George (M*A*S*H) gay people were prohibited from serving in the United States armed forces; all recruits had to certify that they were not homosexual and had not committed homosexual acts, and could be prosecuted for fraudulent enlistment if they lied. Gay television historian Stephen Tropiano notes the continued relevance of "George" because it "expos[es] the ignorance behind the discrimination of homosexuals in the military". He notes that, unlike other gay-themed episodes of the era, "George" does not make its gay character the target of jokes except from the bigoted Frank Burns. George (M*A*S*H) George is the 46th episode of the "M*A*S*H" television
M*A*S*H (TV series) was at risk of being cancelled. In season two, "M*A*S*H" was placed in a better time slot by CBS (airing after the popular "All in the Family"); the show then became one of the top 10 programs of the year and stayed in the top 20 programs for the rest of its run. It is still broadcast in syndication on various television stations. The series, which depicted events occurring during a three-year war, spanned 256 episodes and lasted 11 seasons. The Korean War lasted 1,128 days, meaning each episode of the series would have averaged almost four and a half