17 September 2026 marks 54 years since the American television premiere of M*A*S*H on CBS. The first episode was broadcast on 17 September 1972. The production followed the staff of the 4077th mobile medical unit in Korea during the 1950–1953 war. Its title comes from the abbreviation Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.

The series was inspired by Robert Altman’s 1970 film M*A*S*H and, indirectly, by Richard Hooker’s novel. The television version nevertheless developed its own tone and characters. Alan Alda played surgeon Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce. The original cast also included Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, McLean Stevenson, Larry Linville and Gary Burghoff.

Early episodes emphasised comedy. The series gradually incorporated dramatic themes including loss, exhaustion, medical ethics, military authority and the psychological effects of war. Although the story was set during the Korean War, it was made during the Vietnam War. Viewers often read its stories as commentary on the contemporary conflict as well.

M*A*S*H ran for 11 seasons and 251 episodes, ending in 1983. The finale, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, became one of the most-watched television broadcasts in United States history. The series received Emmy awards and showed that television comedy could address serious themes without abandoning humour.

The cover image is not a still from the series. It is a 1951 US Army photograph of the real 8225th MASH in Korea, beside a Bell H-13 helicopter. The programme popularised this type of field hospital; the photograph shows the military institution, not the CBS cast.

Fifty-four years after its debut, M*A*S*H remains a reference point for productions that blend genres and use individual stories to examine the human cost of war.

Photo: US Army. 8225th MASH personnel, Korea, 1951, Bell H-13 helicopter. Public domain. Not a still from the CBS series. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: M*A*S*H | Encyclopaedia Britannica; M*A*S*H | Television Academy.