M*A*S*H
I love M*A*S*H. 
I really cannot express how much I love this show, or why I love it so much. But I will attempt to.
I’ve grown up watching it, although I don’t remember many episodes, because I’d watched them when I was in elementary school. Besides bringing back memories of my childhood, this particular show has a very rare mixture of humor, drama, and real, human compassion that is beyond anything shown on TV today. Seriously. Even House cannot live up to this show, in my opinion. I can’t even watch Grey’s Anatomy anymore (although that’s partially due to the fact that I keep forgetting about it). I’d rather record and/or watch four episodes of M*A*S*H a night, now that I know when it’s on.
Militarily, M*A*S*H skims the edges of reality, but it was a time where people were voluntold to join, so I kind of expect there was a little irreverence among the ranks. It still is Hollywood, but I really don’t see it romanticizing war or death, even though the view of war is negative (but when is war positive, really?). I can believe there are people out there like Hawkeye, Trapper, BJ, and the rest of the cast, even in our military ranks today. I also believe there are people like Frank Burns. They’re the ones referred to as “Blue Falcon” and “Army of One”. 
I’m sure there was a political statement or agenda the producers had. Since I didn’t grow up in that era, I can’t say for sure whether I would or would not have liked the show back then. However, aside from that, the actors do a fantastic job of showing how humans have the ability to keep their sanity and sense of humor even during the most trying times, and that even unlikeable people can grow out of their habits to become almost likeable, if not completely reformed. The jokes are fast-paced, but the compassion and emotion are not rushed. The jokes are made at the expense of people who need them, but the humanity is shown to the people who need and deserve it. I can get by the agenda if I watch it for the human interaction. The writers for that show were incredible.
Granted, the morality is a bit misplaced at times, but I can forgive that. It probably helps that Hawkeye Pierce is one of my favorite television characters, ever. I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for him since I was little. He takes a rank in Coolness along with Indiana Jones, Charles Ingalls, and Captain Picard.
Eventually I will own the series on DVD. It’s an expensive undertaking, but so is Law & Order, and we’ve already started that. I suppose I will have to find shelf space, too. Ah, the sacrifices we have to make for good television.
March 23rd, 2006 at 7:28 pm
M*A*S*H is an iconic classic. Even if I’ve seen an episode umpteen million times, I’ll still watch it. When channel surfing, if I happen to see it, I’ll stop and watch it.
March 24th, 2006 at 5:29 pm
I love M*A*S*H too! I really like the episodes when Radar O’Reilly is there, but I watch any of the episodes when they come on.
March 24th, 2006 at 9:39 pm
I like Radar, too.
I’ve been recording all the episodes they show in the evening lately. My latest addictive TV. I haven’t watched Law & Order in a couple months now!
God bless the inventor of the DVR.