MASH’s Disowned Spinoff Could Have Resolved Hawkeye And Trapper’s Broken Friendship

A disowned MASH spinoff could have resolved the abrupt end of Hawkeye and Trapper’s friendship. Trapper actor Wayne Rogers exited MASH after season 3 and while the character was intended to be the show’s co-lead alongside Alan Alda’s Hawkeye, it didn’t work out that way. Alda was such a breakout that the showrunners kept putting more focus on Hawkeye – with Trapper’s role gradually diminishing as a result. Thus, Rogers called it quits and Trapper left MASH without saying goodbye to Hawkeye.

This felt like something of a petty move on the showrunner’s part since Trapper easily could have left a note for his friend before leaving. Rogers never returned to the show, but the character himself fronted the MASH franchise spinoffTrapper John, MD. Debuting in 1979, this medical drama picked up with the titular surgeon (now played by Pernell Roberts) 30 years after the war. Shockingly, Trapper John, MD featured few MASH callbacks, aside from the first episode having John dreaming of the war and having a picture of Alan Alda and Wayne Rogers in MASH on his desk.

Trapper John, MD Could Have Repaired Hawkeye And Trapper’s Friendship

MASH’s first spinoff could have healed an old wound

This naturally suggests the spinoff is meant to follow the older version of Rogers’ Trapper, but in actuality, it’s an offshoot of Robert Altman’s MASH movie. With a few changes, Trapper John, MD could have severed all connections with the franchise itself, since it has so little to do with it. If the show had really leaned into its source material, it could have reintroduced older versions of beloved MASH characters like Margaret, B.J., or Radar and given them all epilogues.

Trapper John, MD could have also featured an emotional reunion between the older Hawkeye and Trapper, with the two rediscovering each other decades after the war. In addition to cleaning up loose ends from MASH itself, this could have dived into the reasons why Trapper just cut ties with somebody he was so close to. Naturally, Alda would have been too young to play Hawkeye 30 years into the future at this time, but his own father Robert Alda would have fit the part.

Robert Alda actually did guest star on
Trapper John, MD
during the season 4 episode “The Object of My Affliction,” playing the role of Derrick Peters Sr.

Trapper John, MD was a straight-ahead drama instead of a comedy, so this could have allowed for a tense reunion between the former besties that ended with some kind of resolution. Instead, Hawkeye was rarely mentioned in the series and even vague references to the 4077th were few and far behind.

A Lawsuit Forced Trapper John, MD To Separate Itself From The MASH TV Series

That doesn’t explain the photo of MASH in the pilot episode though

Trapper John, MD’s lack of solid links to MASH proved to be useful when the show was sued by producer Ingo Preminger. It was Preminger who produced the Altman film, and he felt he was entitled to the first right of refusal over any spinoffs as he had optioned the original novel. After this case went to court, it was decided that while Preminger had no entitlement to produce the MASH spinoff, he was nevertheless owed 25% of its profits (via Entertainment Law Reporter).

Another consequence of this lawsuit was the determination that Trapper John, MD followed the MASH movie only and not the TV series. This could explain the near absence of references to the 4077th or the Korean War past the opening episode. Of course, the photo of Alda and Rogers as Hawkeye and Trapper suggests this wasn’t the original plan, and the series may well have intended to explore John’s time in Korea in future seasons.

Trapper’s MASH Exit Continued To Haunt Hawkeye

Trapper’s cold departure was traumatic for Hawkeye

MASH’s season 4 premiere “Welcome to Korea” introduced the character of B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell), the replacement for Trapper. B.J. would serve as Hawkeye’s new best friend for the remaining seven seasons of MASH, but despite this, Hawkeye never fully got over the sudden end of his friendship with Trapper. The latter’s discharge happens so abruptly that the the don’t get to say farewell before he leaves Korea, and for reasons unknown, Trapper made no effort to send Hawkeye a letter or note after he left camp.

Trapper may have viewed his friendship with Hawkeye as one of convenience during this time in Korea.

Trapper wasn’t mentioned much after he left MASH, but the few times Hawkeye does bring him up, it’s usually from a place of hurt. The topic even comes up in MASH’s record-breaking finale, where Hawkeye is also wounded when B.J. almost leaves the 4077th without having time to leave a note; Hunnicutt’s discharge is later rescinded. Part of what makes the very last moment of the show – where Hawkeye is airlifted from the camp and sees B.J. has spelled out “GOODBYE” with rocks – so emotional is knowing the lack of resolution the surgeon got with his previous best friend.

Trapper may have viewed his friendship with Hawkeye as one of convenience during this time in Korea. Once he left camp, Trapper may have simply wanted to put all memories of the war behind him and focus on his family; this also included forgetting about his multiple affairs. While a harsh thought, it’s not like such short-term friendships don’t occur in the middle of a warzone, and at the very least, Hawkeye did find a true buddy in B.J.

Why Trapper’s MASH Exit Was So Adrupt

Wayne Rogers found an easy way out of his MASH contract

The death of McLean Stevenson’s Henry Blake in MASH’s season 3 finale was a groundbreaking moment, marking the first time a major supporting player on a TV series had been killed off. This exit tends to overpower the fact this episode also marked Wayne Rogers’ final appearance as Trapper, with the character exiting offscreen between seasons. Rogers eventually grew weary of Trapper being sidelined and underused and decided three seasons was enough for him. Naturally, producers were furious and a lawsuit was threatened.

Since Wayne Rogers hadn’t signed the contract, he was free to exit
MASH
with zero legal consequences.

Luckily for Rogers, he had never actually signed his contract for MASH, having been offended by the inclusion of a “morals clause” in it (via Reuters). This meant the studio could suspend or fire an actor for behaving in a so-called immoral way – but as there was no concrete definition of what that even meant, it gave the studio a lot of control over their talent. Since Rogers hadn’t signed the contract, he was free to exit MASH with zero legal consequences.

This could account for the show’s less than complimentary treatment of Trapper once he left – including the controversial lack of a farewell. That said, the series had to move the spotlight over to B.J. instead, so keeping Trapper callbacks to a minimum was likely considered the best move. Again, Trapper John, MD had a unique opportunity to resolve MASH’s Hawkeye/Trapper issue, but sadly, it never came to pass.

Source: Entertainment Law Reporter, Reuters

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  Trapper John, M.D. is a television series that follows the life of Dr. Trapper John McIntyre, a veteran surgeon, as he navigates his career and personal relationships at San Francisco Memorial Hospital.

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  M*A*S*H is a drama-comedy series set during the Korean War, centering on the lives of the staff at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they navigate the challenges of wartime medical service with humor and resilience.