M*A*S*H of the franchise and was ranked #25 in "TV Guide"'s "TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time." Its final episode in 1983 was the most-watched in television history. "Trapper John, M.D." featured the character of Trapper John McIntyre, played by Pernell Roberts, twenty-eight years after the events of the "M*A*S*H" film and television series. It was the first spin-off to feature a character from the series in civilian life after the war. Legally, "Trapper John, M.D." is a direct spin-off of the "MASH" film rather than the television series due to licensing issues. The pilot episode briefly shows
Life Time (M*A*S*H) Life Time (M*A*S*H) "Life Time" is the 11th episode in the eighth season of the CBS television series "M*A*S*H". It originally aired on November 26, 1979, it was directed by Alan Alda and was co-written by Alan Alda and Dr. Walter D. Dishell, M.D., the latter of whom was the show's medical consultant, along with phantom assistance from authors W.C. Heinz, Ring Lardner, Jr., who had written the script for the film "MASH," and even Richard Hooker, himself a former U.S. Army MASH unit surgeon, and author of the 1968 novel "," from which the film and series both drew