Movies - TV
The Cut M*A*S*H Plotline The Network Deemed Too Hot For TV
By DANIELLE RYAN
The classic sitcom series "M*A*S*H" was groundbreaking in several ways, including pushing the boundaries of what could be said and shown on television.
Series creator Larry Gelbart spent a lot of time arguing with the network censors and rewriting scripts to appease them. But two episodes in particular were completely axed.
One episode was inspired by Korean War research that the writers had done and revolved around a true story where medics purposely stood out in the cold to try to get very ill.
If they got sick with something like pneumonia, they could be sent home. CBS didn't have a problem with being anti-war, but it drew the line at being so directly anti-military.
The only episode that was rejected entirely based on the content involved womanizer Captain Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda), who was having affairs with two nurses simultaneously.
Hawkeye frequently hooked up with one nurse or another. Still, while having two dates at the same time is classic sitcom fodder, it was apparently too much for censors in the early 1970s.