The BEST episodes of M*A*S*H

Every episode of M*A*S*H ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of M*A*S*H!

The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean war. With little help from the circumstances they find themselves in, they are forced to make their own fun. Fond of practical jokes and revenge, the doctors, nurses, administrators, and soldiers often find ways of making wartime life bearable.

Last Updated: 8/24/2024Network: CBSStatus: Ended
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Goodbye, Farewell and Amen
star
8.75
411 votes

#1 - Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

Season 11 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/28/1983

Hawkeye is sent to a mental hospital; a freak accident causes Father Mulcahy to lose his hearing; Margaret worries about her post-war plans; Charles run across a band of Chinese musicians; BJ is sent home, much to Hawkeye's dismay; Klinger decides to stay in Korea to marry Soon-Lee; a ceasefire is declared, ending the war.

Directors: Alan Alda
Watch Now:Amazon
Abyssinia, Henry
star
8.19
534 votes

#2 - Abyssinia, Henry

Season 3 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/18/1975

Actually, we won't. One of the classic M*A*S*H episodes. Henry finally gets his discharge. While he is tying things up, Burns prepares for his new command. Henry bids a tearful adieu, but not before Klinger turns up in an outrageous tropical outfit, and gets Henry to zip him up, and he gets a kiss Margaret. He gives Radar a hug and his last order, and departs by helicopter. In the traumatic and shocking last scene, a devastated Radar announces that Henry has been killed when his plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan.

Directors: Larry Gelbart
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M*A*S*H the Pilot
star
8.14
1554 votes

#3 - M*A*S*H the Pilot

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/17/1972

At the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H) unit in Korea, two army doctors by the names of Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre receive some exciting news in the mail. Their Korean house boy, Ho-John got accepted into Hawkeye's old college. Hawkeye and Trapper decide to hold a party filled with music, dancing, and alcohol to raise money for Ho-John's plane trip to the U.S. They achieve this by raffling off a weekend pass with a nurse, Lieutenant Dish for R&R in Tokyo.

Directors: Gene Reynolds
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Tuttle
star
7.97
710 votes

#4 - Tuttle

Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/14/1973

Hawkeye creates a fake doctor, Captain Jonathan S. Tuttle, to give supplies to the local orphans. Henry wants Tuttle to be officer of the day, so Hawkeye creates a fake personnel file, and all his back pay is given to the orphanage. When General Clayton wants to reward his generosity, Hawkeye is forced to invent a story about Tuttle jumping from a chopper without his parachute! Of course, Trapper's new friend, Captain Murdoch, obtained the fake dog tags and parachute...!

Directors: William Wiard
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Old Soldiers
star
7.85
312 votes

#5 - Old Soldiers

Season 8 - Episode 18 - Aired 1/21/1980

Hawkeye is appointed temporary commander of the 4077th when Colonel Potter rushes off to Tokyo on a mysterious mission. While in command, Hawkeye's main problem is housing a large group of Korean refugees comprised mainly of rambunctious children who need medical care.

Directors: Charles S. Dubin
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Yankee Doodle Doctor
star
7.84
911 votes

#6 - Yankee Doodle Doctor

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/22/1972

The 4077th is designated as the setting for the making of an army film on Mobile Army Surgical Hospital units. Hawkeye is chosen as the star while Margaret and Frank compose a screenplay. The Eye Of The Hawk objects to the piece of propaganda that filmmaker Lt. Bricker is producing and, having exposed the original film, reshoots a new one his way, starring himself as Groucho Marx-ish Yankee Doodle Doctor, and poking fun at glorifying doctors while concluding with a rather serious speech about the hell of war.

Directors: Lee Philips
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5 O'Clock Charlie
star
7.80
709 votes

#7 - 5 O'Clock Charlie

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/22/1973

An inept North Korean pilot, known as "5 O'Clock Charlie", makes his daily attempt to bomb the ammo dump. Frank puts in a request for an anti-aircraft gun, which is granted when Charlie hits General Clayton's jeep. Frank takes charge of the gun, while Hawkeye and Trapper are determined to prevent him using it, by getting rid of the ammo dump. Frank misses Charlie and destroys the dump.

Directors: Norman Tokar
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Chief Surgeon Who?
star
7.79
998 votes

#8 - Chief Surgeon Who?

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/8/1972

Frank Burns complains about Hawkeye Pierce's disrespect...and Henry appoints Hawkeye chief surgeon, to Burns's shock. The rest of the 4077th "coronates" Hawk while Frank and Hot Lips complain to General Barker. The General's visit provides him with a view of life at the 4077th M*A*S*H unit: camp hijinks, a poker game, and a surgery session. This shows him M*A*S*H has fun but gets the job done.

Directors: E.W. Swackhamer
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Bananas, Crackers and Nuts
star
7.79
923 votes

#9 - Bananas, Crackers and Nuts

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/5/1972

When Henry goes for some R&R, Hawkeye pretends to crack up so that Frank will let him and Trapper go on some R&R.

Directors: Bruce Bilson
Writer: Burt Styler
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The Ringbanger
star
7.77
779 votes

#10 - The Ringbanger

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/21/1973

Hawkeye and Trapper operate on a famous Colonel - after discovering that he is particularly ruthless about sacrificing his men, they come up with a scheme to get him sent back to the states with a little unwitting help from Frank, Margaret, and a drunk Henry.

Directors: Jackie Cooper
Writer: Jerry Mayer
Watch Now:Amazon
Adam's Ribs
star
7.77
541 votes

#11 - Adam's Ribs

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/26/1974

Sick and tired of having liver and fish for an 11-day stretch, Hawkeye, driven near to insanity, starts a riot in the mess tent. He and Trapper then orders spare ribs and sauce from the best place he ever had them, in Chicago. Trapper calls a woman he spent a weekend with to pick up the ribs, and then they get choppered in. Unfortunately, right as they're sitting down to eat, wounded arrive, and Hawkeye is forced to postpone sinking his teeth into his beloved ribs.

Directors: Gene Reynolds
Watch Now:Amazon
The Price of Tomato Juice
star
7.76
443 votes

#12 - The Price of Tomato Juice

Season 4 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/16/1975

Radar gets the help of Hawkeye and B.J. to procure something Colonel Potter says he's fond of, but that's hard to come by - tomato juice.

Directors: Gene Reynolds
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Germ Warfare
star
7.75
811 votes

#13 - Germ Warfare

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/10/1972

Hawkeye moves a wounded North Korean soldier into The Swamp, rather than let him be shipped out before he's stable. During the night he and Trapper play Dracula, and siphon off a pint of Frank's blood. The soldier then contracts hepatitis, so they have to test Frank without him knowing, and have to keep him away from Margaret and the patients.

Directors: Terry Becker
Watch Now:Amazon
Dear Dad
star
7.75
849 votes

#14 - Dear Dad

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/17/1972

Hawkeye writes home, describing Christmas in Korea: Radar ships a jeep home, a piece at a time; Henry gives the monthly lecture on sex, with the aid of figure A and figure B; Trapper helps deliver a calf; Klinger and Frank get into a fight, but Father Mulcahy smoothes things over; Hawkeye and Trapper sabotage Margaret's tent; Hawkeye flies to the front line dressed as Santa, to help a wounded soldier.

Directors: Gene Reynolds
Watch Now:Amazon
Death Takes a Holiday
star
7.75
402 votes

#15 - Death Takes a Holiday

Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/15/1980

Hawkeye, B.J., and Margaret try to save the life of a critically injured solider so that his family won't think of Christmas as the day that their father died. Meanwhile, Winchester fulfills a family Christmas tradition but has trouble maintaining the anonymity required to keep it a truly charitable act. Even Klinger lends a hand.

Directors: Mike Farrell
Writer: Mike Farrell
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To Market, to Market
star
7.73
1179 votes

#16 - To Market, to Market

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/24/1972

After black marketers hijack the 4077th's supply of hydrocortisone, Hawkeye and Trapper concoct a deal with a local black marketer, Charlie Lee, to get some more. The catch: Henry's antique oak desk, which they must trade in order to get some of it. Margaret and Frank become suspicious about their plotting, and about the Koreans who come to check out the desk, which is whisked away by chopper as Henry and Frank watches in disbelief.

Writer: Burt Styler
Watch Now:Amazon
Carry On Hawkeye
star
7.71
559 votes

#17 - Carry On Hawkeye

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/24/1973

The camp succumbs to the Asian flu, except for Hawkeye and Margaret, who have to do everything themselves. As the others start to recover, Hawkeye falls ill but he still manages to operate when wounded arrive. Finally the others are well enough for Hawkeye to stop working and rest. He is thanked for his service with a commemorative roll of toilet paper.

Directors: Jackie Cooper
Watch Now:Amazon
I Hate A Mystery
star
7.70
805 votes

#18 - I Hate A Mystery

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/26/1972

A rash of thefts breaks out in the camp. Missing pieces include Frank's silver picture frame, Margaret's hair brush, and Trapper's watch. The camp is searched and everything is found in Hawkeye's locker. Everyone thinks he did it. Hawkeye manages to announce to the camp that the items will be dusted for prints to identify the real thief, and catches Ho-Jon. He needed money to bring his family from the North, and to bribe border guards.

Directors: Hy Averback
Writer: Hal Dressner
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Kim
star
7.69
643 votes

#19 - Kim

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/20/1973

Hawkeye operates on a 5-year old Korean boy, and Radar can't find his family. Henry plans to send him to the orphanage, and the camp enjoys his company while they can. Trapper decides to adopt him after consulting his wife, and has to rescue him after he wanders into the minefield. Kim's mother turns up at the orphanage looking for him.

Directors: William Wiard
Watch Now:Amazon
Sticky Wicket
star
7.69
745 votes

#20 - Sticky Wicket

Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/4/1973

Hawkeye and Frank argue over Frank's surgical ability. Hawkeye performs a difficult operation and the patient does not recover, as he should. Hawkeye begins to doubt his ability and moves out of The Swamp. He decides to open up his patients again, and discovers a nick in the colon that even Frank admits anyone could have missed.

Directors: Don Weis
Watch Now:Amazon
Henry, Please Come Home
star
7.69
775 votes

#21 - Henry, Please Come Home

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/19/1972

Henry receives a citation for the camp achieving the best efficiency rating, and then General Hammond reassigns him to Tokyo. Frank then changes the camp to be more military, and he confiscates Hawkeye's and Trapper's still. They use forged passes to go to Tokyo to convince Henry to come back and end up pretending Radar is sick.

Directors: William Wiard
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The Trial of Henry Blake
star
7.68
671 votes

#22 - The Trial of Henry Blake

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/3/1973

Majors Houlihan and Burns press charges against Colonel Blake to get him arrested and put Frank in charge, and put Hawkeye and trapper under arrest so that they can't help him. Fortunately for Henry, they escape, and with the aid of Meg Cratty come to the rescue.

Directors: Don Weis
Watch Now:Amazon
Sometimes You Hear the Bullet
star
7.68
745 votes

#23 - Sometimes You Hear the Bullet

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/28/1973

Frank throws his back out whilst spending the evening with Margaret, and ends up in traction. He promptly applies for the Purple Heart, having been 'technically' wounded at a frontline unit. Tommy Gillis, an old friend of Hawkeye's, is writing a book about the war, and pays him a visit. Later, Tommy is brought into the camp, seriously wounded, and Hawkeye can't save him. A 15-year-old kid is in the hospital to have his appendix out. He joined up to be a hero back home, but Hawkeye has him sent home, giving him Frank's purple heart.

Directors: William Wiard
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Alcoholics Unanimous
star
7.66
542 votes

#24 - Alcoholics Unanimous

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/12/1974

Henry's departure to Tokyo leaves Major Burns in charge of the 4077th. He declares total prohibition of alcohol, which leads to a near riot amongst the camp, especially from Hawkeye and Trapper.

Directors: Hy Averback
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Love Story
star
7.66
792 votes

#25 - Love Story

Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/7/1973

Radar gets a Dear John recording from home. Hawkeye and Trapper try to set him up with a date, but fail. Radar is taken by a new nurse at the camp and she is into poetry and music, so they coach him. Margaret wants to stop the relationship, so Hawkeye and Trapper get between her and Frank until she relents. Radar's "Ahhhh, Bach!" and "That's highly significant," quotes win him the girl.

Directors: Earl Bellamy
Watch Now:Amazon