What is M*A*S*H?
A: M*A*S*H is an American war comedy-drama television series.
When did it air?
A: It aired on CBS from September 17, 1972 to February 28, 1983.
It was developed by Larry Gelbart as the first original spin-off series adapted from the 1970 feature film M*A*S*H.
The film M*A*S*H was based on what?
A: Richard Hooker's 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors.
MASH is an acronym for what?
A: Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
The series was produced by 20th Century Fox Television
for what network?
A: CBS.
It follows a team of doctors and support staff
stationed where?
A: At the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu,
South Korea,
during the Korean War (1950–53).
The ensemble cast originally featured what two actors
as surgeons Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce and "Trapper" John McIntyre?
A: Alan Alda and Wayne Rogers, the protagonists of the show.
They were joined by Larry Linville as whom?
A: Surgeon Frank Burns.
What role did Loretta Swit play?
A: Head nurse Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan.
McLean Stevenson played the part of company commander
as whom?
A: Henry Blake.
Who played the part of company clerk Walter "Radar"
O'Reilly?
A: Gary Burghoff.
The orderly Maxwell Klinger was played by whom?
A: Jamie Farr.
William Christopher played the part of what chaplain?
A: Father John Mulcahy.
Over the run of the show, what members of the main cast
were replaced?
A: Wayne Rogers by Mike Farrell as B. J. Hunnicutt, McLean Stevenson by
Harry Morgan as Sherman Potter, Frank Burns by David Ogden Stiers as Charles
Emerson Winchester III.
When Gary Burghoff left the show, the Maxwell Klinger
character moved into what role?
A: The company clerk role.
Longtime supporting cast members included whom?
A: Kellye Nakahara, Jeff Maxwell, Allan Arbus, and Edward Winter.
The series varied in style and tone – including broad
comedy and tragic drama – which can be attributed to what?
A: Fluctuating writing staff over the life of the show, and the variety of
sources contributing to the stories.
The show's title sequence features an instrumental
version of what?
A: "Suicide Is Painless," the original film's theme song.
The show was created after an attempt to film what
failed?
A: The original book's sequel, M*A*S*H Goes to
Maine.
The television series is the best-known of the M*A*S*H
works, and one of the highest-rated shows in what?
A: U.S. television history.
Its final episode, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", was
what?
A: The most-watched television broadcast in American history.
It remains both the most-watched finale of any
television series and the most-watched episode of what?
A: A scripted series.
M*A*S*H aired weekly on CBS, with most episodes being
how long?
A: A half-hour in length.
The series is usually categorized as a situation
comedy, though it has also been described as what?
A: A "dark comedy" or a "dramedy" because of the often-dramatic subject
matter.
Early seasons aired on network prime time while what
was still ongoing?
A: The Vietnam War.