MASHbackis the closest CBS ever came to revivingMASH- and it’s a good thing it never happened.MASHran for 11 seasonsand was still a ratings hit when it wrapped up. The network wasn’t ready to give up on a proven formula though, and launched some short-livedMASHspinoff shows.WhenAfterMASHwas abruptly canceled in 1985, the network let the property die, and there have been no genuine attempts at a remakeor a reboot since.
Given just how iconic the series is, it’s impressive CBS hasn’t at least tested a pilot or one-off TV movie that revived the property. GivenMASH’soutsized reputation and its impact on television, it’s best left untouched. That said, in 2003,Varietyannounced a TV special dubbedMASHback, with original showrunner Larry Gelbart giving the project his blessing. This special was spearheaded by Gary Markowitz, who wrote several episodes ofMASH, including season 5’s “Margaret’s Engagement.”
MASH Ran For So Long The Showrunners Accidentally Made The Exact Same Episode Twice
MASH ran for many years, to the point when season 7 made an accidental remake of a previous episode that also managed to improve on the original.
MASHback Was A Proposed Docudrama About The Making Of MASH
This MASH special would have covered the show’s early years
Instead of being a sequel or reboot,MASHbackwas to be a docudrama about the making of the show. The TV film would have covered the making of the first three seasons, from the pilot toHenry Blake’s shock death inMASH’sseason 3 finale. The special’s format would have primarily focused on the behind-the-scenes pressures of the sitcom’s early series, which came close to cancelation following season one and received some intense backlash following Blake’s demise.
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This one-off drama would have been a personal project for Markowitz since Larry Gelbart had also been his stepfather since age 6. Gelbart had given his permission to be portrayed in the docudrama and may have been the main focus ofMASHback.The original announcement made it sound like CBS was optimistic aboutMASHbackhappening, but the project died without a traceafter 2003. It’s possible those involved simply decided it was a bad idea or that otherMASHcreatives objected to it happening.
Larry Gelbart was the showrunner forMASHduring the first four seasons and later returned for 1983 spinoff,AfterMASH.
MASHbackwas developed shortly after the show’s 40th anniversary, so a wave of renewed love and interest inMASHlikely ignited the special’s development. Given that the show’s 1983 finale is still the most-viewed scripted episode of television ever aired,it would have been a dice roll to revive the franchise for a one-off special that was part documentary and part recreation ofMASH’smost famous moments.
MASHback Would Have Recast MASH With Younger Actors
New actors would have portrayed the show’s ensemble
MASH’scast - including Alan Alda, Gary Burghoff, Loretta Swit, and others - was one of the best comic ensembles ever assembled on TV. However,considering most of the cast would have been in their sixties whenMASHbackwas being developed, it would have been distracting for them to reprise their roles. The special planned to cast new actors to portray Alda et al., though this arguably would have been evenmoredistracting.
It’s unknown if MASHback got as far as casting, and no actors were mentioned as part of the announcement.
For several reasons, seeing younger stars recreate the mannerisms and speech ofMASH’scast of characters would have involved a tricky balancing act. They would have had to recreate some specific performances without making them feel like mere impressions. It’s unknown ifMASHbackgot as far as casting, since no actors were mentioned in the announcement.
It’s Good That MASHback Didn’t Happen
A MASH documentary could cover the same ground
MASHbacksounds like it was walking a line between reboot and documentary - and testing potential audience interest in a full-fledged revival. In truth,the concept sounded better suited to a making of a documentary or an indepth article than a docudrama. There is no way seeing actors impersonate distinct performancers like Alda or Jamie Farr wouldn’t have distracted from the experience. The impact of Henry Blake’s death would have been interesting to explore, but again, that’s nothing a documentary couldn’t have covered.
There was simply no recapturing the chemistry of the original cast. This element doomedAfterMASHand the solo Radar pilotWALTE*R, which both also lacked their parent show’s sharp writing.At best,MASHbackcould have been an interesting curio aimed at original series fans, but it didn’t sound strong enough to warrant a return toMASH. The finale ended the sitcom on the strongest possible note, so any new entry would need something special to justify its existence.
A modern take could do many things the original couldn’t, such as making the surgery scenes much bloodier and the swearing and violence much harsher. However, this increase in adult themes wouldn’t necessarily result in a better show.MASHis so totemic that it’s difficult to see any follow-ups—MASHbackincluded—matching up to it.
