Does M*A*S*H only appeal to who served our country and/or were born before 1970?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Classic TV: The 70s
TadowScott — 3 years ago(October 20, 2022 04:26 AM)
I wasn’t born until during the series’ hiatus between the seventh and eighth season, and finally decided to see what the fuss is about. This curiosity stemmed from a news headline informing of the 50th anniversary of the pilot episode, which was September 17th. I started binge watching on Hulu that very day, and completed it in 30 days (last Sunday). Given the comparison to “Cheers” (my most binged series) regarding the best finales, I had high hopes that I would enjoy MASH in its entirety. I loved the finale, but felt somewhat bored with almost every episode, as I just couldn’t follow what was going on. Perhaps the dingy film quality clouded my judgement? I’m tempted to rewatch the entire series to see if I can grasp it better. This coming from a 43-year-old who never joined the services, and enjoys sitcoms besides “Cheers” such as “Married With Children,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Martin,” and “The King of Queens.” On a side note, I also found “Frasier” to be the equivalent of MASH. So maybe my dismay is not due to being too young and being of irrelevance to war experience, but rather being a fan of in-your-face comedy instead of subtle, nonchalant comedy. I will admit that I do appreciate MAS*H and “Frasier” for that format, despite not LOVING either. The quick-witted comedic exchanges with no time to let it marinate, were simply brilliant!
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LorqVonRay1999 — 1 year ago(May 18, 2024 08:53 PM)
I served my country but was born well after 1970 and I love and hate MASH. It used to be on I think FX all the time around 2000 and that's where I got hooked on it.
I eventually decided to start getting the dvds, which contain a few minutes in scenes per episode more than was on tv. I still have them and the quality is great. And the option for no laugh track.
But while I love the first three seasons and I like seasons 4 and 5, I grew to hate the remaining seasons, which coincided with Alan Alda's growing control of the show on screen and creativity behind the scenes. I am probably one of the few who does not like the celebrated MASH finale.
I liked Blake more than Potter. I liked Trapper much more than the insufferable BJ. And I liked Frank much much more than unfunny Winchester. All three departing took with them a lot of the show's laughs.
I also enjoyed Cheers, Married with Children, The Big Bang Theory (until they brought on a girlfriend for Sheldon) and I even grew to really like The King of Queens, which I had dismissed after watching it a few times. I didn't give it much of a chance at first.
Frasier is a show I did give a lot of chances and while I think Kelsey is great in whatever he does I could never get into watching Frasier.