After MASH

I, for one, am tired of "AfterMASH" being the TV industry joke; the joke being that a spin off of a popular series can't survive without major cast members. AfterMASH was a fine series, with Potter, Klinger, and Mulcahy dealing with issues which occur when the bullets stop flying. (Potter fighting the VA to provide disability for a cancer patient who was stationed at A-bomb tests, is just one example.) Viewers finally met Mildred Potter, and were introduced to Bob Scannell, who served with Potter in WWI. Jay O. Sanders (now a semi-big name in movies) played Gene Peiffer, a likable surgical resident whom Potter took under his wing. Mike D'Angelo (John Chappell) was the bumbling administrator, with his aide, Alma Cox (Brendis Kemp), who always locked horns with Klinger. AfterMASH ended it's 1st season ranked #15 in the ratings.

So why did this series fail? Two reasons in my opinion, for what it's worth. First, some genius at CBS decided to move the sitcom from MASH's old time slot of Mondays at 9:00, to Tuesdays at 8:00, where it went up against NBC's "The A-Team". AfterMASH didn't stand a chance. Second, the character of Gene Peiffer was written out (with no explanation), to be replaced by Dr. Boyer (played by David Ackroyd). Boyer, who didn't even have a first name, was handicapped, having lost his leg in the Korean War, and lashed out at everyone who thought less of him because of it, at least in his mind. Most viewer, I believe, want characters they can identify with or understand, and a brawling, self-pitying loner with a chip on his shoulder doesn't cut it. In reality, such a person couldn't remain employed in any hospital.

AfterMASH will never be a lost classic; rather, it's a what-might-have-been, and television's loaded with them. Still, the show comes up in any TV Guide fall preview that includes a spin-off, with the usual line, "Does anybody remember AfterMASH?"

Finally, if there's any spin-off that merits being the industry joke, it's "The Sanford Arms", NBC's ill-fated attempt in 1977 to continue "Sanford and Son" without Fred and Lamont. It ran for 4 episodes. At least AfterMASH made it to 30 before being axed in December, 1984.

Eventually, AfterMASH will be released on DVD. After all, shows with fewer episodes are. Glad I won't be trampled in the stampede to buy it.

More than half of the original M.A.S.H. cast was doing other projects when this sequel aired. As previous commenters have mentioned the jokes were stale, and the antics appeared staged. The episode I remember was that Klinger was back in the U.S. and married to his Korean wife. Klinger got in some scuffle and the ending scene showed him in jail with the overprinted statement "Stay tuned will return in 6 months." I thought at the time, "why the h@** should I wait 6 months to see how Klinger gets out jail". If the producers thought they could bulid the public suspense by waiting 6 months, they lost!

If I remember this program, the first season was acceptable, though kind of boring, but it did improve as it went along. However, what bothered me, as a writer, is that it took the two truly interesting endings from the two hour final episode of MASH and basically trashed them.

For the most part, all of the characters on MASH were leaving Korea on the last episode, and would assume the lives that they left behind, without much deviation. The two exceptions were Klinger, who shocked everyone by remaining in Korea, and Father Mulchachy, who was rapidly losing his hearing after standing on top of an explosion. These were intriguing plot twists, and when MASH ended, the audience was left with the questions of whether or not Klinger would ever leave Korea, and whether Mulchachy would regain his hearing or go completely deaf.

The first episode of After MASH quickly resolved both of these cliffhangers in a schmaltzy, unsatisfying way. Klinger was home, and Mulchacy had an operation that immediately restored his hearing. Two cheap cop outs for strong plotlines. The quality of After MASH was not good enough to justify ruining the ending of one of the best television programs in history.

When watching this, if you are able (as it hasn't really been repeated or given any release), people often make huge mistakes. They compare it to the wrong things. Is this M.A.S.H? no. can't be. A lot of people will tell you that M.A.S.H. wasn't even M.A.S.H. and that the Potter episodes are much worse then the Blake episodes or whatever. the Show changed over time to make something which was good as a whole.

After M.A.S.H. kinda has the same issues. set a few months after they got home, the show reunites Col. Sherman T. Potter, Maxwell Q. Klinger and Father Francis Mulcahy, well as Soon-Lee Klinger and keeps them completely well in character while changing the setting from the middle of a war, where there job was to patch and ship them out, to a Veterans hospital where sometimes the ones they saved, still have a long way to go.

Starting off, Potter finds retired life too dull and after having problems back in private practice, found a good place and winds up Chief of Staff in the Veterans hospital, where he finds an old War Buddy from his Unit back when he was a Sgt (Bob Scannell, played by Patrick Cranshaw). After Klinger found trouble set himself up home after finding Soon-lee's parents, and his family not accepting a Korean daughter-in-law, He ends up helping out Potter and becomes his Sectary, but has to learn you can't just pull some of the same tricks as in the Army. Then Father Mulcahy joins after having a major depression when it was found out he was deaf. After a minor operation, part of his hearing is restored and he works at the Hospital.

New Characters include the Hospital Administrator Micheal D'Angelo (John Chappell) who is more interesting in his public image then the patients, Alma Cox (Brandis Kemp), his Sectary and in charge Admin who hates everyone bar her love, D'Angelo, while wanting everything to go via the book and has a grudge against the loose altitude of Klinger.

When the show starts, it also features Alma's Assistant Bonnie Hornback (Wendy Schaal) who fancys Klinger, and Dr Gene Pfeiffer (Jay o. Sanders), the local resident who is always over tired and with a lack of money leading him to try to get food wherever he can. over time, these characters disappear into the background before being completely removed, with Pfeiffer being replaced with Dr Boyer (Davie Ackroyd) a former frontline medico in Korea who lost his leg and has a big chip on his shoulder.

While the show was good, it didn't quite get the crowds they wanted and they tried to push it closer to Mash.. but sadly, they didn't seam to know how to do that and after Klinger had a few run ins while trying to get money to support his wife and soon to be born child, he ends up back in court where he decides to pretend to be insane. Some say this means he is 'Back in a dress', but doesn't wear a dress much, but wares a range of outfits where he has to prove to them he was insane, but got better. The Hospital Admin is changed and some characters come and go. Season two was very much NOT helped by the Network deciding to put the show opposite the A-team, believing (falsely) it could beat it in a war. Leaving a batch of episodes unaired and even some unfilmed.

It's easy to see why people compare it to Mash, as a Spin-off, it's trying to take some of the love for the show and bring it to a new one, but this show successfully takes old characters and puts them into a new setting.. However the new characters weren't always used to the best and the settings weren't always the best and people didn't get it as much of a chance as it needed and it would be a shame it see it never released to the public.

Some notable episodes often feel, like M.A.S.H. before it, don't quite go as far as they could do when they have to deal with after combat issues like Downwinders, left behind shrapnel, missing limbs and more.

OK,choose your three favorite characters from MASH. Now scratch them from your memory as you watch After MASH,one of the biggest disappointments as well as one of the worst TV shows of all time. I saw this recently on FX,and I'm surprised that they showed it,but you get a sinking feeling you got upon realizing that a new episode of MASH would focus on either Klinger,Radar or Father Mulcahy? Well,with After MASH you had a two-out-of-three chance of being let down and this follow up to one of the most successful series of all time,which spawned from it could be so disastrous by all means,and it shows here. Klinger(Jamie Farr),Radar(Gary Burghoff),and Father Mulcahy(William Christopher)joined Colonel Potter(Harry Morgan) in a Missouri hospital after the Korean War to heal the sick,annoy the bureaucrats,give longwinded speeches and actually make Larry Linville glad he left the 4077th as early as he did. To make matters worst,several episodes were directed by Harry Morgan as well as fellow MASH alumnus Mike Ferrell,and Alan Alda.

The producers were trying to hold on to it but it was time for the series to die since in my opinion after the huge success of the first one,why try to hold on to something that won't last.....Let it go guys. That is what CBS did when they pull the plug on the series when the network axed it in December of 1984. The series did however survived its entire one season run at 30 episodes where some TV executive at CBS had the not-so-bright-idea of taking the show from its Monday night time slot(where the old M*A*S*H series was)and moving it to Tuesday nights opposite NBC's "The A-Team" which clobbered it in the ratings. However,the show that replaced it on that powerhouse Monday night timeslot was "Newhart".