Summary

• Gary Burghoff's Radar is the only character in every official MASH spinoff.
• Trapper John, MD is a spinoff of the original movie, not the CBS sitcom.
• Gary Burghoff went on to front a failed pilot for a Radar spinoff series called W*A*L*T*E*R.

Only one major character appeared in every iteration of the MASH TV franchise, and it wasn't Alan Alda's Hawkeye. There is a reality where MASH was canceled after season 1 due to poor ratings and became a forgotten curio. Instead, it became a shock success during re-runs and evolved over its first few seasons into one of the first real dramedies on television. The death of Henry Blake in MASH season 3 sealed this transformation, while the departure of Wayne Rogers' Trapper also cemented that Alan Alda's Hawkeye was the lead of the show.

MASH ultimately ran for 11 seasons, coming to an emotional close in 1983. Despite being such an iconic title, there have been no attempts to remake or reboot it in the decades since. That said, it was a vote by the cast that led to the series ending, with the ensemble wanting to end on a high note - in addition to moving on to new projects. CBS didn't want the show to end, which is why MASH had a couple of spinoffs, both of which failed to match the original in terms of quality or ratings.

Radar Is The Only Character To Appear In Every MASH TV Series

Gary Burghoff's Radar is one of MASH's most beloved figures

Many actors exited MASH throughout its run, with the final major departure being Gary Burghoff's Walter "Radar" O’Reilly during season 8. Although Radar was only supposed to be around 19 or 20, Burghoff was closer to 40 when he left the show. However, this only made his journey more poignant, with viewers watching the sweet farmboy "prematurely" aging during his time in a warzone. One record Burghoff holds within the MASH franchise is that he is the only character to appear in both spinoffs of the CBS sitcom.

It would have made little sense for Radar to return for the 1983 series finale, but he later made a guest appearance on AfterMASH. This high-profile sequel series was fronted by those cast members who voted to keep MASH running, with the network also wanting to keep the brand alive a little longer. On AfterMASH season 1, Radar reunited with his old pals Klinger (Jamie Farr), Potter (Harry Morgan), and Father Mulcahy (William Christopher) for a two-part guest appearance.

Burghoff's AfterMASH appearance was well-received and led CBS to greenlight W*A*L*T*E*R, a pilot for a potential Radar solo series. This would have followed Walter's journey to becoming a policeman following the end of his marriage. However, the pilot wasn't a success and quickly slipped into obscurity after it aired once in 1984.

Trapper John, MD Isn't Considered Part Of The MASH Franchise

The first MASH spinoff got into some legal hot water

AfterMASH isn't technically the first MASH spinoff, with that honor going to Trapper John, MD, a medical drama that ran from 1979 to 1986. This picked up with the titular character about 30 years on from his wartime experiences. Trapper (played by Pernell Roberts) has become Chief Surgeon at a San Francisco hospital, with the series following all the various human dramas that take place in such a setting.

It was ultimately ruled that Trapper John, MD was a spinoff of the film, not the show. So, despite featuring a picture of Hawkeye and Trapper from the show, Trapper John, MD is not connected with the MASH series in any way.

The first episode ties into Trapper's experiences, where the sleeping surgeon dreams of archive footage from MASH, and there is a framed picture of Wayne Rogers' Trapper and Alan Alda's Hawkeye in his office. Despite this, his experiences in Korea hardly ever came up across the show's seven seasons. This was due to a lawsuit involving Ingo Preminger, the producer of Robert Altman's MASH movie and 20th Century Fox, with the former feeling he was entitled to produce Trapper John, MD as part of his deal involving TV spinoffs.

It was ultimately ruled that Trapper John, MD was a spinoff of the film only, not the show. So, despite the picture of Hawkeye and Trapper from the show, Trapper John, MD is not connected with the MASH series in any way. Instead, the Trapper seen in the spinoff is based on the Elliott Gould version from Altman's film. Roberts' Trapper doesn't look or feel much like Gould, but then again, the show follows the surgeon decades after the Korean War.

Trapper John, MD is currently unavailable on streaming.

Gary Burghoff Is The Only MASH Actor To Reprise His Role From The 1970 Movie

Burghoff's Radar underwent some big changes between the movie and CBS show

In addition to being the only actor to appear in all three MASH shows, Burghoff was the only returnee from Robert Altman's movie. The film is a good deal more cynical and gory than the CBS sitcom could ever be, with even Radar being a darker character. Burghoff initially based his characterization on the show off the film, but eventually softened Radar to make him appear more lovable and naive. Radar's more childlike nature made him an audience favorite on the series, with Walter's teddy bear even becoming a recurring gag.

During the 1970s, it was practically unheard of for movie actors to cross over into television. That's one reason why Gould and co-star Donald Sutherland weren't approached for the MASH series, where they would have had to tone down Trapper and Hawkeye's antics from the movie. Reportedly, Tom Skerritt (Alien) was also approached about reprising the role of Duke from the MASH movie, though the actor declined the offer.

Radar's W*A*L*T*E*R Spinoff Was Doomed From The Start

AfterMASH and W*A*L*T*E*R were both mistakes

W*A*L*T*E*R suffered from the same issues as AfterMASH, though at least the latter felt like a natural extension of the original show's themes.

MASH's finale became the most-watched scripted TV episode of all time in 1983. In the age of streaming, YouTube and dozens of ways to view content, that record is now close to impossible to top. Those numbers also speak to just how huge the show was, even 11 years on from its debut. That's one reason CBS wanted to keep the sitcom on the air, and why they rolled the dice on some spinoffs. It might be considered a huge mistake now, but AfterMASH was still a ratings success during its first season.

Still, the series was ill-conceived from the start, as co-creator Larry Gelbart (via FoundationINTERVIEWS) later confessed, AfterMASH would have worked better as a straight drama without any MASH characters. W*A*L*T*E*R suffered from the same issues as AfterMASH, though at least the latter felt like a natural extension of the original show's themes. Radar's failed spinoff instead felt like a witless ripoff of Police Academy - which also arrived in 1984 - that lacked the heart of MASH.

AfterMASH and W*A*L*T*E*R are so poorly considered that neither received any form of home release or are available on streaming platforms. W*A*L*T*E*R is a disappointing end to Burghoff's journey as Radar, with both the actor and character deserving much better. Even so, at least its failure convinced CBS that MASH spinoffs had no future.

Source: FoundationINTERVIEWS