The One Episode of M*A*S*H that CBS Refused to Produce
Summary
- M*A*S*H lasted three times longer than the Korean War, had iconic moments, and was the most-watched TV finale in history.
- The show tackled serious war issues, including racism and anti-war sentiment, but it was an episode about sex that got censored.
- CBS refused to air an episode where a character had relationships with two nurses, highlighting network censorship in the ’70s and ’80s.
M*A*S*H was a smash hit for CBS from 1972-1983. The show followed the 4077th, a makeshift hospital during the Korean War. The show was billed as a sitcom but did have multiple episodes that dealt with more serious issues of war. It was also one of the network’s most popular shows of all time.
Even with its rave reviews, the show was still subject to network meddling. Television is a fickle landscape and network TV has always been filled with cultural minefields. That was why CBS decided that there was one particular plotline that couldn’t be shown. They made it clear that the script would never make it to air.
Why McLean Stevenson Left M*A*S*H
There are very few shows that have the staying power as M*A*S*H. The show notoriously lasted three times as long as the Korean War. The show was based on the 1970 movie starring Donald Sutherland, with its cast including people like Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Jamie Farr, Larry Linville, and Loretta Swit. It was a cast that kept many of its core members while also rotating in interesting guests.
The second event was the series finale. When it was broadcast in 1983, it was the most-watched and highest-rated television episode in history. It brought in 121.6 million viewers and still holds its record, only beaten by Superbowls and the moon landing. M*A*S*H had the fortune of great actors, interesting subject matter, and first-rate writing. But it did manage to irk the establishment on more than one occasion.
The Most Controversial Episode of M*A*S*H
We know that M*A*S*H was a comedy, but there were lines it attempted, and managed, to cross. As the show moved along there were some changes made. For example, a Black character from the original M*A*S*H novel, Dr. Oliver Jones, a neurosurgeon, was written out. This was for two reasons. The first was that while all characters had nicknames (Hawkeye, Radar, etc.), Jones’ was “Spearchucker,” a particularly derogatory and racist term that the writers did not think they could get away with. The second was that there was a long-held and inaccurate belief that no Black surgeons served on the front lines of the Korean War and the writers, believing this, wanted to maintain historical accuracy.
As the show progressed it started to veer from its sitcom roots and attempted to tackle the bigger issues of war. This included the use of Korean slaves, PTSD, attempts at going AWOL, and general anti-war sentiments. Some people saw it as mocking the military while others, often soldiers, felt it was a genuine depiction of what it was like to be in a war zone.
Yet it was not these topics that truly frightened the network heads at CBS. In fact, their censoring came from a different area. They were concerned about the topic of sex. TV censors have always chosen to show violence over sex. But in the late ’70s and early ’80s it was still trying to figure out the line. For example, in one episode, a character was meant to say they were a “virgin”. However, the network felt this word was too taboo for their viewers. The word was eventually cut from the episode.
But the episode that went too far was not an episode featuring violence or anti-war sentiment. It was an episode called “Hawkeye On the Double” and it was a bit too spicy for the folks at CBS. In the unmade episode, the character of Hawkeye Pierce was meant to be “seeing” (sleeping with) two nurses at the same time and attempting to juggle these two relationships. That’s it. There was no sex scene, no nudity, and no dirty words. Just jokes about one person messing around with two others. The network thought that this type of “dalliance” was too much of a controversy for their audience and chose to put their foot down.
Did It Affect The Show?
This decision by the CBS network did nothing to destroy the trajectory of the show. The writers simply moved on to other topics. However, they did manage to slip problematic pieces into their scripts to tease the censors and generally disrupt the process. However, co-creator Larry Gelbert said that even though their script was denied, the network saw their potential and pretty much left them alone.
It brings to light a self-policing industry that was largely based on the fears of a few people in the public. By the time the late 1970s rolled around, people were well aware of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The taboos were only taboos because the networks called them that. In the eyes of the networks, you couldn’t show a pregnant character or discuss things like STDs. These were actual, real-world issues that were on the nightly news directly after these shows aired, joked about by comedians on late-night shows, but were often deemed too much for the average primetime viewer.
M*A*S*H can be looked at as problematic with modern eyes, but it was revolutionary for its time. Just the fact that it dared to be anti-war put it yards ahead of everyone else. But you’ll never be able to stop people from yelling about what is or isn’t good taste. Stream on Hulu.
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