What killed this show? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

I am Roboto · 08-29-2003, 02:51 PM

I'm wondering what killed AfterMASH in its second season. It did very well during season one- coming in #15 in the nielsen ratings. What happened during season two that caused the show to do so poorly that it needed to be cancelled mid-way through the season?

Mr. Television · 08-29-2003, 02:56 PM

It really wasn't funny. Also it was moved opposite the A-Team for season 2.

hawaii five-o · 08-30-2003, 12:02 PM

What killed "AfterMASH" was that everyone's expectations of it were too high. The network expected it to be the same quality as "MASH" and it wasn't. They even put it in the same time slot, hoping that lightning would strike twice. It wasn't a bad show, it just wasn't great.

I am Roboto · 09-05-2003, 11:50 PM

Does anybody know the actual ratings for the second season? I would like to post them on the AfterMASH site at TVTome.

Thanks!

treky · 10-01-2003, 04:07 AM

what happened was, the writers started doing too much to get it back up in the ratings, and started copying things from MASH, but they didn't work. Things like, having Klinger start wearing dresses again, doing his "crazy" stuff again, having appearences by Col. Flagg & Sidney Freedman. I remember reading an interview somewhere with Jamie Farr talking about the series, and even he thought they were starting to go too far.

And, from what I remember, I heard that all these things didn't work, and only made the show stuoid!!

EricIdlefan · 11-24-2003, 05:30 PM

It had no chemistry and no other characters other than Klinger and Porter!! Scripts that won't hold a candle to the original!!

I am Roboto · 12-08-2003, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Riff
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm...&output=gplain

Scroll down to the bottom. Way down at the bottom.

Thanks for this information. I've posted it on the TVTome AfterMASH guide. I knew AM's ratings dropped in the 2nd season, but I never thought they fell as low as they did.

MASHMan · 05-11-2004, 07:48 PM

"Mr Roper"'s second sentence is the full answer to this question. The second season premiere of "AfterMASH" aired on a Sunday night in 1984 (a week before "Murder, She Wrote" assumed that timeslot) and finished as the #10 program that week. Two days later, the season's second episode aired on Tuesday night against "The A-Team", and the ratings absolutely tanked against that NBC's big hit show.

It also didn't help that too much tinkering around occurred with the second season. The adorable Barbara Townsend was replaced as Mildred Potter by some squatty, frowny-faced woman who showed ZERO chemistry with Harry Morgan (Ann Pitoniak). The cartoony hospital administrator character was replaced by a no-nonsense hospital administrator who simply was not funny. Honestly, as cartoony as he was, they shoulda stuck with Mike D'Angelo in comparison to the Wally Wainright character. (Ohhhh, if they only could've convinced Larry Linville to come back as Frank Burns as the hospital's administrator...! That's something I actually mentioned to Linville back in 1984....!) The ongoing storyline of Klinger REALLY being in a mental ward after his wife had just had a baby got stretched waaaaay too long. Some new young doctor was introduced who seemed to be a bad attempt at melding the innocent Radar with the stickler Frank Burns. Only two highlights to the second season: an episode called "Madness To His Method" in which the writing of all of the characters finally really clicked, and the half of the "Trials" episode containing the scenes of Ed Winter back in wonderfully memorable form as Col. Flagg.

Oriole Adams · 08-10-2004, 11:56 PM

I don't remember very much about this show, but I do remember watching one episode where the hospital had a shortage of something or other, and Klinger was on the phone trying to drum some up. He was all excited and said something along the lines of "Oh, boy, just like in Korea! This is great!" Which struck me as stupid, because he supposedly hated his time in Korea.

catsoup · 03-15-2005, 05:05 AM

Well the move to Tuesdays against "The A-Team" didn't help much...other shows affected by T & CO, include:

Happy Days
Laverne & Shirley
Three's A Crowd
Just Our Luck (no significant value but had to throw this in just for the ironic title).

So afterMASH is in good company.

As for (in another post) how it finished in it's second (and finale year) in the Nielsen Ratings:

#72

compared to it's competition:

"Foul-Ups Bleeps & Blunders" on ABC #48

and

"The A-Team" on NBC #6

Source: TV GUIDE

Hope this helps folks

treky · 03-15-2005, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MASHMan

"Mr Roper"'s second sentence is the full answer to this question. The second season premiere of "AfterMASH" aired on a Sunday night in 1984 (a week before "Murder, She Wrote" assumed that timeslot) and finished as the #10 program that week. Two days later, the season's second episode aired on Tuesday night against "The A-Team", and the ratings absolutely tanked against that NBC's big hit show.

It also didn't help that too much tinkering around occurred with the second season. The adorable Barbara Townsend was replaced as Mildred Potter by some squatty, frowny-faced woman who showed ZERO chemistry with Harry Morgan (Ann Pitoniak). The cartoony hospital administrator character was replaced by a no-nonsense hospital administrator who simply was not funny. Honestly, as cartoony as he was, they shoulda stuck with Mike D'Angelo in comparison to the Wally Wainright character. (Ohhhh, if they only could've convinced Larry Linville to come back as Frank Burns as the hospital's administrator...! That's something I actually mentioned to Linville back in 1984....!) The ongoing storyline of Klinger REALLY being in a mental ward after his wife had just had a baby got stretched waaaaay too long. Some new young doctor was introduced who seemed to be a bad attempt at melding the innocent Radar with the stickler Frank Burns. Only two highlights to the second season: an episode called "Madness To His Method" in which the writing of all of the characters finally really clicked, and the half of the "Trials" episode containing the scenes of Ed Winter back in wonderfully memorable form as Col. Flagg.

I thought the second part of the two-part episode where Gary Burghoff guest stared as Radar was OK -not great, but not bad either.
(he only had a cameo in the very last scene of the first part)

pscisme · 03-17-2005, 04:16 PM

i think SOME of the reasons this show got gutted like it did so early into season 2 have been touched on: low ratings in new time slot and it's inability to post M*A*S*H* numbers during its first season, but i think there was another factor here and I think it was the key factor in the show's quick dismissal: MONEY.

can you imagine how much money this series cost CBS just in terms of paying Larry Gelbart, 20th Century Fox, Harry Morgan, Jamie Farr and William Christopher? All these folks (and undoubtedly more from behind the scenes) were coming off a smash show that literally ended on its highest (ratings) note!

when season 1 posted it's good numbers, it couldn't help compare unfavorably to MASH ratings, and i imagine the first commercial breaks were extremely expensive for sponsors but had to be dropped as ratings proved the show wasn't as big a draw as its predecessor.

as for season 2: whenever a cast and/or behind the scenes creators are scuttled and replaced in a big way it's because there is big trouble and a last-ditch effort is being made.

i think the tuesday time slot (a shoo-in for ratings failure back then) was given to this show on purpose so CBS could get out of this deal as quickly as possible and cut its losses.

consider if AMASH had suddenly, unbelievably taken off on Tuesdays, posting record ratings and earning top advertising dollars...CBS would have embraced it and kept it going as long as the gravy train could run, so some honcho probably figured putting this series in a death match would ultimately prove a win/win or at least win/cut loss situation for the network.

as for the quality of the show, i can't attest to season 2, since i, like most folks in fall 1984 missed it entirely, but i was a big fan of the series during season 1.

but the quality of the show is almost NEVER a matter to network programmers, who function on the basis of a bottom line and there are more than enough examples of that out there, right?

snl75 · 03-18-2005, 12:36 AM

i can attest to season 2 it stunk season 1 was pretty good but when the network started messing with it it went downhill

Mr. Television · 03-18-2005, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catsoup

Well the move to Tuesdays against "The A-Team" didn't help much...other shows affected by T & CO, include:

Happy Days
Laverne & Shirley
Three's A Crowd
Just Our Luck (no significant value but had to throw this in just for the ironic title).

So afterMASH is in good company.

As for (in another post) how it finished in it's second (and finale year) in the Nielsen Ratings:

#72

compared to it's competition:

"Foul-Ups Bleeps & Blunders" on ABC #48

and

"The A-Team" on NBC #6

Source: TV GUIDE

Hope this helps folks

The A-Team also killed Alice and The Jeffersons which were the shows that replaced AfterMash in that hour after Aftermash was canceled.

Brian Damage · 03-18-2005, 01:06 AM

It didn't help that they used 3 of the dullest characters on the show. Father Mulahey(sp?) was dull, dull, dull. Col. Potter was ok, but he was more of the straight man on MASH. Jamie Farr was good on MASH, but when he dressed up like a lady and tried to be crazy. He got married and grew up on AfterMash.

08-29-2003, 02:51 PM	#1
I am Roboto wtfmate Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 17, 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,224	What killed this show? I'm wondering what killed AfterMASH in its second season. It did very well during season one- coming in #15 in the nielsen ratings. What happened during season two that caused the show to do so poorly that it needed to be cancelled mid-way through the season?
	__________________ Chris.

08-29-2003, 02:56 PM	#2
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,125	It really wasn't funny. Also it was moved opposite the A-Team for season 2.
	__________________ Sonny

08-30-2003, 12:02 PM	#3
hawaii five-o Book 'Em, Dano Senior Member Join Date: Jun 27, 2003 Location: At home, eating cereal straight out of the box Posts: 1,406	"AfterMASH" wasn't "MASH" What killed "AfterMASH" was that everyone's expectations of it were too high. The network expected it to be the same quality as "MASH" and it wasn't. They even put it in the same time slot, hoping that lightning would strike twice. It wasn't a bad show, it just wasn't great.

10-01-2003, 04:07 AM	#5
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	what happened was, the writers started doing too much to get it back up in the ratings, and started copying things from MASH, but they didn't work. Things like, having Klinger start wearing dresses again, doing his "crazy" stuff again, having appearences by Col. Flagg & Sidney Freedman. I remember reading an interview somewhere with Jamie Farr talking about the series, and even he thought they were starting to go too far. And, from what I remember, I heard that all these things didn't work, and only made the show stuoid!!
	__________________ the Clampetts are in a fancy Beverly Hills jewelry store. Granny points to a tray of rubies. Granny: "How much fer one o' them red diamonds?" clerk: "Madam, those are rubies." Granny: "OK ask her kin we buy one offa her." clerk: " The ruby I am talking about is not a lady." Granny: "Lissen, how she got them diamonds is her business. I'm just sayin' ask her kin we buy one from her."

09-05-2003, 11:50 PM	#4
I am Roboto wtfmate Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 17, 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,224	AfterMASH Second Season Ratings Does anybody know the actual ratings for the second season? I would like to post them on the AfterMASH site at TVTome. Thanks!

11-24-2003, 05:30 PM	#6
EricIdlefan June Bug & School's Out Forum Addict Join Date: Oct 12, 2003 Location: East TN Posts: 68,234	It had no chemistry and no other characters other than Klinger and Porter!! Scripts that won't hold a candle to the original!!
	__________________ June Bug & Summer is Here 2026!

05-11-2004, 07:48 PM	#8
MASHMan Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 07, 2001 Location: Spokane, WA 99223 Posts: 15	"Mr Roper"'s second sentence is the full answer to this question. The second season premiere of "AfterMASH" aired on a Sunday night in 1984 (a week before "Murder, She Wrote" assumed that timeslot) and finished as the #10 program that week. Two days later, the season's second episode aired on Tuesday night against "The A-Team", and the ratings absolutely tanked against that NBC's big hit show. It also didn't help that too much tinkering around occurred with the second season. The adorable Barbara Townsend was replaced as Mildred Potter by some squatty, frowny-faced woman who showed ZERO chemistry with Harry Morgan (Ann Pitoniak). The cartoony hospital administrator character was replaced by a no-nonsense hospital administrator who simply was not funny. Honestly, as cartoony as he was, they shoulda stuck with Mike D'Angelo in comparison to the Wally Wainright character. (Ohhhh, if they only could've convinced Larry Linville to come back as Frank Burns as the hospital's administrator...! That's something I actually mentioned to Linville back in 1984....!) The ongoing storyline of Klinger REALLY being in a mental ward after his wife had just had a baby got stretched waaaaay too long. Some new young doctor was introduced who seemed to be a bad attempt at melding the innocent Radar with the stickler Frank Burns. Only two highlights to the second season: an episode called "Madness To His Method" in which the writing of all of the characters finally really clicked, and the half of the "Trials" episode containing the scenes of Ed Winter back in wonderfully memorable form as Col. Flagg.

08-10-2004, 11:56 PM	#9
Oriole Adams Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 21, 2004 Posts: 75	I don't remember very much about this show, but I do remember watching one episode where the hospital had a shortage of something or other, and Klinger was on the phone trying to drum some up. He was all excited and said something along the lines of "Oh, boy, just like in Korea! This is great!" Which struck me as stupid, because he supposedly hated his time in Korea.

03-15-2005, 05:05 AM	#10
catsoup Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 15, 2005 Posts: 14	What killed this show? Well the move to Tuesdays against "The A-Team" didn't help much...other shows affected by T & CO, include: Happy Days Laverne & Shirley Three's A Crowd Just Our Luck (no significant value but had to throw this in just for the ironic title). So afterMASH is in good company. As for (in another post) how it finished in it's second (and finale year) in the Nielsen Ratings: #72 compared to it's competition: "Foul-Ups Bleeps & Blunders" on ABC #48 and "The A-Team" on NBC #6 Source: TV GUIDE Hope this helps folks

03-17-2005, 04:16 PM	#12
pscisme Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 08, 2005 Posts: 230	i think SOME of the reasons this show got gutted like it did so early into season 2 have been touched on: low ratings in new time slot and it's inability to post MASH numbers during its first season, but i think there was another factor here and I think it was the key factor in the show's quick dismissal: MONEY. can you imagine how much money this series cost CBS just in terms of paying Larry Gelbart, 20th Century Fox, Harry Morgan, Jamie Farr and William Christopher? All these folks (and undoubtedly more from behind the scenes) were coming off a smash show that literally ended on its highest (ratings) note! when season 1 posted it's good numbers, it couldn't help compare unfavorably to MASH ratings, and i imagine the first commercial breaks were extremely expensive for sponsors but had to be dropped as ratings proved the show wasn't as big a draw as its predecessor. as for season 2: whenever a cast and/or behind the scenes creators are scuttled and replaced in a big way it's because there is big trouble and a last-ditch effort is being made. i think the tuesday time slot (a shoo-in for ratings failure back then) was given to this show on purpose so CBS could get out of this deal as quickly as possible and cut its losses. consider if AMASH had suddenly, unbelievably taken off on Tuesdays, posting record ratings and earning top advertising dollars...CBS would have embraced it and kept it going as long as the gravy train could run, so some honcho probably figured putting this series in a death match would ultimately prove a win/win or at least win/cut loss situation for the network. as for the quality of the show, i can't attest to season 2, since i, like most folks in fall 1984 missed it entirely, but i was a big fan of the series during season 1. but the quality of the show is almost NEVER a matter to network programmers, who function on the basis of a bottom line and there are more than enough examples of that out there, right?

03-18-2005, 12:36 AM	#13
snl75 Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 25, 2004 Location: in the formen basement watching snl Posts: 1,377	i can attest to season 2 it stunk season 1 was pretty good but when the network started messing with it it went downhill

03-18-2005, 01:06 AM	#15
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	It didn't help that they used 3 of the dullest characters on the show. Father Mulahey(sp?) was dull, dull, dull. Col. Potter was ok, but he was more of the straight man on MASH. Jamie Farr was good on MASH, but when he dressed up like a lady and tried to be crazy. He got married and grew up on AfterMash.