Let me put this in the simplest terms.
MASH is a classic and was practically born that way when they decided to make a series of it from the movie .
I have nothing but praise from epsiode 1 to the conclusion. The show did the perfectly realistic thing in the Army ... of people actually going home from their service and being replaced by others.
It would have been unrealistic (with exception to main characters Ben Pierce and Margaret Houlihan) if all stayed for the full 3 year Korean war.
So it didn't bother me when characters left and were replaced. I liked all the characters in the show and if they left the series, that's the choice of actors as well as life in the military. Kind of a new experience to watch a new character.
In terms of Henery Blake geting killed on the way home, it was sad of course, but that's the truth that a good many never make it home from a war. Mclean Stevenson left by his own choice and again, that's what actors are sometimes prone to do. Successful series or not.
I don't buy into the nonsense and childishness of "I only like Seasons 1 to 3 (or 1 to 5). Or the ridiculous,"The show got more serious and ruined my fun!" Certainly ...how dare producrers and writers and cast want to make a show about 'war' more serious? How dare they make a descision without calling all of the fans personally? (Yes, being fecetious).
To continue ; What Alan Alda did in combining his acting , directing, assisting in script writing and even producing , only made for an even greater series than it already was. Although he's no stand up comedian, his funniest lines certainly were at that level or even above.
The solo "Hawkeye" episode (with the Korean family) is nothing short of amazing, as it's no easy task to carry a show practically on your own. The most amazing part is, it was not ad libbed. I've read the actual 20th Century Fox script and it reads just as humorusly and dramatic, as watching the episode itself.
As for what others have said about Alan Alda's ego and taking over the series to suit himself. Since I can tell it's only based their assumptions (in some cases their politics) and not any kind of fact...these ideas are absurd. As these persons do not know Alda personally. (Neither do I and I don't pretend to know his psyche.)
Alda and everyone of the main cast start to finish, all did a great job in giving us a series, with things that we can laugh about but also on the more serious subjects think about and even learn from.
It's not an easy task to make comedy out of a setting like war. People die in battle and in other fields of service in wartime, so I never took any of the more serious storylines lightly.
It amazes me the ones who call the later episodes 'depressing'.
Well where does anyone get the idea that this series was only supposed to be "fun and games" ? MASH was bound to become a more serious program as it went on.
With the end of Henry Blake and departures of Trapper John and Majore Burns & Walter O'Reiley , the changes took place in the show, that I pretty much anticipated would happen.
You can't do a series about this subject and have it stay ONLY a 'sitcom' 90% and serious only 10%. The balance was bound to shift and it did. In the show, the Korean war only got worse as it went on and that was reflected in the series change to more serious storylines and comic overtones.
I love comedy and know it well and I also like to watch a good TV drama or dramatic movie. MASH gave a great combination of both from beginning to end.
Having viewed the series through several times, I wouldn't be able to rate less than a ten. I know others rate lower but , they have a right to their feelings as well.
Myself? Again... I love the series, every episode is a gem.
MASH is a classic and was practically born that way when they decided to make a series of it from the movie .
I have nothing but praise from epsiode 1 to the conclusion. The show did the perfectly realistic thing in the Army ... of people actually going home from their service and being replaced by others.
It would have been unrealistic (with exception to main characters Ben Pierce and Margaret Houlihan) if all stayed for the full 3 year Korean war.
So it didn't bother me when characters left and were replaced. I liked all the characters in the show and if they left the series, that's the choice of actors as well as life in the military. Kind of a new experience to watch a new character.
In terms of Henery Blake geting killed on the way home, it was sad of course, but that's the truth that a good many never make it home from a war. Mclean Stevenson left by his own choice and again, that's what actors are sometimes prone to do. Successful series or not.
I don't buy into the nonsense and childishness of "I only like Seasons 1 to 3 (or 1 to 5). Or the ridiculous,"The show got more serious and ruined my fun!" Certainly ...how dare producrers and writers and cast want to make a show about 'war' more serious? How dare they make a descision without calling all of the fans personally? (Yes, being fecetious).
To continue ; What Alan Alda did in combining his acting , directing, assisting in script writing and even producing , only made for an even greater series than it already was. Although he's no stand up comedian, his funniest lines certainly were at that level or even above.
The solo "Hawkeye" episode (with the Korean family) is nothing short of amazing, as it's no easy task to carry a show practically on your own. The most amazing part is, it was not ad libbed. I've read the actual 20th Century Fox script and it reads just as humorusly and dramatic, as watching the episode itself.
As for what others have said about Alan Alda's ego and taking over the series to suit himself. Since I can tell it's only based their assumptions (in some cases their politics) and not any kind of fact...these ideas are absurd. As these persons do not know Alda personally. (Neither do I and I don't pretend to know his psyche.)
Alda and everyone of the main cast start to finish, all did a great job in giving us a series, with things that we can laugh about but also on the more serious subjects think about and even learn from.
It's not an easy task to make comedy out of a setting like war. People die in battle and in other fields of service in wartime, so I never took any of the more serious storylines lightly.
It amazes me the ones who call the later episodes 'depressing'.
Well where does anyone get the idea that this series was only supposed to be "fun and games" ? MASH was bound to become a more serious program as it went on.
With the end of Henry Blake and departures of Trapper John and Majore Burns & Walter O'Reiley , the changes took place in the show, that I pretty much anticipated would happen.
You can't do a series about this subject and have it stay ONLY a 'sitcom' 90% and serious only 10%. The balance was bound to shift and it did. In the show, the Korean war only got worse as it went on and that was reflected in the series change to more serious storylines and comic overtones.
I love comedy and know it well and I also like to watch a good TV drama or dramatic movie. MASH gave a great combination of both from beginning to end.
Having viewed the series through several times, I wouldn't be able to rate less than a ten. I know others rate lower but , they have a right to their feelings as well.
Myself? Again... I love the series, every episode is a gem.