M*A*S*H was a a war comedy drama series which originally launched in 1972 and ran for 11 years.
With a total of 256 episodes, the writing team had a lot of work on their hands, but it quickly became a beloved part of the CBS network and fans were in awe of the series.
READ MORE: M*A*S*H actress Judy Farrell dies after suffering stroke which left her ‘unable to speak’
A total of 11 seasons, it had its fair share of strong storylines, but in the years since it aired, some have been reflected on and deemed quite controversial.
While a lot of shows have been slammed for their historic programming in recent years, one episode of M*A*S*H was actually deemed so controversial it couldn’t air.
(Image: CBS)
One script, called Hawkeye on the Double, saw the network outright refuse to give the green-light to.
It was set to go into production during the first season and saw Alan Alda’s ‘Hawkeye’ Pierce get involved with two nurses at the same time.
The nurses figured out what he was up to and decided to teach him a lesson by both claiming he had gotten them pregnant.
It eventually was included as a bonus feature on the MASH: Martinis and Medicine Collection DVD boxset.
(Image: CBS)
When explaining the decision, MASH co-creator Larry Gelbart told the Archive of American Television that it was the “one and only script CBS said under no circumstances will you be able to do this.”
Larry said that having Hawkeye seeing two women at once was considered “too spicy” for television in the early ’70s and CBS refused it because it “implied dalliance and we couldn’t do that”.
A book, titled Watching MASH, Watching America, Larry said another storyline was dropped, with the MASH unit stood outside in the cold hoping to get sick enough to be sent home.
(Image: Getty Images)
CBS said the plot was dropped because it was “too unpatriotic”.
While there were a few issues with the tone of some of the episodes from CBS – as it had to be mild enough for family audiences – Larry said for the most part they were able to make the show they wanted.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
