http://www.bonethefish.com/viewtopics.php?103#

M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH (which was itself based on the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, by Richard Hooker). The series is a medical drama/black comedy that was produced by 20th Television Fox for CBS. It follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War. M*A*S*H's title sequence featured an instrumental version of the song "Suicide Is Painless", which also appears in the original film. The show was created after an attempt to film the original book's sequel, MASH Goes To Maine, failed. It is the most well-known version of the MASH works.

I don't think M*A*S*H ever boned the fish. In fact I think they were very successful in replacing departing cast members and evolving and keeping the show fresh.

Yea I can't really say the show got really bad. I usually only watched it after football season so it stayed fresh for me.

When Frank Burns left and they turned Hotlips into a human being. Replacing Frank with Winchester was a bad move. The show shifted towards more drama and a lot less comedy. The series finale was great though, one of the best of all time.

Never boned. Despite cast changes, I think the show actually got better over time. I never liked it as a straight comedy; always preferred the mix of comedy with drama as this made it more realistic. Without the drama, you have Hogan's Heroes, a comedy about war time. That never made much sense to me.

the first season with trapper and stevenson were the best that a comedy show can get, but when those two left it started going down hill,it tooka a big hit when frank burns left.so it never offical jumped the shark just a slow downward spiral.

When Frank Burns left and they turned Hotlips into a human being. Replacing Frank with Winchester was a bad move. The show shifted towards more drama and a lot less comedy. The series finale was great though, one of the best of all time.
The series finale was propaganda. They put down Syngman Rhee (of South Korea) so quickly (when Klinger was on the phone to Hawk) it was almost subliminal stimuli. They never said a bad word about commie, North Korean leader(Kim II Sung) a man who killed 700,000 of his own North Koreans and Kim started the whole Korean War!!!!!!!!!

Never boned. Despite cast changes, I think the show actually got better over time. I never liked it as a straight comedy; always preferred the mix of comedy with drama as this made it more realistic. Without the drama, you have Hogan's Heroes, a comedy about war time. That never made much sense to me.

I recently read somewhere that one of the writers for early M*A*S*H actually had been a writer for Hogan's Heroes! I don't remember who, but according to the article he wrote as many episodes as Larry Gelbart the first season.

Is this a fact, anyone here who can verify?

When B.J. arrived. Mike Farrell could suck the humor out of any scene.

Add to that the show's drift to becoming the "Alan Alda Soapbox", with views that contradict the original character of Hawkeye.

Add to that the show's drift to becoming the "Alan Alda Soapbox", with views that contradict the original character of Hawkeye.

Yes, but the producers/directors/writers gave him that soap-box. They are as much to blame as Alda is.

Well, That whole "boned the fish" as a replacement for "jumped the shark" never made any sense to me.
I pretty much only like the first three seasons. Later seasons had some good stuff in the original run, but for me do not hold up to repeat viewing.
And later, without Larry Linville, the series really lost some more steam.

The best seasons for me are 1-4 and 6. Season 5 was Burns' lame duck season as he needed the support of Margaret, and to some extent Blake, to provide some worthy opposition to the main protagonists. Winchester restored the balance in season 6, but the show had run its course by season 7.

Add to that the show's drift to becoming the "Alan Alda Soapbox", with views that contradict the original character of Hawkeye.

The whole show was a soap box. Much like the rest of TV which is why I outgrew it and come here instead of watching current TV.

That mustache so didn't go on B.J

I was SO tempted to vote for "too preachy", but I just had to go for "BJ replaces Trapper". Mike Farrell had to be the least funny actor ever to appear in a comedy show.

I recently read somewhere that one of the writers for early M*A*S*H actually had been a writer for Hogan's Heroes! I don't remember who, but according to the article he wrote as many episodes as Larry Gelbart the first season.

Is this a fact, anyone here who can verify?

You're probably talking about Laurence Marks.

When B.J. arrived. Mike Farrell could suck the humor out of any scene.


Agree! Couldn't have said it better myself. I greatly preferred Trapper as well
as Henry instead of Col. Potter. Never enjoyed the show after those two left. I always thought BJ sucked.

When Frank Burns left and they turned Hotlips into a human being. Replacing Frank with Winchester was a bad move. The show shifted towards more drama and a lot less comedy. The series finale was great though, one of the best of all time.
I will take Winchester over Bunrs. Burns was a cartoon character while Burns was more flesh and blood. He was a fully developed character and much stronger in personality.

Agree! Couldn't have said it better myself. I greatly preferred Trapper as well
as Henry instead of Col. Potter. Never enjoyed the show after those two left. I always thought BJ sucked.

B.J. and Potter sure did change the dynamics of the series, yes, but they also brought some new directions for plots, and I found both likable, although agreed far from what Richard Hooker and Ring Lardiner had envisioned as M*A*S*H.

I was SO tempted to vote for "too preachy", but I just had to go for "BJ replaces Trapper". Mike Farrell had to be the least funny actor ever to appear in a comedy show.

To me, both of these developments coincide... B.J. mellowed Hawkeye out, where Trapper made him more agitated.

To me, both of these developments coincide... B.J. mellowed Hawkeye out, where Trapper made him more agitated.
How about BTF when you realized they would never (ever!) mention the North Koreans starting the Korean War in the first place.