The continuity ofMASHbecame so messy that the last seven seasons of the classic sitcom took place in under a year.MASHran for 11 seasons, and it’s fair to say that nobody involved with the series expected it to run nearly so long. The Korean War lasted for three years, though given the high-stress environment the 4077th are operating in, the “premature” aging of the main characters is easy to explain.MASH’srecord-breaking finalesaw the surgeons finally heading home following the end of the conflict.

Now, it should be notedMASHwas almost canceled during its first seasondue to terrible ratings and was only saved thanks to re-runs performing well. While most episodes told self-contained stories, during the earlier seasons the show would occasionally reference years and dates with little concern about the timeline. For instance,the first episode ofMASHseason 4 “Welcome To Korea” clearly states that it takes place in September 1952 - less than a year from the end of the Korean War.

A blended image features three MASH cast members posing for a photo in the background with Gary Burghoff as Radar in the foreground

5 MASH Actors Who Left The Show (& Why)

Several key MASH actors exited the show at the height of its popularity, with reasons ranging from fear of typecasting to creative differences.

Potter’s MASH Season 4 Entrance Proves The Final Seven Seasons Take Place Within A Single Year

MASH’s timeline gets real vague following Colonel Potter’s arrival

“Welcome To Korea” features two major events; the offscreen exit of Trapper (Wayne Rogers) and the arrival of his replacement B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell). The fourth series also arrived in the aftermath of Henry Blake’s (McLean Stevenson) shock death in the previous season’s finale, which forever changed the show’s tone - and television in general. Blake’s permanent replacement, Colonel Potter (Harry Morgan), would arrive in camp during season 4’s “Change of Command,” with the P.A. stating the date as July 24, 2025.

… trying to track MASH’s timeline from season 4 becomes a total nightmare.

Wayne Rogers as Trapper smirking and Gary Burghoff as Radar looking sad in MASH

This confirms thatfrom the opening ofMASH’sfourth season until the finale where the war ended in July 1953, only ten months had passed. Of course, trying to track the timeline from this stage on becomes a total nightmare. A prime example is season 9’s “A War for All Seasons,” which spans the entirety of 1951. The episode itself is funny and creative - and utterly breaks continuity. Characters who should be around like Trapper and Blake are totally missing, while Potter is somehow running the 4077th long before he arrived.

There are numerous other examples. In the season 7 episode “None Like It Hot”, B.J. states he’s been in Korea for nine months - which would place the episode only about a month or two before the end of the war. ConsideringMASHran for another four seasons, that doesn’t quite track.

Hawkeye and Margaret kissing in the MASH finale episode with Loretta Swit’s Margaret

How MASH’s Timeline Became So Broken

Blame MASH’s success for creating such a continuity mess

While modern television shows tend to map out potential future seasons, back in the 1970s, things were looser. Again,MASHcame dangerously close to ending after onlyoneseries, so neither CBS nor the showrunners thought it would run for a decade and change. That explains the lack of forethought when it came to announcing dates, butwhen it became clearMASHwas a hit with potential legs, the timeline became very fuzzy during the final seven years.

Radar O’Reilly

Season 8

This was also long before the internet and fan culture took hold, or audiences had access to VHS recordings or DVDs. It’s doubtful anybody tuning intoMASHweek in and week out was actively trying to map the dates and years.It’s only in hindsight that people realize the continuity makes little sense, with later episodes even taking the characters back to 1951 when major players like B.J. or Charles (David Ogden Stiers) couldn’t have possibly been present.

The Major Events That Happened In MASH’s Final Seasons

The final seven seasons of MASH weren’t short on drama

IfMASHseasons 4 to 11 happened in just under a year, then it was averydramatic year. During that time,the much-hated Frank Burns (Larry Linville) was sent home and replaced by Charles at the beginning of season 6, while the beloved Radar (Gary Burghoff) left the 4077th early in season 8. A big reason Frank exited was due to his heartbreak over Margaret’s (Loretta Swit) engagement and marriage to Lt Col. Penobscot, with those two ultimately getting divorced in what had to have been a matter of months.

The series also references the real-life First Battle of Pork Chop Hill, which took place during April 1953. Again,MASHgave out few concrete dates in the final years, but events like Radar’s exit or Hawkeye’s PSTD-related nervous breakdown must have all taken place in the summer of 1953. Other hit series likeThat ’70s Showran into similar issues with its timeline, butMASHis a uniquely broken case. Still, this never actually impacted the quality of the series or the performances, so it’s an easy problem to overlook.

mash

Radar actor Gary Burghoff is the only actor to appear in 1970’sMASHmovie and its TV spinoff.

MAS*H

Cast

MAS*H is a drama-comedy series set during the Korean War, centering on the lives of the staff at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they navigate the challenges of wartime medical service with humor and resilience.