"M*A*S*H"

1972-1983
FOUR-STAR EPISODES
A four-star movie begat 61 four-star episodes. No other television show comes close.
-season one: 8
-season two: 9
-season three: 11 (by this measure, the greatest single season of serial television ever)
-season four: 9
-season five: 9
-season six: 5
-season seven: 1
-season eight: 5
-season nine: 1
-season ten: 0
-season eleven: 3
PERFORMANCES (# of episodes)
Alan Alda (Benjamin Franklin Pierce, 251)
Who was the most influential creator of the most influential sitcom ever? Larry Gelbart. After that...Burt Metcalfe? Or Alan. He wrote nineteen episodes, directed thirty, and was creative consultant for one hundred thirty-one. All with nary a single Hawkeye-less entry.
HAWK-A-THON
-Yankee Doodle Doctor
-Tuttle
-Dear Dad, Again
-Adam's Ribs
-The Late Captain Pierce
-Hawkeye
-The More I See You
-Hawk's Nightmare
-Inga
-Peace on Us
-Who Knew?
-Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen
Loretta Swit (Margaret Houlihan, 237)
One of the most clearly-rendered character arcs in television history.
HOTLIPS-A-THON
-Hot Lips and Empty Arms
-The Nurses
-Margaret's Marriage
-Comrades in Arms
-Stars and Stripes
-Father's Day
Jamie Farr (Max Klinger, 211)
Early-series Klinger was classic, latter-series Klinger lovely (though occasionally forced). Who wouldn't love an actor who turned "Halt! Who goes there?" into a character for the ages? Think of how the very lifeblood of M*A*S*H would have been diminished had Klinger been portrayed swishily, as originally written?
KLINGERTHON
-Chief Surgeon Who?
-Radar's Report
-Ain't Love Grand
-Too Many Cooks
-Dear Uncle Abdul
-As Time Goes By
William Christopher (Francis Mulcahy, 210)
William created a character so sweetly and understatedly lovable, we forgot to be annoyed that he's a bible-thumper.
MULCAHYTHON
-Alcoholics Unanimous
-Movie Tonight
-Mulcahy's War
-Dear Sis
-Blood Brothers
-Heroes
Harry Morgan (Sherman Potter, 179)
Can anybody calculate how towering it is that every episode from seasons 4-11 didn't end with the viewer thinking about how much they miss Henry?
POTTERTHON
-Change of Command
-Dear Mildred
-Hawkeye Get Your Gun
-Potter's Retirement
-Pressure Points
-Old Soldiers
Mike Farrell (B.J. Hunnicutt, 178)
See the previous actor's note.
B.J.-A-THON
-Welcome to Korea
-B.J. Papa San
-Hanky Panky
-Period of Adjustment
-The Party
-Oh, How We Danced
Gary Burghoff (Radar O'Reilly, 155)
A timeless synthesis of actor and character. Can we please have W*A*L*T*E*R released on dvd? We don't mind if it sucks.
RADAR-A-THON
-Springtime
-The General's Practitioner
-Fallen Idol
-Your Hit Parade
-Lt. Radar O'Reilly
-Mail Call Three
-Hot Lips is Back in Town
-Good-Bye Radar
-The Foresight Saga
-"It Had to be You", AfterMASH
David Ogden Stiers (Charles Emerson Winchester, 131)
Back up a fresh truckload of superlatives, please.
WINCHESTERTHON
-Fade Out, Fade In
-The Winchester Tapes
-Dr. Winchester and Mr. Hyde
-Mr. & Mrs. Who?
-Morale Victory
-Death Takes a Holiday
-Run for the Money
Larry Linville (Frank Burns, 117)
The greatest pure acting performance of the series?
BURNS-A-THON
-Five O'Clock Charlie
-Rainbow Bridge
-Major Fred C. Dobbs
-House Arrest
-Soldier of the Month
-Margaret's Engagement
Wayne Rogers (Trapper John Macintyre, 73)
Focusing on how well M*A*S*H replaced lost characters so seamlessly makes you overlook how easily Alan and Wayne made us forget Donald and Elliot.
TRAPPERTHON
-Requiem for a Lightweight
-Ceasefire
-As You Were
-Bombed
-Bulletin Board
-Check-up
McLean Stevenson (Henry Blake, 70)
The best character on the best sitcom ever.
BLAKE-A-THON
-Sometimes You Hear the Bullet
-The Army-Navy Game
-Cowboy
-Henry, Please Come Home
-The Trial of Henry Blake
-Henry in Love
-Abyssinia, Henry
Allan Arbus (Sydney Freedman, 12)
The highest per-episode rating of any M*A*S*H actor.
SIDNEYTHON
-O.R.
-Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?
-Dear Sigmund
-War of Nerves
-The Billfold Syndrome
-Bless You Hawkeye
Edward Winter (Col. Flagg, 7)
The second-highest per-episode rating.
FLAGG-A-THON
-Deal Me Out
-A Smattering of Intelligence
-Officer of the Day
-The Abduction of Margaret Houlihan
-Rally Round the Flagg, Boys
-"Trials", AfterMASH
Soon-Tek Oh (5)
The greatest recurring guest star in M*A*S*H history who never played the same role twice. Surgeon, soldier, medic, translator...and no one ever surrendered with more charm.
TEKOHTHON
-Love and Marriage
-The Bus
-The Korean Surgeon
-The Yalu Brick Road
-Foreign Affairs
-"Honor Thy Brother", TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY
GREATEST GUEST STAR PERFORMANCES
-Virginia Ann Lee, "The Moose"
-Leslie Nielsen, "The Ringbanger"
-Harry Morgan, "The General Flipped at Dawn"
-Blythe Danner, "The More I See You"
-Mariette Hartley, "Inga"
ENSEMBLE-A-THON
-Big Mac
-Deluge
-The Interview
-Point of View
-Life Time
-Our Finest Hour
COMINGS AND GOINGS
It's tempting to think about what might have been, had the original cast stayed together. But...a marathon of the debut and finale episodes of the changing characters might be the most satisfying marathon of all.
-Abyssinia, Henry
-Welcome to Korea
-Change of Command
-Fade Out, Fade In
-Good Bye Radar