I don’t know which season of MASH was the first one with Alan Alda at the reins. Some people claim the series lost its appeal when AA turned it into a soapbox for his liberal politics. Yet the ratings remained high for most of the show’s run, so a lot of people must have liked what Alda had to say.

When did Alan Alda take control of “MASH”? Did Burt Metcalfe and Gene Reynolds leave because of him?

Larry Gelbart left after season 4, Gene Reynolds left after season 5. Alan Alda and Burt Metcalf took over at the beginning of season 6 and stayed in charge for the remainder of the series.

Larry Gelbart left after season 4, Gene Reynolds left after season 5. Alan Alda and Burt Metcalf took over at the beginning of season 6 and stayed in charge for the remainder of the series.

Alda was already of the main writers and directors by season six.

The show should have ended after 7 seasons. Like many hit shows, it went on too long. The last few seasons were just too much - mainly because of Alda's control.

The show should have ended after 7 seasons. Like many hit shows, it went on too long. The last few seasons were just too much - mainly because of Alda's control.

I have to agree. The last three seasons are pretty painful to watch. Not funny, too heavy handed and the acting with some of the actors got worse. Klinger became downright annoying. Jamie Farr started yelling his dialogue with over the top facial expressions. Every other episode Margaret was saying "dear god" at every tragic moment. After all these years we find out Hawkeye is claustrophobic. Not a hint of that in the previous 9 seasons.lol

O DEFINITELY!!! Every other week it was "oh we're doctors and we're nurses...and we're so good because we save lives...and death is such a bummer...and war is hell..." and on and on...
Should have ended when Radar left.

I don’t know which season of MASH was the first one with Alan Alda at the reins. Some people claim the series lost its appeal when AA turned it into a soapbox for his liberal politics. Yet the ratings remained high for most of the show’s run, so a lot of people must have liked what Alda had to say.

I'd say that it probably is a testimonial to Alan Alda's talents that he was able to carry the show on his own. Tip of the hat to him over that.

But from my perceptions, when his personality fanned out and came to dominate the show, it reduced my enjoyment not only of the show at that time, but I came to look down upon the series even leading up to that time.

"Grandiose" is the word I think that I'm looking for, and once I stated seeing Alda in that light, I could never stop.

MASH needed to either call it quits after three years, or at least continue with the dark comedy of the those seasons, instead of turning it into a drama.
Alda became the 'star' because the show lost two capable actors. They should
have added to the cast in keeping with an ensemble show.
Here is what SHOULD have happened:
Keep the character of Trapper using a different actor.
Use the Duke Forrest character from the book and movie.
Bring back Spearchucker.
Create a good female character to counter Hot Lips.

I couldn't stand the later, "Alda" years.

in the earlier years the sad or tragic things meant more because they didn't dominate the shows. like when Hawkeye's buddy died or when Henry died. but when they are trying to get tear jerkering moments every episode it gets to be too much.

how would Henry, Trapper and Frank have changed if they had stayed on the show? would they turn Frank nice? would Henry and Trapper have stopped cheating on their wives? lol

I couldn't stand the later, "Alda" years.:yeahthat

I'd say that it probably is a testimonial to Alan Alda's talents that he was able to carry the show on his own. Tip of the hat to him over that.

But from my perceptions, when his personality fanned out and came to dominate the show, it reduced my enjoyment not only of the show at that time, but I came to look down upon the series even leading up to that time.

"Grandiose" is the word I think that I'm looking for, and once I stated seeing Alda in that light, I could never stop.

I'm watching the early episodes again after many years and these have many nice touches from the Altman film... all that eventually vanished.

MASH needed to either call it quits after three years, or at least continue with the dark comedy of the those seasons, instead of turning it into a drama.
Alda became the 'star' because the show lost two capable actors. They should
have added to the cast in keeping with an ensemble show.
Here is what SHOULD have happened:
Keep the character of Trapper using a different actor.
Use the Duke Forrest character from the book and movie.
Bring back Spearchucker.
Create a good female character to counter Hot Lips.

They HAD to get rid of Spearchucker Jones, although I agree just having him disappear without any explanation was kind of dumb. The M.A.S.H. producers found out that in the Korean War, M.A.S.H. units were segregated. So the 4077th should've always been all white because they wouldn't have had a black surgeon in the unit. in reality Spearchucker Jones would've been in an all black M.A.S.H. unit, that's just the way it was then.

Ed.

Larry Gelbart left after season 4, Gene Reynolds left after season 5. Alan Alda and Burt Metcalf took over at the beginning of season 6 and stayed in charge for the remainder of the series.

If I remember, in the last seasons of M.A.S.H.'s run, Alan Alda was also listed in the show's credits as "creative consultant". I think Carroll O'Connor on All In The Family was also listed as "creative consultant" in that show's later seasons too. And I've always wondered but I've never found out what a "creative consultant" on a sitcom is supposed to be or what they do.

Ed.

I couldn't stand the later, "Alda" years.

IUdrmndhKT4

Without doubt, beyond playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce on the classic TV series, "M*A*S*H" (https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.tv.mash/lfTovmrWTp0), actor Alan Alda had an undeniable impact on the show. In fact, there are some folks out there who say that he (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-86547.html) ruined (https://www.quora.com/Did-Alan-Alda-basically-ruin-Mash-as-a-comedy-show-when-he-started-writing-and-directing-episodes) the show. Are you one of those people? Watch this video and, then, you be the judge!

Most shows of whatever style don't have more than 7 or 8 good years in them.

From the WTF with Marc Maron podcast; August, 2016:

MARC MARON: I know that some people have said that when you had more writing power in M*A*S*H, that it was able to get a little deeper.

ALAN ALDA: I don't know; some people don't... there's like a myth on the internet that I made it more political and I made it serious — more serious. Larry [Gelbart] was the first one to write a show in which a guy died on the operating table. He went for serious, too. In fact, the guy who ran the network, when he saw the show with the guy dying on the operating table, said "What is this? A situation tragedy?"

So they already didn't like some of the seriousness, because we realized we were doing... if we didn't show the bad effects of the war and just did a standard service comedy, we were, in a way, denying the real experience of the people who had lived through that time.

MARON: Trivializing it.

ALDA: Trivializing it, yeah. And there was more... more of interest if you took it more seriously, so we had silly, stupid, farcical boofo stuff that we did, but it always had — or we tried to find an underpinning of — the hard stuff. But actually, I don't like to write political messages, and I don't like plays that have political messages, so I don't think I'm responsible for that; I think it's what people assume, because at the time I was trying to help get the Equal Rights Amendment passed. So everybody assumed that I put that stuff in my writing.

One episode I liked from the later years was when Father Mulchaey (sic) found a half Korean/American baby. The father warned the staff that the child would not be accpeted in Korean society and would have a terrible life (I was in South Korea for several months and know this to be true, Koreans are very racist to outsiders).

Hawkeye, BJ, and Winchester decided to do something about it and went through several channels to get the baby to America, one was trying to deal with the American embassy who was of absolutely no help. They did all they could and the baby wound up being cloistered in a Catholic monestary (South Korea is the most Christian nation in Asia besides the Phillipines), possibly for the child to live a very private and closed life away from the population.

The episode where the soldier died and becomes a ghost looking at the people of the unit mainly bitching and bickering at each other was another interesting concept.

That was a good episode. I think to me, it wasnt so much for Alda by the ninth season forward, the show just ran out of ideas. Also, since it was 10 to 11 years, everyone was physically older. In the show's universe, the staff was mainly stuck there until the war was over for the most part. This didnt happen in real life, people were rotated.

Alan Alda was basically nothing before this show. He had work in the 1960's but wasnt a star. This show made him a star basically because he was the central character.

One episode I liked from the later years was when Father Mulchaey (sic) found a half Korean/American baby. The father warned the staff that the child would not be accpeted in Korean society and would have a terrible life (I was in South Korea for several months and know this to be true, Koreans are very racist to outsiders).

Hawkeye, BJ, and Winchester decided to do something about it and went through several channels to get the baby to America, one was trying to deal with the American embassy who was of absolutely no help. They did all they could and the baby wound up being cloistered in a Catholic monestary (South Korea is the most Christian nation in Asia besides the Phillipines), possibly for the child to live a very private and closed life away from the population.

The episode where the soldier died and becomes a ghost looking at the people of the unit mainly bitching and bickering at each other was another interesting concept.

That was a good episode. I think to me, it wasnt so much for Alda by the ninth season forward, the show just ran out of ideas. Also, since it was 10 to 11 years, everyone was physically older. In the show's universe, the staff was mainly stuck there until the war was over for the most part. This didnt happen in real life, people were rotated.

Alan Alda was basically nothing before this show. He had work in the 1960's but wasnt a star. This show made him a star basically because he was the central character.
There were some bright moments, moments of great drama and madcap comedy.
But, for the most part, the show really dragged in its last 3 years.

Charles became likeable, and a much different character than when he started.
Same for "Hot Lips Houlihan," who became almost unrecognizable.

Snap Judgement, A TWO-PART EP, was one of the series' worst.