I might sound like an 80-year-old woman when I say this, but sometimes, they just don’t make shows like they used to. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do have favorite shows created in the last 10 or 20 years. But none of them compare to the classic, “M*A*S*H.”
These past few days I’ve been on my back with the flu, without much to do. I was scrolling through Hulu when I found one of my favorite TV shows from my childhood and I’m not ashamed to say I’ve been binge watching it all week.
For those of you who don’t know, “M*A*S*H” is a show made in the ‘70s about a mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean War. It’s a comedy, but goes deeper than a few belly laughs. There is drama, growth, action, major character development and so much more. (And no, I wasn’t a child in the ‘70s, my parents had me rewatch countless episodes with them when I was little.)
I’ve never found a show like it, they touch on so many important subjects (that are still relevant today), that it would be impossible to list them all. It shows white men speaking up for people of color. When a soldier asks for “the right color blood” the show delves into speeches about equality, and how a black man, Charles R. Drew, invented blood plasma, a lifesaving practice that we still use today.
Refugees of war are shown throughout in a personal, human way. They show it’s not only soldiers who suffer in war-torn areas, but also women and children. They show PTSD, depression, anxiety and other mental issues that stem from war. They show the rawness of death and men that are not afraid to show fear or cry.
And that’s barely scratching the surface.
Characters like Hawkeye, BJ, and Trapper stand up for the little guy. They never go back on their morals. Though they’re all in their 80’s now, back then they were pretty darn easy on the eyes. There are two different commanding officers as the show progresses; Henry Blake and Sherman Potter. Both men are turned into father figures and their words of wisdom resonated with me and still do today.
It is important to note that because this show was created nearly 50 years ago, there are many jokes about non-consensual sex that were seen as funny back then, but today, not so much. These types of jokes slowly fade away as the show grows and I don’t think you should give up on it for that reason.
In hopes of selling the show even more, I will mention that actor and director Alan Alda, who played Hawkeye, is still working towards bettering our society today. He’s the only actor in every episode of the 11 seasons. Alda has a podcast called Clear+Vivid that is all about learning to connect with others. He wants us as a society to relearn how to relate to each other because he feels that today we have become divided as a people. He shows how important it is to find common ground and how great it feels to make new connections.
For my entire life, I have looked up to the actors on “M*A*S*H” and tried to live with the important lessons the show has taught me in mind. I’ve rewatched it so many times, I can quote every episode. I’ve even written a fan letter to Alan Alda (I’m still waiting for a response). I think everyone should watch this classic show. You will at the very least have a laugh, learn more about your fellow people and discover a show that many of your elders enjoyed.