I've never watched an episode of MASH. All I knew was that if it was airing, it was after the news and/or late night talkshows, it was time for bed. It always looked like a bore and I still have no interest in it.

If there is anything that makes me lose interest in a TV show, it is learning that it was both universally lauded as great television AND incredibly popular.

Now, tell me about some really shitty show that nobody watched!

I only knew of old people watching it. It wasn't part of what I was watching then, so I ignored it. Now as an old person, I'm still not interested. I'd rather watch some Hunter or Married With Children re-runs.

I like spaghetti

You could certainly find a worse or less popular show, but Hunter is a pretty good choice for something both crappy and forgotten.

So is it a drama or a comedy?

The serious episodes that got to me "Dreams" & "Bless You, Hawkeye".

I was only 3 years old when M*A*S*H ended so I never watched during its initial run and was far too young to remember the hysteria surrounding the finale. I got into watching it when it aired reruns in the 90s when I was a teenager. I was never super interested in it before but once I started watching it I fell in love. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen it but I think I’ve seen the entire series all the way through about 3 times.

Yes, the series got a little too up it’s own ass ever now and then and the “legendary” finale only got good about halfway through but it was a fantastic show! One of the best of all time.

I’ll have to check out that new retrospective of its on Hulu.

One of my top 3 sitcoms of all time:
Seinfeld
M*A*S*H
Cheers

Sorry to dump on this 22 years later, but I hope that was a paper written for elementary school.

If anyone is interested, there was a 30th anniversary special 20 years ago, where the people got together in person instead of just old interview footage.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=419833383046663

My parents watched the show religiously when I was a kid. Loved it then and love it now. I've seen the entire series multiple times.

Oh, you do not, now sit down!

C'mon everyone likes spaghetti!

I was watching this with my dad in the late 70s, early 80s and it informed a lot of my anti-war thinking (I wish that had stuck with my dad) and one of my earliest TV crushes was Loretta Swit.

Yes, it's a bit maudlin at times, but I feel like it did so much work exposing the problems of the Vietnam war (by showing another similar war) and my wife and I have done series re-watches more than a few times over the years. It's also got some very smart writing and so much fun character work.


As for AfterM*A*S*H, they just gave Father Mulcahy an operation to restore his hearing. I haven't seen it since the first time it aired back in the day, and I'm not really interested in seeing it again.

Instantly regretted my comment, as much as it helped continue the discussion. I'm more of a penne guy.

I watched M*A*S*H during first run and mostly enjoyed it until "The Alda Effect" took over (basically turned a comedy series into a dramedy series when Alda started regularly using it as a soap box). Still watched it but liked it less and less and thought the final episode was simply horrible (I disliked it so much I've not watched it again since). My wife and I watched it in reruns for a time or three through and grew tired of it. I now own a DVD copy but have only watched up through S7 (and those only once) as I really don't much care for the later seasons.

Yes, Radar *should* have waited until everyone was out of surgery before making the announcement about Henry... but it wouldn't have been nearly as dramatic.

When it originally aired, I watched 2 or 3 episodes of "After M*A*S*H" before ditching it completely. It just wasn't the least bit funny.

If we’re going by what they should have done, every single misadventure that Hawkeye got into would have been shut down immediately, starting with his gin still.

And Potter as well. Great idea, let's take Klinger plus the two least interesting/funny characters and make a new comedy based on them. I can't believe it lasted two seasons, from what I remember it wasn't that good. And yes, I'm sure the title was a bit of wordplay.

I watched MASH a lot when I was a kid, and I remember enjoying it, but I don't think I could sit though it now.

My college roommate watched it every night before David Letterman came on.

Never understood the appeal. Meh.

I like spaghetti! too.

MASH was one of the most popular and critically lauded television shows of the 1970s. It ran for 11 years and 256 episodes. It's finale is still the most watched scripted television program of all time.

AfterMASH was a spin-off that focused on a trio of MASH supporting characters. It ran for two seasons and 31 episodes. The first season had viewers, mostly out of curiosity, and the second season was a total ratings failure, resulting the the series quick cancellation.

It would have been absolutely insane for them to bring up AfterMASH. That show is a failure that is best left forgotten in the dump heap along with other lousy, short-lived spin-offs of great shows like The Tortellis, Gloria, The Golden Palace, Joey, and Joanie Loves Chachi.

At least it did better than W*A*L*T*E*R.

Hey! Now don't you start! You do not!

There was a successful series that was technically a spin-off of M*A*S*H



Ran for 7 seasons, but the last one was a disaster.

I thought there was some legal wrangling where they said that was a spin-off from the movie so they wouldn't have to pay the TV show creators?

And I don't think I ever watched this one, was it any good?

Either way, I don't consider it a spin-off from the show or the movie. Other than a couple references and his name, calling it a spin-off is a huge stretch IMO.

I never watched every episode (maybe only 25%)... but it was "ok" for it's time - which is an easy bar to clear for a drama.
The only thing I remember was thinking (and many thought the same way) that it was cool that Gonzo (Gregory Harrison) lived in an RV which was parked in the hospital parking lot. Even as a teenager I thought that it was very practical and a great way to save money.

Considering I watched Hunter on a regular basis when it aired, and MWC is a show I watched all the way to the end when it first aired (and is a fave show of mine, some people quote Shakespeare, me...I can pull out some quotes from MWC), and I watched enough Mash growing up that I was able to watch the final episode when it aired, I will ignore your comment that this show was for the olds. I was watching the shows you love when they aired, so around 40 years back and I just turned 52. Mash is also a fave show of mine. If you did not grow up watching the show I can see how you, quite frankly, anyone from the past 10-15+ years, would have no urge to catch up on the show.

Also, to be fair, my parents oftentimes controlled what we would watch on TV, but as you can tell from just the tiny sampling of shows I watched when I was much younger (I was barely in my teens when some of the above shows first started up, I graduated in 1989), they did not consider the TV an "idiot" box like I have heard from quite a few friends and colleagues over the years (and some students at UC Santa Cruz looked at me like I was from Mars when I asked them how easy it would be to set up a tv and VCR if I roomed with them, I was recording BTVS at UC Santa Cruz and my desire to watch tv at college actually was a mark against me as a roommate, lol!!).

I really do thank the big guy that my parents let my siblings and I grow up appreciating that TV can be a genuinely fulfilling form of entertaining ones self. That did not stop us from trips to Placerita Canyon, Vasquez Rocks, peach picking trips, and other outdoor activities. I wore out quite a few Tonka Trucks playing outside in our cul de sac.

Anyway, I get it...MASH would especially nowadays be considered a show that mostly the "olds" might want to re-watch.

ETA: Showing how forgettable Aftermash is, I know that I started watching the show but I am not sure I lasted through all 31 episodes. The biggest shock is not that Aftermash failed, but that it ran for 31 episodes! Wow, you learn something new everyday.