MovieChat Forums > M*A*S*H (1972) Discussion > When Good Shows Go Bad: M*A*S*H

When Good Shows Go Bad: MAS*H

posted 8 years ago by TMC-4 (20475)
4 replies | jump to latest

http://www.wewantinsanity.com/am2/publish/Peter_Dawson/When_Good_Shows_Go_Bad_M_A_S_H.shtml

The following program is considered by many to be one of the best TV shows of all time. Honestly I consider this a bigger sacred cow than some other shows I've done, since unlike Star Trek, for example, it was a recognized hit at the time. Furthermore, M*A*S*H is probably one of the most important television shows in the history of sitcoms for reasons I'll be going into. If anyone takes offence to the fact that I'm even saying this show 'went bad', I can assure you I'm not about to rip the show to shreds, just call a few things out.

Read more: When Good Shows Go Bad: M*A*S*H - Sitcoms Online Message Boards - Forums http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=321324#ixzz4eONW9rlI

[–] godewey (16472) 8 years ago

Knock it up a notch
Rockin' was nowhere in sight
And its never good when it goes bad
No one likes to feel like they've been had

[–] brux (14837) 8 years ago

I never stopped watching an episode of MASH once I was watching,
but it was never a favorite show, and never something I would go out
of my way to watch. I am not sure why. I saw the movie and it was
good.

I remember it came out at about the same time as another big movie,
and now I cannot remember what that was. Deer Hunter, or Apocaplypse
Now ... or something else. It was a weird time.

The show just went back and forth in the same situation, never said anything,
and was vaguely anti-war, or maybe more than vaguely, but it never told us
anything about the Korean war, and that was a pretty ugly war.

I cannot believe after Korea the American people went for the whole Viet
Nam thing.

And we were horrible in both places. The US bombed damns and laughed as
water washed away tens of thousands of people, same as we defoliated millions
of acres of jungle to deny food to rebels, but also starving poor Vietnamese
peasants. These were war crimes under the Geneva convention, and Nixon
kept wanting to use nuclear weapons.

This show is mildly entertaining, but it also kind of disgusts me too.

[–] stevewyzard (1729) 8 years ago

Great article: agree with most of your assessments. The view that once McLean Stevenson left, the show went downhill is still out there, but most will now cite Gary Burghoff's departure as the real "jumping the shark" moment. There were still the occasional good episodes after Season Eight, but the show became very ordinary and sit-commy (even without the laugh track) during its last three seasons. It also fell prey to the smugness and self-congratulation that sets in after too many awards and too much acclaim. While it's almost impossible for me to think of the 1970's without thinking of M*A*S*H, you're also correct in noting that the show has not aged well for younger viewers, who most likely will view it as a relic from backward times in spite of the ground it broke for the shows that would follow. Keep up the great work!

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

I think the third and fourth seasons were the best.

At some point later on, the show basically became a vehicle for Alda's ideas, and it wasn't as good as it used to be.