AfterMASH

AfterMASH

Format: Sitcom

Starring:

Harry Morgan
Jamie Farr
William Christopher
Rosalind Chao
John Chappell
Jay O. Sanders
Barbara Townsend
David Ackroyd
Anne Pitoniak
Peter Michael Goetz
Brandis Kemp

Country of origin:   United States

Original language(s): English

No. of seasons: 2

No. of episodes: 29

Production

Executive producer(s): Burt Metcalfe

Running time: 22–25 minutes

Production company(s): 20th Century Fox Television

Distributor: 20th Television

Broadcast

Original channel:  CBS

Original run     September 26, 1983 – May 31, 1985

Chronology

Preceded by:  M*A*S*H
Followed by:   W*A*L*T*E*R

AfterMASH is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from September 26, 1983, to December 11, 1984. A spin-off of the series M*A*S*H, the show takes place immediately following the end of the Korean War and chronicles the adventures of three characters from the original series: Colonel Potter (played by Harry Morgan), Klinger (played by Jamie Farr) and Father Mulcahy (played by William Christopher). 

M*A*S*H supporting cast-member Kellye Nakahara joined them, albeit off-camera, as the voice of the hospital's public address system. 

Rosalind Chao rounded out the starring cast as Soon-Lee Klinger, a Korean refugee whom Klinger met, fell in love with and married in the M*A*S*H series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen."

AfterMASH premiered in the fall of 1983 in the same Monday night 9:00 P.M. EST. time slot as its predecessor M*A*S*H. It finished 10th out of all network shows for the 1983-1984 season according to Nielsen Media Research television ratings. For its second season CBS moved the show to Tuesday nights at 8:00 EST., opposite NBC's top ten hit The A-Team, and launched a marketing campaign featuring illustrations by Sanford Kossin of Max Klinger in a nurse's uniform, shaving off Mr. T's signature mohawk, theorizing that AfterMASH would take a large portion of The A-Team's audience. The theory, however, was proven wrong. In fact, the exact opposite occurred, as AfterMASH's ratings plummeted to near the bottom of the television rankings and the show was canceled nine episodes into its second season, while The A-Team continued until 1987, with 97 episodes.

In 2002, TV Guide listed the show as the seventh-worst TV series ever.[2] 

Synopsis

Season one

In the one-hour pilot episode "September of '53/Together Again", Colonel Potter
returned home from Korea to his wife Mildred (Barbara Townsend) in Hannibal, Missouri. 

He soon found retirement stifling, and Mildred suggested he return to work. Potter was soon hired by the cartoonish hospital administrator Mike D'Angelo (John Chappell) as the chief of staff at General Pershing Veteran's Hospital ("General General"), located in the fictional River Bend, Missouri.

Max Klinger had found himself in trouble with the law in Toledo. Colonel Potter wrote to him and offered him a job as his administrative assistant. Klinger's nemesis at General General was D'Angelo's executive secretary Alma Cox (Brandis Kemp), a mean-spirited woman who was forever trying to "get the goods" on him, from giving him a day to prepare for a civil service exam to rifling through his desk.

Father Mulcahy, whose hearing was damaged in the final episode of M*A*S*H, was suffering from depression and drinking heavily. Potter arranged for Mulcahy to receive an operation at another VA Hospital in St. Louis. After his hearing was surgically corrected, he stopped drinking and joined Potter and Klinger at "General General" as its Catholic chaplain.

Also on hand was the idealistic, talented, and often hungry young resident surgeon
Gene Pfeffier (Jay O. Sanders), attractive secretary Bonnie Hornbeck (Wendy Schaal), who had an eye for Klinger, and old-timer Bob Scannell (Patrick Cranshaw) who served under then-Sergeant Potter in World War I and was now a hospital resident of 35 years (thanks to his exposure to mustard gas). Unlike the other patients and staff who 
addressed Potter by his retired rank of colonel, Scannell called him "Sarge" at 
Potter's request.

The only other main character from the original series to appear on AfterMASH was Radar (played by Gary Burghoff), who appeared in a first season two-part episode. As Potter, Klinger, and Mulcahy prepare to head to Iowa for Radar's wedding, Radar shows up in a panic at Potter's house in Missouri, believing his intended fiancée has cheated on him in "It Had To Be You". The Radar character later appeared in a pilot called W*A*L*T*E*R, in which Radar moved from Iowa to St. Louis, after his wife left 
him on his wedding night, and became a police officer. (The series was never picked up, and the pilot was aired in July 1984 as a TV special on CBS exclusively in the Eastern and Central timezones; the show was pre-empted in Pacific and Mountain timezones by the 1984 Democratic National Convention.)

The season included home scenes with the Potters, most notably when they were deluged with guests in "Thanksgiving of '53", and Potter tried to keep the phone occupied so Klinger couldn't call his relatives, who were on the way over to surprise him; this episode also marked the only onscreen appearance of Potter's oft-mentioned daughter, Evvy Ennis, and Potter's grandson, Corey. One of the season's standout episodes was the Emmy-nominated "Fall Out", where Potter and Pfeffier considered leaving General General, but reconsidered when they linked the leukemia seen in a patient with 

exposure to atomic testing; writer-director Larry Gelbart received a Peabody Award for this episode. The season closed in March with Klinger being arrested for decking a shady real estate agent as pregnant Soon Lee went into labor. In May, CBS announced the show was renewed for a second season.

Season two

Season Two opened with Klinger escaping from the River Bend County Jail to attend the birth of his child and remaining a fugitive until a judge sent him to the psychiatric unit at General General, where Klinger feigned insanity to avoid prison and the Potters took in Soon Lee and the (as yet unnamed) baby. Mike D'Angelo was transferred to Montana and was replaced by smarmy new administrator Wally Wainwright (Peter 
Michael Goetz). Anne Pitoniak was brought in to replace Barbara Townsend as Mildred Potter. Dr. Pfeffier was phased out late in the first season and replaced by Dr. Boyer (David Ackroyd), who had lost a leg in Korea and whose bitterness was only matched by his excellent surgical skills. (The character was never given a first name in the series, but publicity photos referred to him as "Dr. Mark Boyer.") An attractive new psychiatrist, Dr. Lenore Dudziak (Wendy Girard) arrived to begin the daunting task of evaluating Klinger, while Potter was horrified that Wainwright assigned Alma Cox as his new secretary.

The recurring M*A*S*H character Colonel Flagg (played by Edward Winter) appeared in the second season, now working for an unspecified intelligence agency whose agents are authorized to carry sidearms in their shoes; he is only too eager to testify against Klinger in "Trials". Character actors Arliss Howard, Timothy Busfield, William Sadler, and David Graf all appeared as patients.

Only three other characters from M*A*S*H were ever mentioned in the sequel series.

Hawkeye was referenced in the one-hour opening episode in a voice-over thought by Mulcahy. Frank Burns was mentioned once in the first season (Episode #14: "Chief of Staff") and once in the second season, both times by Sherman Potter. In a second season episode (#26: "Madness To His Method"), Dr. Potter writes a letter to Sidney Freedman, who is mentioned as now working at the University of Chicago, but does not appear in the episode. There is also a touching moment at the end of the "Chief of Staff" episode in which Potter is surprised to see that his hospital office has been redecorated with his desk, paintings, saddle, and other items from the 4077th as "Suicide is Painless" is played; Potter's portrait of Radar and his group portrait of Hawkeye, BJ, Houlihan, Winchester, Klinger, and Mulcahy (from the 10th season episode "Picture This") continued to be seen in his office through the remainder of the sequel series. In the W*A*L*T*E*R pilot, interviewer Clete Roberts is seen on TV mentioning that he had recently interviewed Hawkeye, and Radar mentions a picture he keeps in his 
wallet of him with Hawkeye, LTC Blake, and Major Houlihan.

In the next-to-last filmed episode, "Saturday's Heroes", the Klingers' baby is finally named. This episode (the final broadcast of the series) aired on May 31, 1985. 

(Several sources incorrectly claim that this episode ran on December 11, 1984, which was the originally intended air date for this episode. However, CBS had put the series "on hiatus" just a few days earlier and abruptly pulled the episode from the scheduled airing of December 11, even though it had been advertised in several newspaper listings and in TV Guide for that date.)

Format

AfterMASH made frequent references to M*A*S*H, and likewise featured storylines that highlighted the horrors and suffering of war, from the non-combat perspective of a veteran's hospital. The series was canceled after twenty-nine broadcast episodes. "Wet Feet", the thirtieth episode, was never aired.

Characters

Note: This table counts 21 episodes in the first season (with the first episode
being double length), and 8 episodes in the second season, as "Wet Feet" was never aired, the total being 29.

Actor     Role     Years     Seasons     Episodes

Harry Morgan     Col. Sherman Potter     1983-1985     1–2     29

Jamie Farr     Maxwell Klinger     1983-1985     1–2     29

William Christopher     Father John Mulcahy     1983-1985     1–2     29

Kellye Nakahara     PA Announcer     1983-1985     1–2     26

Rosalind Chao     Soon-Lee Klinger     1983-1985     1–2     23

Barbara Townsend and Anne Pitoniak     Mildred Potter     1983-1984, 1984-1985     1, 2 (actress replaced between seasons)     19

Brandis Kemp     Alma Cox     1983-1985     1–2     19

John Chappell     Mike D'Angelo     1983-1984     1     19

Patrick Cranshaw     Bob Scannell     1983-1985     1–2 (absent from last few
episodes of Season 2)     19

Jay O. Sanders     Dr. Gene Pfeiffer     1983-1984     1 (first half)     14

David Ackroyd     Dr. Mark Boyer     1984-1985     1 (second half)–2     12

Peter Michael Goetz     Wally Wainwright     1984-1985     2     5

Gary Burghoff     Walter "Radar" O'Reilly     1984     1     2

Edward Winter     Samuel Flagg     1984     2     1

Episode list

Season One (1983 - 1984)

#     Title     Director[n 1]     Writer[n 1]     Original airdate     Production Code

1     "Summer of '53 / Together Again"     Burt Metcalfe     Larry Gelbart    
September 26, 1983     2E01 (1), 2E02 

Potter, Klinger, and Father Mulcahy adjust to civilian life once again. In "Together
Again", Father Mulcahy has ear surgery. 
2     "Klinger vs. Klinger"     Will Mackenzie     Ken Levine, David Isaacs    
October 3, 1983     2E03

Klinger and Soon-Lee quarrel about money problems, but eventually settle their differences. A veteran is admitted to the hospital without paperwork. When he wakes up, he has an interesting secret. 
3     "Snap, Crackle, Plop"     Nick Havinga     Dennis Koenig     October 10, 1983     2E04

Klinger must take a test on short notice to secure his job. 4     "Staph Inspection"     Burt Metcalfe     Ken Levine, David Isaacs    
October 17, 1983     2E07

Patients are getting staph infections, just as the hospital is about to get an inspection. 5     "Night Shift"     Edward H. Feldman     Everett Greenbaum, Elliott Reed     October 24, 1983     2E06

During the night shift at the hospital, a father wants to see his young son, as
Klinger searches for missing mattresses. 
6     "Shall We Dance"     Will Mackenzie     Ken Levine, David Isaacs     October 31, 1983     2E05

During a weekly staff meeting, Mr. D'Angelo announces that a dance school wishes to hold a dance for the patients at the hospital. 7     "Little Broadcast of '53"     Burt Metcalfe     Dennis Koenig     November 7, 1983     2E08

While Klinger takes turn at doing a noon time radio broadcast for the patients. A new nurse tries to get used to life in the hospital. 8     "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday"     Nick Havinga     Dennis Koenig     November 14, 1983     2E09

Visitor's Day at the hospital brings both a bake sale, and a troublesome freelance preacher.  9     "Thanksgiving of '53"     Burt Metcalfe     Ken Levine, David Isaacs, Dennis Koenig     November 21, 1983     2E10

Thanksgiving at the Potters' with a house full of guests. 10     "Fallout"     Larry Gelbart     Larry Gelbart     December 5, 1983     2E12

Patients deal with medical problems from their time in military service. 11     "Bladder Day Saints"     Nick Havinga     Everett Greenbaum, Elliott Reid  December 12, 1983     2E11

30 patients arrive for their annual bladder inspection. 12     "All About Christmas Eve"     Burt Metcalfe     Dennis Koenig     December 19, 1983     2E13

Christmas at the hospital. 13     "Chief of Staff"     Burt Brinckerhoff     Gordon Mitchell     January 2, 1984     2E15

As Klinger plans a special surprise for Col. Potter's birthday. Mr. D' Angelo finds
out he needs prostate surgery. 
14     "C.Y.A."     Burt Brinckerhoff     Janis Hirsch     January 9, 1984     2E14

Klinger helps a out patient who is paralyzed from the waist down. As Father Mulcahy discovers the V.A. did not pay the surgeon who restored his hearing, he quickly discovers he is not the only one the V.A. did not help because of red tape. 
15     "Yours Truly, Max Klinger"     Burt Metcalfe     Ken Levine, David Isaacs     January 16, 1984     2E16

Klinger writes Radar a letter about recent events in his life, including Soon-Lee being pregnant with his child, his struggle to sell frozen beef to make a little extra 
money and a troublesome new surgeon, Dr. Boyer. The episode ends at Radar's wedding rehearsal, with him reading the letter. 16     "It Had to Be You"     Larry Gelbart     Dennis Koenig, Ken Levine, David Isaacs     January 23, 1984     2E17

As the Potters, Klingers, and Father Mulcahy prepare to leave for Radar's Wedding, when Radar suddenly appears. He is on the lam from his own wedding after hearing his bride-to-be Suzie slept with a good friend. Meanwhile, Dr. Boyer heads to a bar near the hospital, looking for some female companionship of his own. Suzie appears still wearing her wedding dress, looking for Radar to explain what really happened. After an 
advance by Dr. Boyer, Suzie leaves and shows up at the Potters door. After discovering the truth, Radar and Suzie reconcile and Father Mulcahy performs their wedding ceremony. 17     "Odds and Ends"     Peter Levin     Everett Greenbaum, Elliott Reid     January 30, 1984     2E18

Max Klinger is in desperate need of $500 for his struggling family, especially with
the baby coming. He had even taken 3 jobs, but even after doing so he resorts to gambling, but in doing so he both wins and loses everything. Meanwhile Bob Scannell needs an operation to remove some shrapnel, and asks Father Mulcahy to help him write a new will. But once Bob Scannell learns about Klinger's troubles, he provides the money Klinger needs. 18     "Another Saturday Night"     Jamie Farr     Dennie Koenig (story)
Ken Levine, David Isaacs (teleplay)     February 6, 1984     2E19

With the Mrs. out of town for the night, Dr. Potter heads for the local bar for a meal and someone to talk to. Meanwhile, Klinger keeps dropping by for a take out order for Soon-Lee to satisfy her cravings. Also, Mr. D'Angelo drops by looking for a good meal, and meets a reformed hooker turned waitress, and later Father Mulcahy gets punched on 
the lip while defending her honor. 
19     "Fever Pitch"     Burt Metcalfe     Dennis Koenig     February 27, 1984     2E21

A hot day brings a patient who needs his fever cooled, Dr. Boyer wants to use a
cooling blanket but it isn't V.A. approved so he turns to Klinger to get one. 
Meanwhile, Father Mulcahy is in search of a new place to stay, after life in the 
rectory turns substandard. 20     "By the Book"     Gabrielle Beaumont     Larry Balmagia     March 5, 1984     2E20

Mulcahy must stop a man who thinks he is Superman from endangering other patients. 21     "Up and Down Payments"     Burt Metcalfe     Ken Levine, David Isaacs     March 12, 1984     2E22

Klinger gets arrested for punching a crooked real estate agent. Soon-Lee goes into labor. 

Season Two (1984 - 1985)

#     Title     Director.  Writer.  Original airdate     Production Code

22     "Less Miserable"     Burt Metcalfe     Ken Levine, David Isaacs, Dennis Koenig     September 23, 1984 2W01

While Soon-Lee is being rushed to the delivery room, Klinger stands in a jail cell
worried about his wife, and later conspires with another inmate in order to make his escape. Meanwhile, V.A. Administrator Burt Philbrick (Max Wright) tours the hospital, later informing Dr. Potter that Mr. D'Angelo has been replaced. Soon-Lee gives birth to her son, with Max at her side, after he tells everyone he is going to hide out at the hospital. 

23     "Calling Doctor Habibi"     Hy Averback     Dennis Koenig, Ken Levine,
David Isaacs     September 25, 1984     2W02

Wally Wainwright arrives and immediately runs into Klinger, who is still on the run
from the law. After introducing himself as Dr. Habibi, Klinger is asked to show Mr. 
Wainwright around. Later Mrs. Cox learns she is now Dr. Potter's clerk. 

24     "Strangers and Other Lovers"     Burt Metcalfe     Dennis Koenig     October 2, 1984     2W03

After Dr. Boyer finds a woman he wants to share his life with, but discovers she is
the wife of a patient. Klinger is finally arrested. 

25     "Trials"     Charles S. Dubin     Ken Levine, David Isaacs     October 9, 1984     2W04 Max Klinger's trial finally takes place. Back at the hospital, Mr. Wainwright forces Dr. Boyer into performing a difficult operation. Later, Klinger is sent to the hospital for a psychological evaluation. 

26     "Madness to His Method"     Burt Metcalfe     Tom Straw     October 16,
1984     2W05

Dr. Potter writes to Dr. Sydney Freeman about recent events at the hospital, including news of the hospital's brand new psychiatrist Dr. Lenore Dudziak (Wendy Girard). 

Klinger wants to prove to her that he is crazy enough not to go to jail due to recent events. Also, Dr. Boyer has a romantic interest in her. 

27     "The Recovery Room"     Charles S. Dubin     Jay Folb     October 30,
1984     2W06

With the arrival of Dr. Andy Caldwell, it seems Klinger is not the only one with
problems, when he tries to get full disability from the V.A. The Potters have trouble dealing with Soon-Lee's baby. Meanwhile Dr. Boyer's temper is getting the best of him,  as Dr. Dudziak suggests group therapy after he smashes a medical supply cabinet when he couldn't wait for the key. 

28     "Ward Is Hell"     Burt Metcalfe     Ken Levine, David Isaacs, Dennis Koenig    
December 4, 1984     2W09

Klinger runs a hospital lottery, as Dr. Boyer is laid up by a staph infection. 

29     "Saturday's Heroes"     Burt Metcalfe     Ken Levine, David Isaacs     May 31, 1985[n 4]     2W07

30[n 4]     "Wet Feet"     Hy Averback     Dennis Koenig     Not Aired[n 4]     2W08

31[n 5]     "All Day All Night, Mary Ann"         Ken Levine, David Isaacs  Not Produced[n 5]     None[n 5]

Notes

Credits from episode title cards
Production Code from end credits
The premiere episode of the second season aired in a time slot different from the regular schedule.

The episode "Wet Feet" was set to air at 8:30 p.m. on May 31, 1985, immediately
after the airing of "Saturday's Heroes" but was pre-empted by an unannounced CBS news documentary with Dan Rather. "Saturday's Heroes" was originally scheduled to air Dec. 11, 1984, before CBS put the series on hiatus and abruptly pulled the episode.

The script for "All Day All Night, Mary Ann" was written but the episode was never produced.