The Most overated Sit Coms ever

[Rambo Stallone]

This show is the most overrated show in history.I'm not saying it's bad but the amount of publicity this show get mind boggles me.The people i know seem to hate it.

I finally watched all episodes about 5 years ago after this show had been re run at least 25 times or more.

The show rarely has a lot of funny things,more serious then comedy. I think the show is popular because of the storylines about War and Doctors and Nurses helping the cause. The show would be way down below as a comedy but as a drama it does well.

I still think it's the most overrated show in TV History and probably be for life.

[LuLu Rogers]

I couldn't disagree with you more. M*A*S*H is one of the best sitcoms in history.

[Brian Damage]

I never really considered MASH a sitcom, more like a dramedy.

[LuLu Rogers]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

I never really considered MASH a sitcom, more like a dramedy.

I agree, it's a good mixture of comedy and drama

[Retro4Life]

We must have vastly different senses of humor, because I always laughed out loud at M*A*S*H, and like all great comedies, it had a heart at its center and was able to make you care enough about the characters to tear up sometimes, too.

Is it perfect? Hardly, but what sitcom is? Is it great? In my opinion, yes.

[Dog Tags]

Perhaps Rambo Stallone would care to demonstrate some examples of the overt "publicity" he believes the show is getting . I'd also be interested to read what other sit-com he believes should receive a greater amount of fanfare than MASH and just what it is your friends "seem" to hate about the show. Should make for a lively exchange as most of the regulars here happen to believe it's a funny show that has dramatic moments intertwined.

[MrMatt]

Originally Posted by Rambo Stallone

This show is the most overrated show in history.I'm not saying it's bad but the amount of publicity this show get mind boggles me.The people i know seem to hate it.

I finally watched all episodes about 5 years ago after this show had been re run at least 25 times or more.

The show rarely has a lot of funny things,more serious then comedy. I think the show is popular because of the storylines about War and Doctors and Nurses helping the cause. The show would be way down below as a comedy but as a drama it does well.

I still think it's the most overrated show in TV History and probably be for life.

I view M*A*S*H as almost three completely different series (eras):

The early M*A*S*H years were among the best of television: the writing was whip-smart and dialog crackled with comedy. Alan Alda's Hawkeye was Groucho inspired perfection.

The second series (era) I like to call the transitional M*A*S*H years where the cast and show was in flux. Henry left, Colonel Potter arrived. Trapper left, BJ arrived. Frank and Hot Lips relationship grew apart, then Frank left. Winchester takes his place. Then Radar leaves and Klinger fills his spot. It was during this time too that Radar's character, for some reason, regresses into an almost childlike character. When the show first started, Radar hung out in The Swamp, drank gin, stole a jeep and helped Hawkeye cheat at poker. In the later years he raised bunnies, drank grape nehi and really clung to his teddy bear. I'm not sure why his character went down this road.

The third and final series (era) became one of extreme one-liner puns, preachy plot-lines and lots of shouting. If you notice, Klinger, Hawkeye and Colonel Potter are almost shouting their lines during this final era.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing the show. Just drawing the distinctions I've noticed. It almost seemed like M*A*S*H could've ended after season seven, but continued on for four more years. My theory is two-fold:

1). When the show started running heavily in syndication, it was exposed to a whole new audience and started growing its base.

2). In 1978, CBS moved M*A*S*H to Monday night at 9:00pm where it stayed until the end of its run. The show saw it's highest viewership during this time. With seven seasons under its belt, and with fatigue setting in for the actors and writers, CBS had a sudden hit on its hands. Can't let it go off the air now!

Anyway, that's what I think happened and this is how I see M*A*SH. It's still among my favorite shows and people who know me identify the show to me, which is cool: "Hey, I caught M*A*S*H the other night and thought of you."

[Rambo Stallone]

Originally Posted by MrMatt

I view M*A*S*H as almost three completely different series:


The early M*A*S*H years were among the best of television: the writing was whip-smart and dialog crackled with comedy. Alan Alda's Hawkeye was Groucho inspired perfection.

The second series I like to call the transitional M*A*S*H years where the cast and show was in flux. Henry left, Colonel Potter arrived. Frank and Hot Lips relationship grew apart, then Frank left. Winchester takes his place. Then Radar leaves and Klinger fills his spot. It was during this time too that Radar's character, for some reason, regresses into an almost childlike character. When the show first started, Radar hung out in The Swamp, drank gin, stole a jeep and helped Hawkeye cheat at poker. In the later years he raised bunnies, drank grape nehi and really clung to his teddy bear. I'm not sure why his character went down this road.

The third and final series became one of extreme one-liner puns, preachy plot-lines and lots of shouting. If you notice, Klinger, Hawkeye and Colonel Potter seem to below their lines with great flair during this era.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing the show. Just drawing the distinctions I've noticed. It almost seemed like M*A*S*H could've ended after season seven, but continued on for four more years. My theory is two-fold:

1). When the show started running heavily in syndication, it was exposed to a whole new audience and started growing its base.

2). In 1978, CBS moved M*A*S*H to Monday night at 9:00pm where it stayed until the end of its run. The show saw it's highest viewership during this time. With seven seasons under its belt, and with fatigue setting in for the actors and writers, CBS had a sudden hit on its hands. Can't let it go off the air now!

Anyway, that's what I think happened and this is how I see M*A*SH. It's still among my favorite shows and people who know me identify the show to me, which is cool: "Hey, I caught M*A*S*H the other night and thought of you."

Groucho Marx was a legend,Hawkeye is nothing like him and never would be.The Marx Brothers were really funny minus the boring music bits in their movies.In this i'm not saying Hawkeye was crap,he was one of the best character in it if not the best.

I know Alan Alda tried some of Groucho trademarks in Hawkeye same as Mr kotter also used to do but nothing like him.

I know what you mean the show fell away after Frank left

[Rambo Stallone]

Originally Posted by Dog Tags

Perhaps Rambo Stallone would care to demonstrate some examples of the overt "publicity" he believes the show is getting . I'd also be interested to read what other sit-com he believes should receive a greater amount of fanfare than MASH and just what it is your friends "seem" to hate about the show. Should make for a lively exchange as most of the regulars here happen to believe it's a funny show that has dramatic moments intertwined.

The publicity is in OZ it's been on the air on free to air at 4.30pm each day for the last 5 years re run.

The people i know who hate it just feel the show is slow and boring and not funny. I've told them you need to watch it and not give up after 10 or so episode but they seem to give up on it.

It took me a long time to force myself to watch it and know the characters and i did enjoy it but i wouldn't watch a re run of it again after watching probably all of the series.

In all the years of being watching Sit Coms this and Beverly Hillbillies that were re run plenty of times took over nearly 20 years to watch both.

Beverly Hillbillies i actually really was surprised to like as i hated it as a kid and probably thought it was some bunch of Country boring comedy.

Beverly Hillbillies i would watch again and probably buy it as i never seen the last few years they never broadcasted unless they did before i watched it.

I can name 2 shows that were classics but never got the publicity like Mash, they were Sledgehammer and Titus.

Married With Children makes Mash look like a soap opera,now that's a funny show.

It might not be the best written but the actors do a great job with those characters. How many shows can say they get a laugh without speaking a line. This for example,Al Bundy opens the front door and just looking at his face expression people laugh or shout Al .The thing also it's not staged with the live audience applause,people just do it because he is funny.I went to a taping there and seen it.

Those shows like How I meet your Mother or even Friends before that in nearly every word their is fake laughter.

[McGillicuddy]

Certainly not overrated. Maybe M.A.S.H. should not have been classified as a sitcom. Hogan's Heroes was a sit-com, China Beach was a drama. It seems M.A.S.H. was in a category by itself. Here's a show where the laugh-track really was out of place!!!

[Dusty's Fan]

I think that's true that M*A*S*H is not very easy to categorize. There was a lot of stuff, especially involving Frank Burns, that was extremely funny -- more laugh-out-loud than most dramedies. While there were many other scenes and moments that were quite serious and sobering.

[OH Nuts!]

To each his own. I personally consider M*A*S*H a grand old show with a fine cast of characters. If you don't like yours I'll gladly take it. More M*A*S*H pleeeez! Esp. eps w ol' Sherm in them!!

[Miss Lisa]

Originally Posted by MrMatt

I view M*A*S*H as almost three completely different series (eras):

The early M*A*S*H years were among the best of television: the writing was whip-smart and dialog crackled with comedy. Alan Alda's Hawkeye was Groucho inspired perfection.

The second series (era) I like to call the transitional M*A*S*H years where the cast and show was in flux. Henry left, Colonel Potter arrived. Trapper left, BJ arrived. Frank and Hot Lips relationship grew apart, then Frank left. Winchester takes his place. Then Radar leaves and Klinger fills his spot. It was during this time too that Radar's character, for some reason, regresses into an almost childlike character. When the show first started, Radar hung out in The Swamp, drank gin, stole a jeep and helped Hawkeye cheat at poker. In the later years he raised bunnies, drank grape nehi and really clung to his teddy bear. I'm not sure why his character went down this road.

The third and final series (era) became one of extreme one-liner puns, preachy plot-lines and lots of shouting. If you notice, Klinger, Hawkeye and Colonel Potter are almost shouting their lines during this final era.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing the show. Just drawing the distinctions I've noticed. It almost seemed like M*A*S*H could've ended after season seven, but continued on for four more years. My theory is two-fold:

1). When the show started running heavily in syndication, it was exposed to a whole new audience and started growing its base.

2). In 1978, CBS moved M*A*S*H to Monday night at 9:00pm where it stayed until the end of its run. The show saw it's highest viewership during this time. With seven seasons under its belt, and with fatigue setting in for the actors and writers, CBS had a sudden hit on its hands. Can't let it go off the air now!

Anyway, that's what I think happened and this is how I see M*A*SH. It's still among my favorite shows and people who know me identify the show to me, which is cool: "Hey, I caught M*A*S*H the other night and thought of you."

I couldn't agree more. Usually when I talk to people and they say that they loved the show MASH, they usually mention something that came from the first three seasons when Henry and Trapper were there.

As the show went on, it was like the characters were growing up, and the ones who couldn't grow up, just left the show. They all went from there childish pranks and having fun when they were drinking to maturing and getting depressed when they drank and complaining about how bad the war was and how long it was going on.

The show went on long enough for the writers to go thru many experiments with the characters, like what if Frank didn't have Margaret any more, or what if Hawkeye acted more mature, what if they were all stuck with a CO that was more regular army, what if, what if...

They dragged all of that out until there was no going back to the way that the show was before because once you do get real serious like that, there just is no jumping back to the comedy that it had in the beginning.

So before I go on and on, like I haven't already, I think that the end of the show was certainly overrated. On the other hand, I thought that the beginning years with Henry and Trapper were great.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

I never really considered MASH a sitcom, more like a dramedy.

I never liked that term. It sounds like something you'd take to relieve sea-sickness.

As for me, M*A*S*H is the best show ever. It's not really a sitcom. It's a show with comedy and drama. My favorite years were the Colonel Blake/Trapper years, but I like the characters of Potter & Winchester and B.J. as well.

[tdf4077]

Yeah, the first three years were sitcomy (w/noteable exceptions like "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet"). Beyond that, it's not fair to judge it as a sitcom in the same way you'd judge a "true" sitcom--a show that strives for comedy MASH is not.

Additionally, part of the "publicity" of MASH was that it was about a war when a war was going on. You have to consider the historical context of the show. Many people appreciated the juxtaposition that was offered to the Vietnam news.

In re-run land, it's popular because a)it's intelligent b)it's still fresh (other shows tend to date themselves with their humor) c)it's not 100% like everything else out there--there's something different.

Add to that the depth of character development, the high-quality acting, and the variable speeds (sometimes it can be a bit slow...others, it's pretty quick), and you've got the mixin's for a pretty good show if you ask me.

So while I can respect you having your own opinion, I must disagree with you in asserting it's "the MOST over-rated sitcom ever."