Ten TV Series That "Everybody" Watched Including Me: M*A*S*H (#5)

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Top five time! I'm counting down my favorite TV shows that were popular it their day (based on the replies to The Rockford Files, not so much now, but....). I think every show in the top five won't get a "never heard of it." But then, you never know! Here's the next series on my list of classic shows that I watched, along with many, many others. #5: M*A*S*H See you tomorrow. Seriously, when a TV series' finale holds the record for the highest share of viewership of any one TV show episode, it's hard to believe that anyone's going to be telling you the truth when they say they haven't heard of this show. I believe people didn't watch it (our vacationing wanderer John never watched it, due to his disdain for Alan Alda), but this is one of those shows that it's difficult to miss. Based on the movie (which was based on a fictionalized account of the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, where the author, Dr. Richard Hornberger, was stationed during the Korean War), M*A*S*H did take a while to catch on. It was almost canceled after one season (sitting in the unpleasant 8:30 PM Sunday slot against The FBI and The Wonderful World of Disney), but it was moved to Saturday night and the original "must-see TV" was born. From there, it didn't matter where they stuck M*A*S*H. It was popular throughout the remainder of its eleven-year run, despite personnel changes (Alan Alda and Loretta Swit were the only two actors in the first and last episodes), the end of the Vietnam War (they told us in one of my lit classes that "historical fiction" is about the period it's written about AND another period, and that was the case with M*A*S*H), four presidents, and just about anything else that could happen over the span of eleven years. To this day it's popular, continuing in syndication and streaming in online subscription services. Why did I start watching it at the age of 12? I thought Wayne Rogers was cute. What a classic. M*A*S*H Aired on CBS 1972-1983 One of my favorite scenes, the gurney race in "honor" of the Kentucky Derby: