M*A*S*H was a media franchise active, in various forms, from 1968 to 1986. Owned by 20th Century Fox, the series concerns a group of fictional characters who served at the fictional 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, loosely based on M*A*S*H 8055th. The original incarnations of the series are set during the war and feature Hawkeye Pierce as the main character. Later spin-offs involve characters who appeared in the series, but take place after the end of the war. However, almost all versions of the series fit into the genre of black comedy and involve medicine in a prominent role due to most of the main characters being doctors.
The franchise effectively ended with the conclusion of Trapper John, M.D. on September 4, 1986. As of 2007, there has been no attempt to reprise the series since then. However, a fanbase for the series still exists and 20th Century Fox has had notable success selling the film and seasons of the original TV series on DVD.
The M*A*S*H series began with the novel, MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors written by Richard Hooker based on his own experience serving as a surgeon at MASH unit 8055. The novel was originally published in 1968 and was followed by several sequels.
MASH was a 1970 feature film adaptation of the original novel. The film was directed by Robert Altman and starred Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye Pierce and Elliott Gould as Trapper John McIntyre.
M*A*S*H, a television spin-off of the feature film, ran from 1972 to 1983. It starred Alan Alda as Pierce and Wayne Rogers as McIntyre. Rogers left the show after the third season and was replaced by Mike Farrell as B. J. Hunnicutt. This series is the most popular and well-known version of the franchise and was ranked #25 in TV Guide's "TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time."
Trapper John, M.D. featured the character of Trapper John McIntyre, played by Pernell Roberts, twenty-eight years after the events of the M*A*S*H film and television series. It was the first spin-off to feature a character from the series in civilian life after the war. Legally, Trapper John, M.D. is considered a spin-off of the MASH film rather than the television series.
AfterMASH was a successor to the original M*A*S*H television series featuring Harry Morgan, Jamie Farr and William Christopher as the same characters they played in the original television series after the conclusion of the war. Gary Burghoff and Edward Winter also appeared in guest appearances. However, the show was canceled after only two seasons.
W*A*L*T*E*R was the pilot for a television series that was not picked up. It would have featured Gary Burghoff reprising the role of Walter O'Reilly, who is no longer referred to as "Radar." The pilot was shown as a "CBS Special Presentation" on July 17, 1984.
