AMASHreunion is happening on Fox, with the network announcing that the original cast will get together after 40 years for what has been described as the “definitive” reflection on the beloved comedy-drama series. The reunion special, titledMASH: The Comedy That Changed Television, is now all set to air in the new year on January 1st, and promises to bring together Alan Alda, Gary Burghoff, Jamie Farr, and more (viaTV Line).
“MAS*H is among the most iconic sitcoms in the annals of television history,” said Dan Harrison, Fox’s EVP of Program Planning & Content Strategy, in a statement. “It’s a timeless show that comedically captures the 4077th medical corps and how they managed to maintain their sanity while saving lives on the front lines of the Korean War… Fox is proud to celebrate the landmark achievements of one of the best comedies ever created.”
MAS*H: The Comedy That Changed Televisionwill be a two-hour special and will feature interviews with the surviving core cast members,including Alan Alda(Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce), Gary Burghoff (Cpl. Walter Eugene “Radar” O’Reilly), Jamie Farr (Cpl. And later Sgt. Maxwell Q. Klinger), Mike Farrell (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt) and Loretta Swit (Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan), as well as Executive producers Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe.
“MASH is not only a great television series, it is a cultural phenomenon. It has made multiple generations of viewers laugh, cry and think, often in the same episode,” said Executive Producers John Scheinfeld and Andy Kaplan. “We are excited to team with Fox to create this unprecedented window into an innovative television classic.”
RELATED:10 Funniest Episodes of MAS*H, Ranked
The MAS*H Reunion Will Pay Tribute to the Cast & Crew No Longer With Us
Cast and crew members sadly no longer with us, including writer and producer Larry Gelbart, Larry Linville (Maj. Frank Burns), Harry Morgan (Col. Sherman T. Potter), McLean Stevenson (Lt. Col. Henry Blake), Wayne Rogers (Capt. “Trapper” John McIntyre), William Christopher (Father Francis Mulcahy) and David Ogden Stiers (Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III), meanwhile, will be “remembered through a vibrant collection of clips from the series as well as in rarely-seen archival interviews.”
“In these intimate, highly personal remembrances, the creation and evolution of the show’s iconic characters are revealed, alongside rare and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage, photos and stories,” according to Fox.
Airing on CBS from 1972 to 1983,MAS*Hwas developed by Larry Gelbart and follows a team of doctors and their support staff who are stationed at an “Army Surgical Hospital” during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. The series is remembered, and was praised, for its ability to leap from comedy to tragedy, as well as for its charismatic,endearing cast of characters.
The show is nothing less than one of the most popular TV series of all time, with its finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”, beingthe most-watched final episodeand the most-watched episode of a scripted series in history.
MAS*H: The Comedy That Changed Televisionis directed by John Scheinfeld (Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback,What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears?) and is due to air on Monday, January 1st on Fox.
