M*A*S*H was so often considered ahead of its time during its run from 1972-1983. The show followed a cast of characters stationed at an American M*A*S*H unit during the Korean War. Throughout its run, the series handled many difficult subjects, like racism, homophobia and sexism in the military, PTSD and substance use disorders, and the overall devastating effects of war. While the series was a comedy, it never shied away from showcasing these difficult subjects in a way that was often revolutionary for its time.
While so much of M*A*S*H holds up in a modern context, there are unfortunately elements of the series that were problematic even when the series was on the air. For example, there was a notable lack of Korean representation throughout the series, even though it was set in Korea. Additionally, there was a noticeable lack of diversity despite the fact that many POC served in the American military, including the Korean War. These issues were evident in real-time, and were sometimes even addressed by the series itself.
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10 The Laugh Track Undercut the Serious Moments on the Series
Even Though it Was the Norm at the Time
In the early days of M*A*S*H, the series relied heavily on the laugh track as it featured mainly comedic stories. However, as the series continued, the laugh track was used less and less. M*A*S*H never used the laugh track in any scenes that were set in the operating room, even if jokes were being made. Eventually, the series moved away from using the laugh track at all towards the end of its run as it handled more serious storylines.
While many comedies from the same era as M*A*S*H and beyond used laugh track regularly, it was particularly out of place in this series. While there were plenty of comedic moments, the comedy was often of a darker nature considering the fact that M*A*S*H was set during a war. The elimination of the laugh track earlier in the series could have made M*A*S*H even more noteworthy than it eventually became as it would have set a precedent.
9 Timeline Issues Were Often Glaringly Obvious
It Didn’t Help That the Series Exceeded the Runtime of the Korean War
In M*A*S*H‘s early seasons, timelines and continuity were fairly easy to follow. However, as the series itself ran longer than the actual Korean War, the series’ timeline became progressively messier. While this often wasn’t an issue when it came to the actual stories that were featured on M*A*S*H, at a certain point, it became a distraction. Small continuity indicators, like calendars with the month and year or references to battles that took place during the Korean War, ultimately meant very little in the context of the series’ overall timeline.
In particular, M*A*S*H Season 9, Episode 6, “A War for All Seasons”, threw a curveball when it came to the timeline of the series. While this episode was innovative and well-regarded because it took place over an entire year, it completely disrupts any semblance of continuity that the series had established up to this point. Because of this, it is difficult to fully appreciate the fact that M*A*S*H actually took place during a three-year war that was so destructive in such a short amount of time.
8 The Series Was Often Riddled With Sexist Portrayals of Women
There Were Many Female Characters That Deserved the Spotlight
M*A*S*H established itself as a male-centric series from the beginning. While this makes sense on a logistical level since most people fighting the Korean War were men, it’s important to remember that many women were also involved in the Korean War, as members of the military and as civilians. Throughout the series, women were often treated as sex objects for their male peers. Male characters frequently did not take “no” for an answer and jokes about sexual assault were jarringly common.
The series’ sexism was unfortunately illustrated through one of its protagonists, Major Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit). While she ultimately had the most character development of all the female characters featured in the series, she is demeaned and dismissed despite her rank in the early seasons. Margaret’s development in later seasons arguably illustrates the fact that the powers that be realized that the women on the show needed to be shown in a more three-dimensional way.
7 Alcohol Use Disorder is Treated Flippantly
Many Characters Self-Medicated With Alcohol
Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and Trapper (Wayne Rogers) construct a homemade gin distillery in their tent near the beginning of the series. This is a source of humor throughout the series, and B.J. (Mike Farrell) simply stepped into Trapper’s shoes to keep the makeshift distillery up and running. Throughout the series, many other characters use alcohol, often to excess, while spending endless hours on the unit where nothing happens between moments of chaos.
While M*A*S*H eventually features storylines emphasizing the seriousness of alcohol use disorder, there were few to no consequences ever shown. These storylines rarely reckoned with how unsettling it was to have surgeons drinking so consistently while needing to be on call in a war zone. In the later seasons, there were characters, including Helen (Gail Strickland), a friend of Margaret’s who had to reckon with the effects of alcohol use disorder. Hawkeye also had to examine his own alcohol use eventually.
6 Marital Infidelity is Joked About and Normalized
Trapper John, Henry Blake, and Frank Burns Were the Top Offenders
The married men of M*A*S*H were often openly cheating on their wives in the early seasons. Trapper John made no secret of the fact that he slept with many nurses despite having a wife in the United States. Frank Burns (Lary Linville) was married but was openly in a relationship with Margaret during the early seasons. Even Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), the 4077’s first beloved leader, openly cheated on his wife with nurses as well. None of these men ever seriously reckoned with the potential consequences of their actions.
M*A*S*H eventually addressed this issue in later seasons by toning down storylines involving cheating. Additionally, B.J. immediately feels remorse when sleeping with a nurse who had recently been divorced in Season 5, Episode 6, “Hanky Panky”. While the episode revolves around B.J. feeling bad about his actions, he still isn’t shown to actually tell his wife about his moment of infidelity and face any real consequences beyond his feelings. Overall, infidelity was treated as an inevitability of war rather than a deliberate choice.
5 The Series Was Extremely American-Centric
The Korean War Involved UN Member Nations
The Korean War involved soldiers from many nations converging onto the Korean Peninsula. While M*A*S*H featured the occasional appearance by a soldier from another country, most of the series revolved around American characters exclusively. Even secondary characters are almost all American. M*A*S*H‘s lack of stories featuring soldiers from other countries placed the members of the 4077 in a box as they only had their own experiences to rely on.
As a M*A*S*H unit, it would have made sense for the medical staff to encounter soldiers from all backgrounds. Medical units treated enemy combatants and allies alike. Therefore, it would have made much more sense for the members of the 4077 to at least briefly interact with more soldiers from different countries. By not showcasing soldiers from different countries, it was hard to expose the members of the 4077, and viewers by extension, to different perspectives about the war.
4 The Series Notably Lacked Diversity
There Was Only One POC in the Main Cast
M*A*S*H’s lack of diversity in its main cast is evident from its early days. Capt. Oliver Harmon ‘Spearchucker’ Jones (Timothy Brown) was originally meant to be a part of the inner swamp, before the character was written off in the name of maintaining historical accuracy. Aside from Klinger (Jamie Farr), the main cast featured only white actors. The lack of POC in main roles is something that remained the same throughout the series.
Even though many M*A*S*H episodes and storylines tackled racism, the series never took the opportunity to showcase any POC as a prominent member of the main cast. While diversity in television may have been in its early days in the United States, many series, like Good Times and The Jeffersons, already highlighted Black ensemble casts. Further back, Hogan’s Heroes featured a Black character, Sergeant James “Kinch” Kinchloe (Ivan Dixon) as a member of an ensemble cast featuring the United States Military.
3 M*A*S*H Did an Ineffective Job at Portraying Koreans Themselves
Despite the Fact the War was on Their Peninsula
While M*A*S*H took place during the Korean War, it rarely featured stories about actual Koreans. While Korean civilians were most impacted by the war in their home, M*A*S*H featured few of their stories. The Koreans that were featured throughout the series were often not Korean. Oftentimes, Koreans were played by Chinese or Japanese actors. Soon-Tek Oh and Phillip Ahn were two notable exceptions. Both actors were born in Korea and later immigrated to the United States, and both played several roles in M*A*S*H.
The fact that Korean storylines were rarely a part of M*A*S*H made it possible for characters to be constructed as charicatures of Korean people. Many characters often spoke in exaggerated accents and spoke the Korean language inaccurately. While it wouldn’t be accurate to say that actors themselves intentionally portrayed Koreans disrespectfully, the lack of effort to cast Korean actors remains evident. There were opportunities for M*A*S*H to showcase just how devastating the Korean War was for Koreans themselves.
2 Klinger’s Section 8 Gag Doesn’t Age Well
A Section 8 was Something Serious
One hallmark of M*A*S*H was Klinger consistently trying to get himself discharged with a “Section 8”. Section 8 was a World War II-era United States Army regulation that was used to discharge servicemembers who were declared mentally unfit for military service. This type of discharge was often used against members of the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout his tenure on M*A*S*H, Klinger often dressed as a woman to achieve his goal of being discharged in this way.
While Klinger’s attempts to get discharged from the army by wearing dresses are still quite funny, it has to be said to be discharged under Section 8 often carried consequences. People who were discharged under a Section 8 could face consequences in their civilian lives. M*A*S*H does not reckon with this possibility. Eventually, Klinger stopped his attempts to get discharged under this provision, so it is possible his character considered these potential consequences off-screen.
1 The Portrayal of the Nursing Profession Ages Poorly
Nurses are Rarely Given Their Proper Respect
For the first few seasons of M*A*S*H, nurses are shown to be little more than decorations for the unit’s doctors and other male medical staff. It is not until M*A*S*H found its stride that it began to explore the roles that nurses would realistically have taken on in a M*A*S*H unit during the Korean War. Aside from Margaret, there are only a few nurses featured throughout the series who get a chance in the spotlight. Because of this, nursing often looks incredibly easy in M*A*S*H, and often involves little more than standing around.
In the later seasons, M*A*S*H rectified this problem by sometimes turning the spotlight to the nurses. Whenever the nurses on M*A*S*H got a chance at character development, it was clear that not only were these women dynamic in their own right, but that they played skilled medical professionals. M*A*S*H eventually showcased stories of nurses who had a variety of ambitions, and who faced just as much danger as their male colleagues. Unfortunately, these stories were too few and far between.
