Larry Gelbart, inspired by the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker (penname for H. Richard Hornberger) and its sequels, but primarily by the 1970 film MASH, and influenced by the 1961 novel Catch-22.[citation needed] The show was created after an attempt to film the original book's sequel, "M*A*S*H Goes To Maine", failed. It is the most well-known version of the M*A*S*H works. The series was a medical drama/black comedy produced by 20th Television Fox for CBS. The show followed a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War. M*A*S*H's title sequence featured an instrumental version of the song “Suicide Is Painless,” which also appears in the original film. The series premiered on September 17, 1972, and ended February 28, 1983, with the finale becoming the most-watched television episode in U.S. television history with over 105 million viewers[1]. The show is still broadcast in syndication on various television stations (mostly during the late night/early morning hours). The series spanned 251 episodes and lasted eleven seasons covering a three-year war. Many of the stories in the early seasons are based on real-life tales told by real MASH surgeons who were interviewed by the production team. Like the movie, the series was as much an allegory about the Vietnam War (still in progress when the series began) as about the Korean War.[2] The show's producers have said that it was about war in general. Contents [hide] * 1 Episodes * 2 Synopsis * 3 Cast o 3.1 Recurring characters o 3.2 Actors with multiple roles o 3.3 Character names o 3.4 Notable actors and actor information * 4 The set * 5 Changes * 6 "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" * 7 Change in tone * 8 Awards * 9 Nielsen ratings * 10 Popularity today o 10.1 Influences on pop culture * 11 Anachronisms and historical errors * 12 Spinoffs and specials * 13 DVD releases * 14 On-set o 14.1 Character information + 14.1.1 Character injuries * 15 Unique and unusual episodes * 16 Notes and references * 17 External links [edit] Episodes Main article: List of M*A*S*H episodes Season Ep # First airdate Last airdate Ranking Season 1 24 September 17, 1972 March 25, 1973 46 Season 2 24 September 15, 1973 March 2, 1974 4 Season 3 24 September 10, 1974 March 18, 1975 5 Season 4 25 September 12, 1975 February 24, 1976 15 Season 5 25 September 21, 1976 March 15, 1977 4 Season 6 25 September 20, 1977 March 27, 1978 9 Season 7 26 September 18, 1978 March 12, 1979 7 Season 8 25 September 17, 1979 March 24, 1980 5 Season 9 20 November 17, 1980 May 4, 1981 4 Season 10 23 October 26, 1981 April 12, 1982 9 Season 11 16 October 25, 1982 February 28, 1983 3 [edit] Synopsis M*A*S*H was a weekly half-hour situation comedy, sometimes described as “black comedy” or a "dramedy," because of the dramatic subject material often presented (the term "dramedy," although coined in 1978, was not in common usage until after M*A*S*H had gone off the air). The show was an ensemble piece revolving around key personnel in a United States Army Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH; the asterisks in the name are meaningless, introduced in the novel) in the Korean War (1950–1953). The 4077th MASH was just one of several surgical units in Korea. As the show developed, the writing took on more of a moralistic tone. Richard Hooker, who wrote the book on which the show (and the film version) was based, noted that Hawkeye was far more liberal in the show (in one of the sequel books, Hawkeye in fact makes reference to “kicking the bejesus out of lefties just to stay in shape”). While the show was mostly comedy, there were many episodes of a more serious tone. Stories were both plot- and character-driven. Most of the characters were draftees, with dramatic tension often occurring between them and "Regular Army" characters, either among the cast (Swit as Houlihan, Morgan as Potter) or as guest stars (including Eldon Quick, Herb Voland, Mary Wickes, and Tim O'Connor). A letter to TV Guide written by a former MASH doctor in about 1973 stated that the most insane jokes and idiotic pranks on the show were the most true to life, including Klinger's crossdressing. The hellish reality of the MASH units encouraged this behavior out of a desperate need for something to laugh at. (Another former MASHer, though, pointed out later that an habitual crossdresser would not last long in such a place; real women were too scarce.) [citation needed] [edit]