In my view there are 2 MASH shows. The early ones that are mostly funny and the later ones that are mostly serious. I like both of course. I started watching when I was 10 in 1978 when I caught my first re-runs of the 1st 5 seasons. I then stared to watch it on Monday nights regularly. Some of it was a bit mature for me to relate to but I liked it. My favorite Hawkeye moment is the hissy fit he throws in the mess hall when he finds out that for the 3rd or 4t day in a row,they're serving liver or fish. "I didn't hear you say that,because it's not possible." "The Geneva convention prohibits the killing of our taste buds." "I simply cannot eat the same thing everyday!" Fish and liver,day after day!" "I've eaten a river of liver and an ocean of fish!" "I've eaten so much fish,I'm ready to grow gills!" "I've eaten so much liver I can only make love if I'm smothered in bacon and onions!" "Are we gonna let them do this to us? Are we gonna stand for this?" "No! I say,no!" "We want something else!(repeated) "Draftees of the world unite!" "You've got nothing to lose but your cookies!" "Eee-yah-rah-a-ha-ha!!!" Then he climbs up the tent pole and bangs a serving tray! Classic! What more can I say,that hasn't already been said by,well,just about anyone?

--Happi-Puppi

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Personally, I was glad it got more serious. This is a war for pete's sake! The last thing TV needed was another Sgt. Bilko or McHale's Navy or Gomer Pyle! "Golden Age" TV was laid to rest for a good reason. People wanted something new. MASH's early years were a bit muddled to me. While the happening were funny there wasno good balance between the serious and the amusing. People who like the early version don't think about the fact that if it stayed the same,it would've lasted only another season or two (if they were lucky.) Again, MASH is funny but when you're talking about war, it can't all be knee slappin' fun.

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The truly funny episodes were indeed the first three years. The 2 things that realy stick out in my fondest memories of the show were anything that had to do with Klinger getting his precious Section 8. And the scene where Trapper and Hawkeye had a bet that no one would notice Hawkeye going to the Mess tent naked.

--James Lee

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Clearing up a mistaken idea about MASH today. The war on the show did not run longer than the real Korean war.

The show itself rann over 250 episodes which was the only thing that was in fact 11 years. The real Korean War was 3 years 1 month and a day,that's 1100 days. Since MASH has over 250 shows,think of them as 250 days out of the war,that simple.

All episodes were set between 1951 and 1953. The Korean war was June 1950 to July 1953.

When the turn over started is when the show started getting more serious. Some episodes could get a bit too self-righteous but I've seen every episode at least 5 times.
The finale was a real disappointment.