‘M*A*S*H’ Special Featuring New Interviews With Show’s Stars to Air on Fox
Fox is kicking off the new year by celebrating one of television’s greatest ever shows.
The network will air a two-hour special M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television on Monday, January 1, 2024 at 8/7c. In it, those who made M*A*S*H celebrate one of the most beloved, enduringly popular, often quoted and influential comedies ever created.
The special about the television classic will feature new interviews with original cast members Alan Alda (Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce), Gary Burghoff (Cpl. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly), William Christopher (Father Francis Mulcahy), Jamie Farr (Cpl./Sgt. Maxwell Q. “Max” Klinger), Mike Farrell (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt), Wayne Rogers (Capt. “Trapper” John McIntyre), and Loretta Swit (Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan) and series executive producers Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe. These will reveal the creation and evolution of the show’s iconic characters as well as rare and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage, photos, and stories.
A collection of clips from the series and rarely-seen archival interviews will be used to pay tribute to writer/producer Larry Gelbart and series stars Larry Linville (Maj. Frank Burns), Harry Morgan (Col. Sherman T. Potter), McLean Stevenson (Lt. Col. Henry Blake), and David Ogden Stiers (Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III).
“M*A*S*H is not only a great television series, it is a cultural phenomenon. It has made multiple generations of viewers laugh, cry and think, often in the same episode,” said executive producers John Scheinfeld and Andy Kaplan, in a statement. (Scheinfeld also directed the special.) “We are excited to team with FOX to create this unprecedented window into an innovative television classic.”
Added Dan Harrison, EVP, Program Planning & Content Strategy, FOX Entertainment, “M*A*S*H is among the most iconic sitcoms in the annals of television history. It’s a timeless show that comedically captures the 4077th medical corps and how they managed to maintain their sanity while saving lives on the front lines of the Korean War. Larry Gelbart, Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe brought this incredible comedy to life thanks to their ensemble cast led by the incomparable Alan Alda. FOX is proud to celebrate the landmark achievements of one of the best comedies ever created.”
M*A*S*H‘s two-and-a-half-hour series finale, which aired on CBS in 1983, remains the highest-rated telecast in television history, with an incredible 77 audience share and 60.2 rating. The show has never left the air, continuously running in syndication, on basic cable, and it is now available to stream on Hulu.
The series, which was produced by 20th Television, won 14 Emmys, including for Outstanding Comedy, Lead Actor in a Comedy, Directing for a Comedy, and Writing for a Comedy.
M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television, Premiere, Monday, January 1, 2024, 8/7c, Fox
