MASH

1970s tv sitcom

The plot is set in military hospital during the Korean War - seems like not very good place for sitcom, but you would be surprised. Doctors are busy chasing nurses, nurses are busy avoiding doctors and the commander is trying to avoid being commander.

It is surprising that on the beginning MASH had so bad ratings that the production was suspended and the creators had a rough time finding a new network that would show it. But when they started the reruns of first episodes the ratings put them on the top five. Thanks to great casting and fairly good ideas for the scripts the series went skyhigh, but unfortunately after several changes to the cast (and everytime the change was for the worst) and repetitions of same ideas and routines the series became just a distant shadow of the original.

Also the creators have used all the ideas in first seasons and they just kept it running for far, faaaaaaaaar too long (let’s just say that the series lasted 3 times longer than the war itself), so it is hard to put one review for all seasons. The few first seasons were great, but after McLean Stevenson and Wayne Rogers have left the chemistry was gone, and after Larry Linville and Gary Burghoff have left it was painful to still watch the series. Strangely enough at the end few of the actors were still so keen to keep MASH running that they’ve started a new series called AfterMASH.

Rating	7.2
Funny	7 / 10
Entertaining	4 / 5
Characters	4 / 5
Nonrepetitive	3 / 5