50 Years Later, the Best War Series of All Time Is Still Unlike Anything Else on TV

MASH blended humor and heartbreak to create unforgettable characters and deliver one of television's most memorable finales. When Robert Altman's M*A*S*H arrived in theaters in 1970, its irreverent approach to the Korean War was unlike anything audiences had seen before. The film followed army surgeons who used practical jokes, alcohol, and a disregard for military authority to maintain their sanity while treating the wounded. Two years later, CBS adapted the film into a television series that retained its anarchic spirit but accomplished something the movie couldn't: It gave audiences time to get to know these characters.