The Most Important ’70s Television Show Getting New Special
Even if you’ve never watched a single episode, you have felt the influence of the iconic 1970s sitcom MASH. In its day, the show took home a whopping 14 Emmys and captivated audiences around the world by telling an unconventional story of the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (or MASH) team as they tended to the wounded while trying to maintain their sanity during the Korean War.
Now, Deadline reports that Fox will celebrate the legendary series with a two-hour special MASH: The Comedy That Changed Television, that will air on Fox on January 1, 8:00 PM EST.
How MASH Changed The Television Landscape
If you haven’t watched MASH, you may be wondering what made it such a big deal to television audiences back in the day. One thing that fans loved and that this show helped normalize is blending dark humor with bleak reality: it’s easy to laugh at the strange pranks and antics of funnyman Hawkeye, but the show never loses sight of the fact that he and his unit keep each other laughing so they don’t break down amid the horror of war.
Shows Made Possible Thanks To MASH
In the coming decades, shows ranging from Taxi to Orange Is the New Black to Scrubs followed in that show’s footsteps by exploring the humor found at the edges of dark subject matter. Even more overtly comedic sitcoms like 30 Rock and Community owe a debt to MASH and its uncanny ability to find the surreal line between what you are and what you aren’t supposed to joke about.
What’s In Store For The MASH Special
If, however, you’re a superfan of the classic show, then MASH: The Comedy That Changed Television has a treasure trove of new content you’re guaranteed to enjoy. Arguably, the star attraction of the special comes from the stars themselves.
Audiences will get to see previously un-aired interviews with original cast members such as Alan Alda (“Hawkeye” himself), Jamie Farr (the crossdressing “Max” Klinger), Gary Burghoff (“Radar”), Mike Farrell (Captain Hunnicutt), Loretta Swit (“Hot Lips”), William Christopher (Father Mulcahy), and Wayne Rogers (“Trapper”). We’ll also get previously unseen interviews with executive producers Burt Metcalfe and Gene Reynolds.
A Rare Look Into Producing MASH
In addition to the interviews with MASH actors and producers, fans will also get to see a collection of footage and photos from the production of the show; most of this has been rarely seen by anyone outside the series, and some of it has never been seen before at all. Between the interviews and the extensive look behind the scenes, fans will get to learn more about how their favorite characters were created and how they evolved over time. Considering that the show has earned generations of fans since it premiered over half a century ago, we imagine quite a few fans will be tuning in for this special.
The Special Airs On Fox January 1
Fittingly enough, it sounds like this MASH special is going to be following the same thematic vein of the original show: the interviews with the hilarious cast are certain to provide laughter, as will the intimate look at how these comedic characters were created.
.But just as MASH balanced its humor against the severity of the Korean War, the special will balance the laughs it provides against the very serious artistic and cultural legacies that the show has left behind. All of our modern Golden Age of Television owes a debt to MASH, and we’re going to follow in Klinger’s footsteps by wearing our best dress while watching.
