M*A*S*H is an American war comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from September 17, 1972, to February 28, 1983. Based on the 1970 film of the same name (itself adapted from Richard Hooker's 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors), the series depicted the lives of medical personnel stationed at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. Throughout its eleven-season run, the series received numerous awards and nominations from various organizations.
Golden Globe Awards
The series received numerous Golden Globe nominations during its run, including the following highlights:
- 1973 (30th): Nominee — Best TV Actor – Comedy or Musical (Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce); Nominee — Best TV Show – Comedy or Musical
- 1974 (31st): Nominee — Best Supporting Actor – Television (McLean Stevenson as Henry Blake); Nominee — Best Supporting Actress – Television (Loretta Swit as Margaret Houlihan); Nominee — Best TV Actor – Comedy or Musical (Alan Alda)
- 1975 (32nd): Nominee — Best TV Actor – Comedy or Musical (Alan Alda)
- 1976 (33rd): Nominee — Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical (Alan Alda)
- 1977 (34th): Nominee — Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical
- 1978 (35th): Nominee — Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical (Alan Alda)
- 1979 (36th): Nominee — Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical (Alan Alda)
- 1980 (37th): Nominee — Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical (Loretta Swit); Nominee — Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical
- 1981 (38th): Nominee — Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical (Alan Alda); Nominee — Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical
- 1982 (39th): Nominee — Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical (Alan Alda); Nominee — Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical (Loretta Swit); Nominee — Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical
- 1983 (40th): Nominee — Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical (Alan Alda); Nominee — Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television (Loretta Swit); Nominee — Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical
Primetime Emmy Awards
M*A*S*H received extensive Primetime Emmy recognition, particularly in the Outstanding Comedy Series, acting, directing, and writing categories. Notable nominations and wins include:
- 1973 (25th): Emmy win — Outstanding Comedy Series (Gene Reynolds, producer); plus nominations for outstanding lead actor (Alan Alda), supporting actors (Gary Burghoff, McLean Stevenson), directing, writing, and other categories.
- 1974 (26th): Emmy win — Outstanding Comedy Series; nomination — Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Alan Alda); nominations for supporting performances (Gary Burghoff, McLean Stevenson, Loretta Swit), directing, and writing.
- 1975 (27th): Emmy win — Outstanding Comedy Series; nominations for lead actor (Alan Alda), supporting actors (Gary Burghoff, McLean Stevenson, Loretta Swit), directing, and supporting performance (Harry Morgan for "The General Flipped at Dawn").
- 1976 (28th): Multiple nominations across comedy series, lead actor (Alan Alda), supporting actors/actress, directing, writing, cinematography, and editing.
- 1977 (29th): Emmy win — Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series (Alan Alda for "Dear Sigmund"); plus nominations across acting, writing, cinematography, and editing categories.
- 1978 (30th): Multiple nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series, lead actor (Alan Alda), supporting actor (Gary Burghoff, Harry Morgan), supporting actress (Loretta Swit), directing, and writing.
- 1979 (31st): Multiple nominations across comedy series, lead actor (Alan Alda), supporting roles (Gary Burghoff, Harry Morgan, Loretta Swit), directing, and writing.
- 1980 (32nd): Multiple nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series, lead actor (Alan Alda), supporting actor (Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan), supporting actress (Loretta Swit), directing, and writing.
- 1981 (33rd): Multiple nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series, lead actor (Alan Alda), supporting actor (Harry Morgan, David Ogden Stiers), supporting actress (Loretta Swit), directing, and writing.
- 1982 (34th): Multiple nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series, lead actor (Alan Alda), supporting actor (Harry Morgan, David Ogden Stiers), supporting actress (Loretta Swit), directing, and writing.
- 1983 (35th): Multiple nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series, lead actor (Alan Alda), supporting actor (Harry Morgan), supporting actress (Loretta Swit), directing (including for the series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen"), film editing, costuming, and sound editing.
Over its entire run, the series received a substantial number of Emmy nominations and wins, most notably winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award multiple times. Alan Alda received numerous Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and won multiple awards in that category.
Writers Guild of America Awards
The series received numerous WGA Award nominations and wins for writing, including for episodes such as:
- "Chief Surgeon Who?"
- "Carry On, Hawkeye" (Larry Gelbart, Laurence Marks, and Bernard Dilbert)
- "The Incubator"
- "Radar's Report"
- "Tuttle"
- "O.R." (Larry Gelbart and Laurence Marks)
- "Welcome to Korea" (Everett Greenbaum, Jim Fritzell, and Larry Gelbart)
- "Point of View" (Ken Levine and David Isaacs)
- "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" (Alan Alda, Burt Metcalfe, John Rappaport, Dan Wilcox, Thad Mumford, Elias Davis, David Pollock, and Karen Allen)
Writers were nominated across both Episodic Comedy and Episodic Drama categories in various years.
Other Awards
The series also received recognition from other organizations, including:
- Directors Guild of America Awards: Nominations for outstanding directorial achievement in comedy series, including for episodes such as "Blood Brothers" (Harry Morgan), "Death Takes a Holiday" (Mike Farrell), and "A War for All Seasons" (Burt Metcalfe).
- The series and its cast and crew were also recognized across various television industry awards and honors during and after its broadcast run.
M*A*S*H concluded its run on February 28, 1983, with the two-and-a-half-hour series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen," which remains one of the most-watched television episodes in U.S. history. The series' extensive awards history reflects its critical acclaim as one of the most celebrated television programs of its era.
