MASHhad a handful of failed spinoffs that attempted to mimic the success of the war comedy drama, but none of them could match the original, and one even ended up making a beloved character’s exit fromMASHfeel less significant. The 1972 seriesMASHintroduced audiences to the staff of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in South Korea during the Korean War and earned acclaim from all corners of the TV-viewing public. The show picked up 100 Emmy nominations and 22 Golden Globe nominations, winning 14 and 8 times, respectively.
Despite the success of the series and the plaudits and attention the actors received,the cast eventually voted to endMASH, deciding that the show was running out of steam and ending on a high note would beat fizzling out into obscurity.It was a respectable decision and one that horrified producers and CBS execswho couldn’t bear to lose their cash cow. Their response was to createMASHspinoff shows,AfterMASH,WALTER, andTrapper John, M.D.Only one was moderately successful, and another actively harmed a beloved character’s exit fromMASH.
MASH Hurt Radar’s Original Ending By Having Him Return For Its WALTER Spinoff
Radar’s Exit In MASH Season 8 Was Perfect
One of themost beloved characters inMASHis Walter Eugene “Radar” O’Reilly, played by Gary Burghoff. Radar is a company clerk with the 4077th. Nicknamed for his uncanny ability to know what people want before they ask and hear approaching helicopters before they land, Radar is a good soldier who cares about everyone. As great a part as it was, Burghoff began to grow tired of the role and asked to leave so he could spend more time with his family. CBS acquiesced, andRadar was given the perfect endingin season 8.
In the two-part sendoff, season 8, episodes 4 & 5, “Good Bye, Radar”, Radar is allowed to go home after he’s alerted of a death in the family. Though he is concerned about leaving the 4077th, Hawkeye (Alan Alda) sets him straight, and he agrees to leave. The 4077th attempts to hold a party, but duty calls, and everyone is too busy to give a proper farewell. Instead, Radar looks in on the operating room at Hawkeye, who gives Radar a rare salute, one of the few he ever offers, and Radar gives it back and is driven out of camp.
Only the pilot ofWALTERever aired, but it was enough to sour the taste of the character.
It’s a moving ending for a beloved character, but the wind is taken out of his departure with theMASHspinoff,WALTER. Only the pilot ofWALTERever aired, but it was enough to sour the taste of the character. The pilot finds Radar now working as a police officer in St. Louis, Missouri. Flashbacks revealed he failed at farming, his new wife left him, and he tried to take his own life. It’s barely Radar as we know him, andthough it was only for a pilot, it turns a great ending for the character into a meaningless stopgap.
WALTER Not Moving Forward Makes MASH’s Radar Choice Even More Frustrating
The Series Never Got The Chance To Prove Itself
What’s worse is that withWALTERonly being a pilot episode, it makes Radar’s botched ending even more frustrating. Not only did his character have to be resurrected, hurting the character’s exit inMASH, but he wasn’t even given enough time in the spinoff show to try and prove himself. Who knows, maybeWALTERcould have been a hit, and would have been an interesting exploration of the character. MaybeWALTERcould have given Radar a second good ending, making hisMASHone still meaningful. Now Radar has a marred ending, and nothing to show for it.
What Went Wrong With WALTER & MASH’s Other Spinoff Attempts
The Magic Of MASH Could Not Be Recaptured
EveryMASHspinoff didn’t work for one reason or another. The best of the three,Trapper John, M.D.lasted for 7 seasons, so it can be considered a success, but it’s left no cultural footprint and has been all but forgotten about.AfterMASHwas considered a colossal failure. Thecreator of the show blamed the problems on its core idea, which was it being a sitcom about three characters who only really worked in an ensemble and were nobody’s favorites in the originalMASH.
The pilot ofWALTER was bad enough that CBS did not pick up the show.The pilot only aired in three of the four US time zonesand is now just a curiosity for MASH enthusiasts, if they can find it. All three spinoffs prove a lesson too few network executives will ever heed: that you can’t extend a show’s success forever. Unless you’re a soap opera, you’ll eventually need to let a series or franchise end. If you milk it past the point of no return, you get things like Radar’s ending inMASHbeing compromised.
