M*A*S*H, a TV adaptation of the film, ran from 1972 to 1983, more than three times as long as the war it chronicled. It starred
Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce and
Wayne Rogers as Trapper John McIntyre. After the third season, Rogers left the show and was replaced by
Mike Farrell as
B. J. Hunnicutt. That same year,
Harry Morgan replaced
McLean Stevenson. Morgan, a veteran character actor and former
Universal contract player, portrayed
Colonel Sherman T. Potter. This series is the most popular and best-known version of the franchise and was ranked #25 in
TV Guide's "
50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time". Its
final episode in 1983 was the most-watched in television history.
Trapper John, M.D. featured the character of Trapper John McIntyre, played by
Pernell Roberts, twenty-eight years after the events of the
M*A*S*H film and television series. It was the first spin-off to feature a character from the series in civilian life after the war. Legally,
Trapper John, M.D. is a direct spin-off of the
MASH film rather than the television series due to licensing issues. The pilot episode briefly shows a photograph of Rogers and Alda.
AfterMASH was a successor to the original
M*A*S*H television series, featuring Harry Morgan,
Jamie Farr, and
William Christopher after the war, as the same characters they played in the original television series.
Gary Burghoff and
Edward Winter also appeared as guests. The series was canceled after two seasons.
W*A*L*T*E*R was the pilot for a television series that was not picked up. It would have featured Gary Burghoff reprising the role of
Walter O'Reilly. The pilot was shown as a "CBS Special Presentation" on July 17, 1984. ==Plays==