By the late 1970s, "M*A*S*H" wasn't just a hit television series, it was an institution. This was the pre-cable age, when viewers's entertainment choices were mostly limited to whatever was on network television, so something as seemingly innocuous as a sitcom could drive cultural conversations. "I Love Lucy," "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "All in the Family" achieved such prominence, as did variety shows like "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" and "Saturday Night Live."
So if you were a celebrity eager to become or remain relevant in the public eye, booking an appearance on one of these series was a capital idea. Failing that, just hanging around the set was a way of feeling like you still had juice. While "M*A*S*H" was one of the highest-rated television shows on the air, it was basically the Studio 54 of soundstages.
Read more: The Oppenheimer Supporting Character Guide: Your Guide To All 'Those...
So if you were a celebrity eager to become or remain relevant in the public eye, booking an appearance on one of these series was a capital idea. Failing that, just hanging around the set was a way of feeling like you still had juice. While "M*A*S*H" was one of the highest-rated television shows on the air, it was basically the Studio 54 of soundstages.
Read more: The Oppenheimer Supporting Character Guide: Your Guide To All 'Those...
- 12/30/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
If you caught up with "M*A*S*H" sometime after the beloved wartime sitcom ended its much-lauded original run, you'd be forgiven for having no clue about the series' spinoffs. After all, 50 years after it first aired, "M*A*S*H" remains a major pillar of TV history -- for its rollicking anti-authority spirit and bleeding heart attitude, its genre-blending and experimental episodes, and its record-breaking finale telecast, which is still by some measures the most-watched in the history of television. "AfterMASH," though? Well, not so much.
It's a testament to the flagship series' strengths that decades after it ended, its bizarre and short-lived spinoffs haven't tainted its reputation at all. In fact, they've mostly been forgotten, in part because they're unavailable on streaming and tough to find on home video. Three "M*A*S*H" spinoffs were made in hopes of capitalizing on some of the original series' magic, but only one -- the...
It's a testament to the flagship series' strengths that decades after it ended, its bizarre and short-lived spinoffs haven't tainted its reputation at all. In fact, they've mostly been forgotten, in part because they're unavailable on streaming and tough to find on home video. Three "M*A*S*H" spinoffs were made in hopes of capitalizing on some of the original series' magic, but only one -- the...
- 10/16/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Former 4077th M*A*S*H roommates Alan Alda and Mike Farrell reunited on Saturday to toast the 50th anniversary of the acclaimed war comedy’s premiere.
“Mike Farrell and I today toasting the 50th anniversary of the show that changed our lives – and our brilliant pals who made it what it was,” Alda wrote on Twitter, sharing the photo below of him and Farrell sharing some proper wine versus anything from the Swamp’s still. “Mash was a great gift to us.”
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Donuts Star Eyes CBS Return, Lodge 49 Renewed and MoreDavid Ogden Stiers, Emmy...
“Mike Farrell and I today toasting the 50th anniversary of the show that changed our lives – and our brilliant pals who made it what it was,” Alda wrote on Twitter, sharing the photo below of him and Farrell sharing some proper wine versus anything from the Swamp’s still. “Mash was a great gift to us.”
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Donuts Star Eyes CBS Return, Lodge 49 Renewed and MoreDavid Ogden Stiers, Emmy...
- 9/18/2022
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
Hawkeye and Trapper’s antics. Hawkeye and B.J.’s pranks. Frank and Hot Lips’s torrid romance. Klinger’s cross-dressing. Colonel Blake and Colonel Potter’s attempts to reign in the craziness. On September 17, 1972, “M*A*S*H” premiered, and for the next 11 years, the friendships, the tragedies and the hijinks of the 4077th captivated audiences. Let’s now celebrate the 50th anniversary of the CBS premiere with our photo gallery ranking the 25 best episodes. All episodes are now streaming on Hulu. Reelz also has a new documentary titled “M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever” that recently debuted.
The long-running series based on the three-year Korean War was adapted from a hit 1970 film, which in turn was adapted from a best-selling 1968 novel by Richard Hooker. Debuting at the height of the controversial Vietnam war, the series subtly mocked government bureaucracy and the senselessness of war, balancing the heaviness of tragedies...
The long-running series based on the three-year Korean War was adapted from a hit 1970 film, which in turn was adapted from a best-selling 1968 novel by Richard Hooker. Debuting at the height of the controversial Vietnam war, the series subtly mocked government bureaucracy and the senselessness of war, balancing the heaviness of tragedies...
- 9/17/2022
- by Susan Pennington and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
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