Press Pass 36: “Cameras Rolling on Eleventh M*A*S*H Season”

As I mentioned last week, September is when all the new network shows began airing in the early 1980s. Each network would publicize their fall lineup and highlight the new and returning shows. For new episodes to be ready to air in September, production for a new season typically began in July. However, in September 1982, M*A*S*H began filming its 11th and final season, with its season premiere not taking place until late October. The 11th season of M*A*S*H was shorter than the typical 24 episodes because there were members of the cast that wanted to end the series after the 10th season. They were convinced to stay on for a shortened 11th season. In this press release from September 1982, 20th Century Fox Television announced that filming had begun on the final season of M*A*S*H and revealed several surprising details about the final season nearly two months before the 11th season would begin.

Today, most hardcore M*A*S*H fans know several things about season 11. They know that it was the shortest season, being only 16 episodes instead of the usual 24. They know that the season ended with a special two and a half hour finale that ended the Korean War. What many may not know is that of the 16 episodes in season 11 (I am counting the finale as an episode), only ten were filmed exclusively for season 11. As this press release explains, six episodes were held over from season ten for the final season. The held over episodes were:

• “Hey, Look Me Over” (11×01)
• “Foreign Affairs” (11×03)
• “The Joker is Wild” (11×04)
• “Who Knew?” (11×05)
• “Settling Debts” (11×07)
• “The Moon is Not Blue” (11×08)

How do we know that these episodes were originally intended for season ten? Each episode has a production number, and the format of the production numbers changed each season. The production numbers for season ten were formatted “1-GXX” (with the Xs being numbers). The production numbers for season 11 are formatted differently being “9-BXX.” So, for example, “Hey, Look Me Over” (11×01) has a production number of “1-G21” and “Trick or Treatment” (11×02) has a production number of “9-B01.” Incidentally, if you look at any of the Script Spotlight posts, the production number is printed in the lower left corner of each page in a script.

Since these episodes had already been filmed, that meant that the cast only had to film nine new half-hour episode and the finale. This is what allowed them to delay production on the final season from July to September. The first episode of the final season to be filmed was the finale since it would take longer to edit. Having the finale done early also allowed Fox and CBS to share still and clips from the episode for promotional purposes. This press release offers more information about the new season than just the fact that six episodes were held over from season 10. I found it interesting that even in early September 1982, they already knew that the title of the finale would be “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” and they shared that information with the public. I also found it interesting that the release mentions that in order for the show’s writers to get credit for the finale, the Writer’s Guild had to give “special permission” to give credit to so many writers. The one final little thing I noticed is that “Mobil Army Surgical Hospital” is misspelled as “Mobil” should be “Mobile.”

By September 1982, M*A*S*H had been a staple of the CBS lineup for ten years, and many shows had come and gone while M*A*S*H continued to bring in strong rating for the network. The decision to end the series was up to the actors. We now know that not all the actors wanted the show to end, but the majority did. I am sure that the decision to end the series was fought by 20th Century Fox Television and CBS, but ultimately it was decided to allow the show to end with dignity. I believe that had M*A*S*H ended at the end of the 10th season, there may not have been enough time to give the show the ending it deserved. By allowing for a shortened, final season, the network and the fans got to say goodbye. At first, 20th Century Fox Television was against M*A*S*H having a finale that ended the war because they feared it would affect syndication. Show’s didn’t have a traditional “end.” They just stopped. That allowed for them to run in syndication without there being a hard stopping point. But the show’s creators wanted the war to end and the characters to go home. It was a fitting end for the fans, and with the finale being so long, it rarely runs in syndication ensuring that the show can run forever. As we near 52 years since M*A*S*H‘s premiere, it still airs daily in many markets to this day.