wanted to close out MASH
It is often noted that whileMASHran for 11 years , the Korean War itself only lasted for three . While this is accurate , the fact the cast visibly maturate throughout its run could easily be explained by the strain their characters faced in a warzone . After being lock into one show for so many years , it made sentience some of the cast wanted to move on to fresh projects . Even so , MASHactors Jamie Farr , William Christopher and Harry Morgan voted to keep the show go .
Loretta Swit tried to exitMASHduring time of year 8 after playing the role of Cagney in the originalCagney & LaceyTV movie . CBS refused to secrete her from the show .
Since CBS was loath to end the original serial , they decided to greenlight a spinoff with the worker who voted to continue . The issue wasAfterMASH , where Farr ’s Klinger , Christopher ’s Father Mulcahy and Morgan ’s Dr. Potter reunite after the warin a old stager ’s hospital . On newspaper , a serial dealing with the issue of combat veterans and their medical care should have been a natural way to continue the themes ofMASH , but the various issues with the spinoff were clear from the start . It never balanced the humor and drama , while the absence of names like Alda was another job .
Custom image by Yailin Chacon
AfterMASH Did Well During The First Season
The MASH spinoff was not the instant turkey it has been framed as
Audiences were curious to see what the outgrowth would be , and while it was never as odd as its predecessor , AfterMASHwas a comfortable success during its first time of year , rank 15th out of the time of year .
AfterMASHmanaged to tempt Larry Gelbart back , who was the showrunner behind the original show ’s first four seasons , and is often credit with making it such a smash . Gelbart find oneself himself burn out by the sitcom ’s immense work load and bowed out after season 4 , but he like the conception for the spinoff so much that he helped show it into beingness . audience were also peculiar to see what the offset would be , and while it was never as amusing as its forerunner , AfterMASHwas a comfortable winner during its first season , ranking 15th out of the season ( viaMASH4077th ) .
For a raw show , those are upstanding numbers , but CBS was n’t felicitous . They wanted the spinoff to execute as well asMASHdid , so they made alteration for the 2nd season . They want it to be funnier and wackier , which included get Klinger dressing up in charwoman ’s wear again . The mesh unwisely placedAfterMASHagainst the third season ofThe A - Teamtoo , count on their show would come out on top .
Custom image by Simone Ashmoore
One of the biggest show of the eighties is responsible for for killing off the MASH dealership , which turn out to be a blessing in disguise .
rather , the military rank tanked , and the serial publication was dead canceled before it even finished its tally . In fact , AfterMASH’sfinal instalment never aired in the U.S. and became close inconceivable to watch out for ten afterwards . Another attempted spinoff calledWALTE*Rwould have come after Gary Burghoff ’s Radar as he became a officer , but this never made it past the pilot stage .
Why AfterMASH Is So Reviled Today
Does MASH’s sequel series deserve its dire reputation?
AfterMASHhas become a byword for spoiled boob tube , with the spinoff often being mock as one of the biggest error in TV account . UnlikeMASH , it has never received a plate media dismission - not even on VHS - nor is it available to consider on streaming overhaul . There is a sense everyone involve withAfterMASHwants to pretend it never happened , and that is an embarrassment to the franchise ’s in effect name . The fetor has lingered so long there have been no further attack to reboot or sequelizeMASHin the decades since it finished .
It ’s true that AfterMASH just does n’t quite exploit . Potter , Mulcahy and Klinger are supporting players , andwhat the show necessitate was a character reference like Trapper ( Wayne Rogers ) or B.J. to be the jumper cable . Even so , the spinoff had its affectionateness in the right situation , and some episodes displayAfterMASH’spotential as a more straightforward medical play . The second season should have seen it lean into the play rather than the drollery , most of which were n’t awfully risible anyway .
The Key Mistake AfterMASH Made, According To The Showrunner
Larry Gelbart feels AfterMASH needed to lose the MASH
EveryMASHMovie & TV Series
Release Year
MASH(Movie )
1970
MASH(TV Series )
1972 - 1983
Trapper John , M.D.
1979 - 1986
AfterMASH
Custom image by Simone Ashmoore
1983 - 1985
WALTE*R
1984
In an honest assessment of what conk out haywire with his spinoff , co - creator Gelbart toldFoundationINTERVIEWSthat if he were to do it again , he would n’t have peopled it with character fromMASH.Gelbert feelsAfterMASHshould have been an hour - long dramatic event instead of a situation comedy , and that humor should n’t have been the focus . Gelbart realized it was the idea of focusing on a veteran ’s hospital and the various payoff that arose from that scene are what concerned him , but he involve the wrong approach .
There is a very special home in my core when it get to MASH and I would not be proud of to sully the name or the retentiveness . But I managed to do it anyway !
Circling back to the casting vote that endedMASH , it ’s possible that if all the player agreed , then the spinoff may not have pass . It ’s a textbook object lesson of a web trying to extend a show past its natural lifespan . While the spinoff is not all without merit , as Gelbart said , AfterMASHmight have been a better show without anyMASHcharacters in it .
Source : UPI , MASH4077TH , FoundationINTERVIEWS
MAS*H is a drama - comedy series set during the Korean War , centering on the lives of the faculty at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they navigate the challenge of wartime medical help with humour and resiliency .
