5 MASH Actors Who Left The Show (& Why)

Despite its success, several MASH actors left throughout its 11-season run. The famed CBS series was the second adaptation of the novel following the Robert Altman movie, which followed the experiences of a medical unit during the Korean War. MASH began as a comedy that nevertheless took the core theme seriously, and while the showrunners were forced to include a laugh track, they were able to drop it from scenes involving surgery. In later seasons, it evolved from a sitcom to a dramedy, with some episodes being borderline laugh-free.

The series ended up lasting eight years longer than the Korean War itself, with MASH’s finale being the most-watched scripted TV episode of all time. MASH’s unique fusion of laughter and drama had never quite been attempted before and would prove influential on future shows like Scrubs. Considering it ran for 11 years, it’s little surprise several MASH actors left the show during its run, sometimes to avoid typecasting or just to move on to other projects.

5

George Morgan

Father Mulcahy – Only Appeared In The MASH Pilot

The earliest and most mysterious MASH departure is actor George Morgan, who played Father Mulcahy in the pilot episode. Before the project, he had appeared in the Western series Bonanza and Robert Downey Sr.’s cult film Putney Swope. While Morgan only played Father Mulcahy for one episode, he can still be spotted in the opening credits of every episode. As was relatively common at the time, actors who appeared in a pilot could be recast when it went to series, due to factors ranging from cast chemistry to retooling the character’s role.

Curiously, Morgan doesn’t even have any lines as Father Mulcahy in MASH’s pilot and is mostly just used for comedic reaction shots. Morgan appears to have been replaced because executive producer Larry Gelbart felt the character wasn’t popping out. He once stated (via MASH4077TV) that “George Morgan is a perfectly fine actor. We wanted someone who had a quirkier personality – one we wouldn’t have to write into the script.”

William Christopher replaced Morgan in the role, and appeared on MASH for its entire run; he was also one of the few cast members to return for AfterMASH. Christopher brought a grounding aura to the series, and became a pivotal presence in many of the best moments of MASH. While not devoid of lightheartedness in him, the new version of Father Mulcahy was able to anchor difficult times in the show, especially when the 4077 was down in morale or was dealing with particularly emotional deaths. Considering the circumstances that Alan Alda’s “Hawkeye” Pierce and the rest were in during the whole ordeal, Christopher’s character highlighted the importance of faith, in whatever form.

Morgan didn’t have many other credits following his MASH exit, with his last credit being the 1990 movie Have a Nice Night. The actor died in 2022. Unfortunately, there is barely any reporting on how the replacement unfolded from his perspective.

4

McLean Stevenson

Col. Henry Blake – Left In MASH Season 3

Not only was McLean Stevenson’s exit a major turning point for the series, but his MASH death was also a groundbreaking TV moment. Stevenson played Colonel Henry Blake, the commanding officer of the 4077th during MASH’s first three seasons. Blake had a somewhat easygoing approach to running the 4077th and often let Hawkeye and Wayne Rogers’ “Trapper” get away with their shenanigans. Blake was especially close to Radar (Gary Burghoff), who hardly ever left his side and would seemingly psychically sense whenever Blake needed him.

While there was no tension between Stevenson and his MASH co-stars, as the show became more successful, he grew frustrated with being part of a large ensemble. He decided to leave and was written out in the season 3 finale “Abyssinia, Henry,” where Blake receives an honorable discharge and leaves the camp. To the shock of MASH’s main characters — and audiences watching, Radar later informs everyone that Blake’s plane was shot down, killing all onboard.

While it’s not unusual for a major show to kill a major character now, back when this episode aired in 1975, such a move was unheard of. Killing off supporting characters audiences had grown to know and love was a bold move and one that paid off ratings-wise. It was also a controversial choice, with some furious viewers penning letters to CBS, with the network even cutting the ending of the episode out of a later re-run.

Within the show itself, losing Henry was the launching pad for the rest of its run. His death emphasized the seriousness of the situation. Although MASH was presented as a comedy, its setting made it ripe for darker times — something that Alda and the rest of the creatives always felt strongly about. By then, the series had already seen countless deaths passing the 4077 unit, but losing one of their own was a different kind of tragedy. Henry’s death also paved the way for the introduction of his replacement — Harry Morgan’s Col. Sherman Potter, who was a more stand-up leader for the squad.

3

Wayne Rogers

Trapper John – Left After MASH Season 3

Unknowingly, “Abyssinia, Henry” was to be the final episode for another major cast member. Just like the MASH movie, the first three seasons were something of a two-hander between the characters of Hawkeye and Wayne Rogers’ “Trapper” John. Rogers actually passed on auditioning for Hawkeye in favor of Trapper, as he found the character’s less cynical personality more appealing. Rogers joined MASH on the understanding Hawkeye and Trapper were equal main characters, but as Alda’s popularity with audiences grew, the writers began to focus on Hawkeye more and more.

Rogers grew tired of feeling sidelined and that Trapper had become Hawkeye’s sidekick, so he decided to quit. MASH’s producers were deeply unhappy with his decision and threatened to sue. However, it was soon revealed Rogers had never actually signed his original contract, as he objected to a “morals clause” present in it. This meant the producers had no case, and Rogers was free to leave.

This explains the abrupt exit of Wayne Rogers’ Trapper in MASH season 4’s opening episode, with his character being discharged offscreen, but not having any proper goodbye with Hawkeye. The rest of the episode featured Alda’s character, freshly back from a rare rest and relaxation trip, trying to catch his closest friend at the airport before he left, but he was too late, ultimately. Interestingly, CBS didn’t waste any time introducing Trapper’s replacement — BJ, and this time, MASH made sure to make him different than his predecessor, which also properly differentiated him from his partner.

Instead of debuting someone who was similar to Hawkeye, the series came up with someone who was complementary to him. BJ was still fun-loving, sarcastic, and overall solid guy, but he was also a devoted husband and new father. Being a family man was intrinsinc to his narrative, helping MASH move away from its mysoginistic tendencies at the beginning of its run. As for Rogers, he went on to roles in shows like the medical sitcom House Calls, which lasted for three seasons.

2

Larry Linville

Frank Burns – Left After MASH Season 5

Larry Linville inherited the role of Major Frank Burns from Robert Duvall, who played the part in the 1970 movie. Those were tough boots to fill, but Linville became a memorably nasty villain in MASH’s small-screen adaptation. Burns is a judgmental, self-absorbed and selfish figure who was widely despised by the 4077th. He was also strictly by the book, meaning he naturally hated Hawkeye and Trapper. The only person who actually liked Frank was Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit), with the two having an ongoing affair despite the fact Burns is married.

Linville decided to leave MASH after five seasons, having grown bored with playing such a weasley character. He also felt the show’s swing towards more dramatic material made the cartoonish antagonism of Burns a bad fit. On the show, Burns’ exit was explained by him being somewhat heartbroken when his affair with Margaret ends on a bad note, and she becomes engaged to somebody else.

MASH’s season 6 premiere explained Frank was sent back to the States for a psychiatric evaluation after a drunken night out in Seoul. The unit was, naturally, overjoyed by the news that he was gone for good. That said, the series actually used his departure to highlight one of the many war atrocities. While Franks had a higher rank than Hawkeye, Trapper, and BJ, he was a lousy doctor, and they usually mocked him for that. He didn’t have the same dedication as his fellow doctors had, which made his affair with Margaret more confusing. Despite this, he was stationed back to the States — something that almost every single other personnel at the 4077th was clamoring for. The revelation resulted in Hawkeye throwing a massive fit, understandably so.

1

Gary Burghoff

Radar O’Reilly – Left In MASH Season 8

Gary Burghoff was the only real holdover from the MASH movie, and he played the role of Corporal “Radar” O’Reilly in both. The Radar seen in the series was a much more naive, innocent figure, however, and he became a real audience favorite. Burghoff grew exhausted by the show’s schedule in later years, and despite the fact previous actors who left — such as McLean Stevenson and Larry Linville, had met with little success, Burghoff decided to leave MASH during season 8.

Radar’s MASH exit is one of the most emotional on the show, and in contrast to other departing performers, it happens onscreen. In fact, it was the only properly set up exit from the series, as CBS really took the time to lay out his swan song. Radar left when he was given a hardship discharge to go back to his family farm, following a death in the family. Following his departure, Burghoff went on to guest roles on the likes of The New Adventures of Wonder Woman and Fantasy Island.

He also made a guest appearance as Radar on AfterMASH, before appearing in a solo spinoff called W*A*L*T*E*R, where the character becomes a police officer. While W*A*L*T*E*R was intended to launch another spinoff, it didn’t make it past the pilot.

What These Actors Did After MASH

None of the actors who left MASH had big careers following their breakouts on the comedy drama series. McLean Stevenson was a huge fan favorite during his time in the war dramedy, but after leaving the show, he didn’t do much of anything other than take on some guest starring roles in shows like the Golden Girls. He also served as a guest host on The Tonight Show multiple times, but his career never recovered from quitting MASH, and he calls it one of his most regrettable decisions (via L.A. Times):

“When I left the show, the mistake was not in leaving. The mistake was that I thought everybody in America loved McLean Stevenson. That was not the case. Everybody loved Henry Blake. So if you go and do ‘The McLean Stevenson Show,’ nobody cares about McLean Stevenson.”

Wayne Rogers quitting the show the way he did, and with him never signing his contract, caused the franchise to move on from him completely. There was a follow-up MASH spinoff series called Trapper John, M.D., which followed the character after returning home, but the franchise didn’t use Rogers and recast the role with Pernell Roberts as Trapper John. Other than his run on House Calls, Rogers’s career mostly consisted of minor roles and a recurring character in Murder, She Wrote.

Larry Linville left when he felt his character no longer fit, so it seemed that he might have a better reception outside of MASH, but it also didn’t happen. He mostly just played a guest role in several TV shows and minor film appearances. That was also how Gary Burghoff’s career went, as he was relegated to television guest roles and game show appearances. As for George Morgan, his career was the most disappointing, only getting two roles after being replaced in MASH after the pilot.

Release Date

1972 – 1983-00-00

Showrunner

Larry Gelbart

Directors

Larry Gelbart

Writers

Larry Gelbart, Richard Hooker

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  Loretta Swit

  Margaret Houlihan

Source: MASH4077TV