An "AfterMASH" that might've worked...

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by treky

I haven't seen After MASH in years since 1983 when it first aired on CBS but from what I recall it was just OK sometimes-nothing special-in it's first season but it got stupid in it's second season. And from what I remember of the first show Klinger and Soon-Le found her parents but they had been killed or something.

I think you're right, but if it ever came out on DVD or blu-ray, I'd still buy it. The M*A*S*H fan in me would watch it and make the best of it.

[jbjr56]

I watched AfterMash back in the day. They should had Radar as a regular in the show. BJ was also from the San Francisco area - Mill Valley.

[TMC]

Did AfterMASH just come along too late? If MASH was actually commentary about the Vietnam War despite, officially being about the Korean War, then AfterMASH was a commentary on the plight of veterans, particularly Vietnam veterans. But by the time that AfterMASH made it on the air in 1983, the Vietnam War was over for eight years. Not only that, but the draft ended 10 years before, and Korea was by that point, 30 years old. The point is that I don't know if that was still relevant to a majority of American audiences unlike in the mid-'70s, when people were returning from war.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by TMC

Did AfterMASH just come along too late? If MASH was actually commentary about the Vietnam War despite, officially being about the Korean War, then AfterMASH was a commentary on the plight of veterans, particularly Vietnam veterans. But by the time that AfterMASH made it on the air in 1983, the Vietnam War was over for eight years. Not only that, but the draft ended 10 years before, and Korea was by that point, 30 years old. The point is that I don't know if that was still relevant to a majority of American audiences unlike in the mid-'70s, when people were returning from war.

The series was an example of something existing because it could exist. The network was willing to take a flyer on anything with the MASH pedigree and hope the producers could figure it out. The show got off to a great start but the characters weren't strong enough to hold the audience. The problem really isn't covered in the initial post, the main problem, the three holdover supporting characters were just that supporting characters. The show needed compelling lead characters right out of the gate and that's what it didn't have and that's the main reason the show failed.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by Duster76

The series was an example of something existing because it could exist. The network was willing to take a flyer on anything with the MASH pedigree and hope the producers could figure it out. The show got off to a great start but the characters weren't strong enough to hold the audience. The problem really isn't covered in the initial post, the main problem, the three holdover supporting characters were just that supporting characters. The show needed compelling lead characters right out of the gate and that's what it didn't have and that's the main reason the show failed.

Yep. Similarly, they attempted to do The New WRKP In Cincinnati in 1991, but with the show based around three supporting characters, Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson, Herb Tarlek, and Les Nessman.

Like After-MASH, the show ran for a couple of seasons before petering out.