The continuity of MASH's record-breaking finale saw the surgeons finally heading home following the end of the conflict.

Now, it should be noted MASH was almost canceled during its first season due to terrible ratings and was only saved thanks to re-runs performing well. While most episodes told self-contained stories, during the earlier seasons the show would occasionally reference years and dates with little concern about the timeline. For instance, the first episode of MASH season 4 "Welcome To Korea" clearly states that it takes place in September 1952 - less than a year from the end of the Korean War.

Potter's MASH Season 4 Entrance Proves The Final Seven Seasons Take Place Within A Single Year

MASH's timeline gets real vague following Colonel Potter's arrival

"Welcome To Korea" features two major events; the offscreen exit of Trapper (Wayne Rogers) and the arrival of his replacement B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell). The fourth series also arrived in the aftermath of Henry Blake's (McLean Stevenson) shock death in the previous season's finale, which forever changed the show's tone - and television in general. Blake's permanent replacement, Colonel Potter (Harry Morgan), would arrive in camp during season 4's "Change of Command," with the P.A. stating the date as September 19, 1952.

... trying to track MASH's timeline from season 4 becomes a total nightmare.

This confirms that from the opening of MASH's fourth season until the finale where the war ended in July 1953, only ten months had ed. Of course, trying to track the timeline from this stage on becomes a total nightmare. A prime example is season 9's "A War for All Seasons," which spans the entirety of 1951. The episode itself is funny and creative - and utterly breaks continuity. Characters who should be around like Trapper and Blake are totally missing, while Potter is somehow running the 4077th long before he arrived.

There are numerous other examples. In the season 7 episode "None Like It Hot", B.J. states he's been in Korea for nine months - which would place the episode only about a month or two before the end of the war. Considering MASH ran for another four seasons, that doesn't quite track.

How MASH's Timeline Became So Broken

Blame MASH's success for creating such a continuity mess

While modern television shows tend to map out potential future seasons, back in the 1970s, things were looser. Again, MASH came dangerously close to ending after only one series, so neither CBS nor the showrunners thought it would run for a decade and change. That explains the lack of forethought when it came to announcing dates, but when it became clear MASH was a hit with potential legs, the timeline became very fuzzy during the final seven years.

This was also long before the internet and fan culture took hold, or audiences had access to VHS recordings or DVDs. It's doubtful anybody tuning into MASH week in and week out was actively trying to map the dates and years. It's only in hindsight that people realize the continuity makes little sense, with later episodes even taking the characters back to 1951 when major players like B.J. or Charles (David Ogden Stiers) couldn't have possibly been present.

The Major Events That Happened In MASH's Final Seasons

The final seven seasons of MASH weren't short on drama

If MASH seasons 4 to 11 happened in just under a year, then it was a very dramatic year. During that time, the much-hated Frank Burns (Larry Linville) was sent home and replaced by Charles at the beginning of season 6, while the beloved Radar (Gary Burghoff) left the 4077th early in season 8. A big reason Frank exited was due to his heartbreak over Margaret's (Loretta Swit) engagement and marriage to Lt Col. Penobscot, with those two ultimately getting divorced in what had to have been a matter of months.

The series also references the real-life First Battle of Pork Chop Hill, which took place during April 1953. Again, MASH gave out few concrete dates in the final years, but events like Radar's exit or Hawkeye's PSTD-related nervous breakdown must have all taken place in the summer of 1953. Other hit series like That '70s Show ran into similar issues with its timeline, but MASH is a uniquely broken case. Still, this never actually impacted the quality of the series or the performances, so it's an easy problem to overlook.

Radar actor Gary Burghoff is the only actor to appear in 1970's MASH movie and its TV spinoff.

Source: MASH4077TH