Think about it - "Hello Larry" was probably the most successful of his post-M*A*S*H series endeavors, lasting a full season and change.

Having not seen it since its original run, I can't really say whether or not it was a good series that stood the test of time. I guess I thought it was okay at the time it aired, but my standards weren't quite to stringent back then and some shows we like in our youth don't quite hold up years later in our so-called "adulthood".

I think one of the M*A*S*H producers or someone at CBS had to have had a curse taken out on poor McLean - after all, he never had another hit show, despite many attempts.

I never understood him leaving the show. I know why he left, but you'd think after working in show business all those years and finally achieving success on a hit show, that he'd milk it for all it was worth. Actors' egos are a mystery to me. Just shut up, collect your checks and ride the train til the ride ends!

i dont know about curses, but i would think that bad judgment and even worse luck had a pretty good hand in things for Maclean ;)

i always joke when an actor makes a stupid move like he did leaving mash they should get the mclean stevenson memorial dunce cap there have been quite a few tv actors id have given it to over the years for the record im a big hello larry fan

Was his NBC show-"in the Beginning" any good? I think it was on NBC in 1978

He had...
In the Beginning on CBS (I think it lasted 4 episodes)
Condo on ABC
The McLean Stevenson Show on NBC
Hello, Larry on NBC

And don't forget The Doris Day Show BEFORE M*A*S*H!!!

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
Was his NBC show-"in the Beginning" any good? I think it was on NBC in 1978 it was on cbs and it wasant too bad the one time i saw it it was sort of like amen except with a priest instead of a deacon

McLean was "cursed" by his own stupidity!!

his mash costars thik it was more his inflated ego than stupidity

McLean should've stayed on M*A*S*H.

McLean should've stayed on M*A*S*H.

But he didn't. I'm sure Harry Morgan was grateful to Mac, though.

Great moments in bad decisions....Shelly Long is next on the list
"I want to quit Cheers and make movies!" <GOOD call, Shelly!! :rolleyes:

Great moments in bad decisions....Shelly Long is next on the list
"I want to quit Cheers and make movies!" <GOOD call, Shelly!! :rolleyes:

Yep, another dumb move. Cheers ran another six years, Kirstie Alley stepped in and became a star and Shelley...well, her greatest claim to fame since leaving Cheers was appearing in the Brady Bunch movies.

Hell, Kirstie's only bitch about Cheers ending was that she wanted it to keep going! She knew a good thing when she had one. ;)

Yep, another dumb move. Cheers ran another six years, Kirstie Alley stepped in and became a star and Shelley...well, her greatest claim to fame since leaving Cheers was appearing in the Brady Bunch movies.

Hell, Kirstie's only bitch about Cheers ending was that she wanted it to keep going! She knew a good thing when she had one. ;)


Well what was rong with her trying to become a BIGGER STA??-lol You have to make the effort to do bigger and better things

i dont know about curses, but i would think that bad judgment and even worse luck had a pretty good hand in things for Maclean ;)
Well put. I agree with you 100%.

Well what was rong with her trying to become a BIGGER STA??-lol You have to make the effort to do bigger and better things

Nothing. But when you've got a great gig like Cheers, you hold onto it as long as you can! She could have done Cheers and done movies during the off season from the show.

I just think after years of struggle trying to find stardom, she should have held onto her meal ticket and done movies on the side. Instead, she ended up without stardom and a dismal movie career.

Nothing. But when you've got a great gig like Cheers, you hold onto it as long as you can! She could have done Cheers and done movies during the off season from the show.

I just think after years of struggle trying to find stardom, she should have held onto her meal ticket and done movies on the side. Instead, she ended up without stardom and a dismal movie career.
I must admit that Troop Beverly Hills is still both a guilty pleasure and a soft spot. It reminds me of my days as a Girl Scout. :D

I must admit that Troop Beverly Hills is still both a guilty pleasure and a soft spot. It reminds me of my days as a Girl Scout. :D

Her movie career started fairly promising, but it seemed like once she'd finally left Cheers, that was pretty much it. Michael J. Fox could have easily left Family Ties around 1986, as Back To The Future made him a major film star, but he stayed with the show through its entire run and still appeared in successful feature films.

You notice David Caruso has learned his lesson. He left NYPD Blue looking for movie stardom and when he flopped he returned to TV in CSI: Miami. I haven't heard a peep out of him since that show premiered.

Actually David Caruso came back to TV for CBS in a series called "Michael Hayes", a one season wonder, before getting the CSI gig.

As for McLean, do you think NBC could not have kept Hello, Larry going for another season? Not as if NBC's fortunes were greatly improving at that point.

Actually David Caruso came back to TV for CBS in a series called "Michael Hayes", a one season wonder, before getting the CSI gig.

As for McLean, do you think NBC could not have kept Hello, Larry going for another season? Not as if NBC's fortunes were greatly improving at that point.


I haven't found the ratings for Hello Larry yet like I did for most short-lived shows

What was the timeslot for HL during its second season? Was it at that time displaced by FOL behind Diff'rent Strokes?

What was the timeslot for HL during its second season? Was it at that time displaced by FOL behind Diff'rent Strokes?


aired on wednesday nights at 9:30pm after Different strokes

hmmmmmmm, you would think it would have still been enough of a followup hit to get renewed. Or perhaps NBC knew it would be better to invest in a show that truly had a DS legacy, Facts of Life?

hmmmmmmm, you would think it would have still been enough of a followup hit to get renewed. Or perhaps NBC knew it would be better to invest in a show that truly had a DS legacy, Facts of Life?


It's a shame those crossovers with DS didn't help at all. There were 3 crossovers, 1 in Portland and 2 in NYC

I also admit to watching McClean's ABC sitcom, "Condo"

I also admit to watching McClean's ABC sitcom, "Condo"

I remember seeing a couple episodes myself. It co-starred Luis Avalos from The Electric Company. It was so long ago, I don't remember if it was good or bad.

I remember seeing a couple episodes myself. It co-starred Luis Avalos from The Electric Company. It was so long ago, I don't remember if it was good or bad.
I enjoyed it very much. It was paired with Bea Arthur's Amanda's which I did not like.

I remember reading an interview with McLean Stevenson in the early '80s where he said that if M*A*S*H did an episode where Henry Blake turned up alive at the 4077th, his body having been found floating in the sea of Japan with a pound of kelp up his nose, he'd have done it.

In other words..."I screwed up."

I remember reading an interview with McLean Stevenson in the early '80s where he said that if M*A*S*H did an episode where Henry Blake turned up alive at the 4077th, his body having been found floating in the sea of Japan with a pound of kelp up his nose, he'd have done it.

In other words..."I screwed up."
I'd agree with McLean. But the show would jump the shark if that happened.

Question: Is it true that McLean Stevenson's career crash and burn (https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-McLean-Stevensons-career-crash-and-burn-after-he-left-M-A-S-H-was-orchestrated-rather-beautifully-by-network-executives-at-both-CBS-and-NBC/answer/Jon-Mixon-1) after he left M*A*S*H was orchestrated (rather beautifully) by network executives at both CBS and NBC?

No, it’s not.

McLean Stevenson (https://www.filmboards.com/board/20829004/)’s post (https://www.google.com/search?q=reddit+McLean+Stevenson&oq=reddit+McLean+Stevenson&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRhA0gENMjA3OTg4NTNqMGoxNagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) M*A*S*H* career (https://www.google.com/search?q=datalounge+mclean+stevenson&sca_esv=554398760&sxsrf=AB5stBhigwVBoDYeeSYUwEw49VoRcR7ddQ%3A1691401220016&ei=BLzQZORPyaOq2w_Q54vIBg&oq=datalou+McLean+Stevenson&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiGGRhdGFsb3UgTWNMZWFuIFN0ZXZlbnNvbioCCAAyCBAhGKABGMMESI0oUABY6hFwAXgAkAEAmAHJAqABvw-qAQcwLjQuNC4xuAEByAEA-AEBwgIIEAAYCBgHGB7CAggQABgFGAcYHsICExAuGIMBGJoDGKgDGLEDGIoFGEPCAgYQABgHGB7CAgUQABiABMICCxAuGIAEGKgDGKMDwgIiEC4YgwEYmgMYqAMYsQMYigUYQxiXBRjcBBjeBBjfBNgBAeIDBBgAIEGIBgG6BgYIARABGBQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1) crashed because of:


Poor choices of material - Hello Larry! (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125301/http://www.jumptheshark.com/h/hellolarry.htm) was the “highlight” (http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2008/12/hello-larry-goodbye-maclean.html) of that era and it’s not very good. Stevenson picked a number of duds after leaving M*A*S*H (http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2016/05/two-mash-stories-i-hadnt-heard.html)* and with each failure his star (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLean_Stevenson) dimmed.
Stevenson was good in an ensemble of other funny people. He was never a lead - M*A*S*H* worked for Stevenson as he didn’t have to carry the full load. His other series had him be the star and that really wasn’t in his “lane”.
For reasons that aren’t clear, although he started as a comedy writer and he actually directed several episodes of M*A*S*H*, he doesn’t seem to have been interested in going that route until things “improved” for him - Stevenson went from character actor to a lead, back to a character actor within less than a decade and he seems to have be stunned by his “fall”.
He was never a film actor of any consequence - While the 1970s were an experimental time for film, Stevenson apparently wasn’t interested in it. He made three feature films during that era and five made for television films, none of which attracted serious attention.
He REALLY should have become a pitchman again - Stevenson could affect an air of non-threatening humorousness that would have been ideal for him to sell a wide variety of products or services. In fact, prior to M*A*S*H* and The Doris Day Show, Stevenson had done a LOT commercial work and it’s likely that route was always open to him. He didn’t seem to want it.

Ultimately, it's a shame he never found a proper vehicle, because he was a funny and talented actor.

I do know from later interviews that he regretted leaving M*A*S*H, citing that people liked Henry Blake, not McLean Stevenson. He thought he could parlay his supporting role into a lead one and that never happened.

the problem to me was that outside of Mash he just was not funny. I have watched him on The Tonight Show, Match Game, and other shows and didnt find him funny at all. He blew it when he left Mash and to his credit he admitted that.

the problem to me was that outside of Mash he just was not funny. I have watched him on The Tonight Show, Match Game, and other shows and didnt find him funny at all. He blew it when he left Mash and to his credit he admitted that.

I disagree. I think he was funny, but he just wasn't able to find the right vehicle to showcase his comedic talents. He never seemed to find writers and producers who were able to write for him properly.

Now, yes, to his credit, he did admit that leaving M*A*S*H was a mistake, and he had a great quote that went something like, he thought people were tuning in to see him, but they were really tuning in to see Henry Blake.

He must have been well connected with the networks because he continued to receive TV offers after each show failing to find an audience. Usually after one bomb, you're all washed up.

He must have been well connected with the networks because he continued to receive TV offers after each show failing to find an audience. Usually after one bomb, you're all washed up.

He was a likeable, relatable guy, but while the networks picked up his shows, he didn't have much luck hooking up with good writers and producers. He had it made on M*A*S*H, but he realized it too late.