Shark Bytes

I can't believe that this many people even watched the show. AfterMASH jumped the shark at the exact moment when someone said "Hey, you know what would be a good idea?"

To Herb: I think Jamie Farr wasnt making enough $$$ on Match Game and The Gong Show.

To Michael Long: I dont remember this surgeon Dr Boyer, but from what I have heard for years about VA hospitals, a person like him employed by one is not far-fetched at all.

I cant defend this show at all.When Hawkeye flew out on that chopper in the last episode of MASH that should have been the last we seen or the 4077th.But you can see that Jamie Farr who was also doing those horrible Cannonball Run movies, would do anything if the price was right.Or maybe got him to start wearing a dress again when MASH was funny before ALan Alda made it so preachy.But besides that has to be worst spinoff off all time.

It only takes one person to agree to disagree casey, lol. Maybe the writers ran out of ideas for Charles in Korea, but a civilian Charles would open a whole new world of options. Besides, it didn't have to be Charles, the show just needed one of the main characters from MASH in it, BJ, Hot Lips, maybe even drag Wayne Rogers in as Trapper. I loved MASH, and I know I didn't care about seeing the further adventures of Father Mulcahy.

As for Klinger, I'm not sure what you disproved, but congratulations I guess.

This show in my opinion inflicted the most suffering on the American TV Viewing public. Most lousy shows few watch and they are gone fast. This pathetic embarrassment actually lasted a season and a half, as former M*A*S*H watchers tuned in out of habit I guess.

I have disproven what you said about Klinger, Ned. As for Charles, there as a late Mash ep when he was with a son of a rich man and there was all this talk about vinyards in europe, the writers knocked themselves out by this ep--it was the writers who half made CEW not just Stiers. Gelbart may have made CEW different and inferior had the character been on Aftermash! I challenge your view more--no agreement to disagree by me!

Nice try Casey, but I still find it a bizarre line of reasoning, for the reasons I stated. I suppose we'll just have to leave it at one of those agree to disagree things.

The Frank Burns character had run its course after the second season, no matter who was doing the writing.

The fact of the matter, at least for me, AfterMASH needed at least one of the better known lead characters, Winchester seems like the best choice for comic possibilities, but even BJ or Margaret would have worked.

For starters Ned. Klinger was less interesting on Aftermash without his drag. Eventually they wrote it (his drag bit) into Aftermash. The fifth season of Mash (the first without Gelbart) had the Burns character getting all messed up (the humour in season 5 became weaker and cheaper too). Some of the fifth season writers simply did not know what to do with Burns or write for the show's unique brand of humour and both declined declined in quality. New writers not knowing how to handle a character or a show's unique theme can ruin it. I read this happened with the third season of Star Trek TOS with some regular writers gone Spock declined a bit as a character and even on the anthology show Twilight Zone with some of the regular writers gone (like Dick Matheson) by the last 6 or 7 eps made the show was declining something fierce in quality. Nothing strange about wondering that had Gelbart written for Charles on Aftermash if the blueblood character would have been different (very maybe inferior).

PS Larry Gelbart, btw, stated on usenet he did not ever meet David Ogden Stiers on the set of the movie Oh God (which Gelbart wrote in the 70's).

Hey, I've got a great idea for a TV show! You know how M*A*S*H stayed on the air WAY too long and wore out its welcome? Well, since the finale did spectacularly in the ratings, that must mean something. No, it doesn't mean that people who'd watched the show years ago were curious to see how it ended! It obviously means that Mr. and Mrs. America out there are DYING to see what happens next to all of the LEAST popular characters! That's why AfterM*A*S*H (wasn't it clever of us to give it such a similar title??) will star Jamie Farr, Henry Morgan and William Christopher. You look a little dubious. No, really, trust me...they work cheap! And that trio will never try to take over the show, the way a certain party hijacked M*A*S*H.

If you're smart, you'll give this baby a great slot and hype the hell out of it. Mark my words, AfterM*A*S*H is destined to be the blockbuster hit sitcom of the '80s!

Like a turd that keeps popping back up no matter how many times you flush, the producers of M*A*S*H just kept coming at the American public.
Well let's see, the original M*A*S*H stayed at the party about 5 years too long, so hey - why not make a crappy sequel!
The only saving grace this mutt of a show had was the absence of the sanctimonious Alan Alda.

Larry Gelbert was an excellent television writer, I'm sure he could have written about Winchester. He didn't have much experience writing about a non dress wearing Klinger either, and for that matter, when M*A*S*H first started, he had no experience writing for any of the characters, so I find that line of reasoning to be bizarre.

I just think the show needed one of the main ensemble characters, aside from Potter. Winchester would have been great, or perhaps Margaret, maybe even both. If that meant losing father Mulcahy, so be it, he was never a very interesting character anyway.

Taylor, you are confusing Aftermash with original Mash.

Ned, Aftermash was written by Larry Gelbart (who made just the first four years of original Mash). He may have not been able to write correctly for Winchester (who only came along in season six of Mash). Much of the success of the character of CEW was based on the fine writing of him by the original show's later writers.

i think this show started getting bad when trapper left. Then it totally when when major burns left...

I won't say this show never jumped, but it started out bad, and by the end, was getting better. The last few episodes, it got funnier. They should have carried over Winchester as well, instead of introducing a bunch of unknown doctors.

The show jumped from DAY ONE. There is a reason that it was on for only one year. It sucked! The charcters were boring and it was'nt the same as the origional show itself. It was a waste of everyone'e time. It's almost like the cosby show continued with the only charcters being Theo, Elvin and Saundra. Or Seinfeild with Jerry starting a family after getting out of jail...Worst show ever. AFTER MASH was by far a sorry excuse for a sitcom.