The ‘M*A*S*H*’ Episode That Earned The Most Backlash From Fans

M*A*S*H* has held the record for the most-watched television series in American history for four decades, from 1983 to this year. However, despite the TV series having an extensive fan base, viewers have reservations about some decisions the producers made.

Week in and week out, viewers watched the producers attempt to pull off a balancing act in the show’s approach to combining drama and comedy in its storytelling. Out of the 256 episodes aired during the 11 seasons, “Abyssinia, Henry” received the most backlash from fans.

“Abyssinia, Henry”

The episode generated a lot of controversy upon its airing due to the unexpected off-camera death of Col. Henry Blake (as portrayed by McLean Stevenson) on his way home to America from Korea, which turned the show’s fans off. The episode marked the transition from the usual comedy and laughs on the TV series to a more serious tone, which was evident in the following episode, “Welcome To Korea.”

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The backlash from the fans was so intense that Alan Alda, who played chief surgeon Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce in the series, recalled that he received a letter from a helpless father whose child was also angry about Blake’s death. “I had a letter from a man who complained that he had to console his 10-year-old son who was sobbing,” he stated. “But it was one of the ways for the adults in the audience to realize that another aspect of war is that things happen that you don’t expect.”

Following the airing of the “Abyssinia, Henry” episode, the show began shifting the spotlight to the characters rather than character types. Despite the controversy, the episode remains one of the strongest, as it reminds viewers that the show is unpredictable.

M*A*S*H* was a huge success

M*A*S*H* was focused on telling the story of a United States Army Surgical hospital unit during the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953. The show earned a lot of recognition and awards for spotlighting war casualties and medical personnel’s efforts during the war.

Despite the series’ struggling in the first season and being at the risk of being canceled, M*A*S*H* became a fan favorite. The show was nominated for over 100 Emmy Awards throughout its 11-year run.