All 5 MASH Actors Who Appeared On The Sequel Show

MASH‘s aptly titled spin-off series, AfterMASH, featured several familiar faces from the beloved 4077th mobile army surgical unit in Korea. Much like other hit sitcoms, CBS would have wanted to keep MASH on the air for as long as possible thanks to its popularity. That being said, more than a decade of the medical comedy-drama was more than enough for its true lead star, Alan Alda, who played the competent but wildly chaotic, Captain Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce. Not everyone from the cast, however, shared the actor’s decision to retire their respective MASH characters, giving the network the chance to continue the franchise via an expansion.

It’s difficult to blame CBS for wanting to take advantage of MASH‘s popularity even after it ended in 1983. Its feature-length iconic finale, “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen” remains the most-watched scripted episode of all time. The network ended up launching three offshoots, but AfterMASH was definitely the most prominent one because of its premise and ensemble. It was the only show from the roster that featured multiple characters from the original show, with the spin-off following them as they re-settle back in the States after being stationed in South Korea for years.

5 Sherman T. Potter

As the commanding officer of the 4077th MASH, AfterMASH followed Colonel Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan) as he came back home to Missouri. Fond of sharing stories about his years serving in previous wars, Potter also had a penchant for painting a picture of what his personal life looked like before he was called for the Korean War. In AfterMASH, Potter was reunited with his wife, Mildred, who was mentioned countless times in MASH, but never physically appeared. Once the novelty of retirement wore off, Potter eventually returned to practicing medicine, becoming the chief of staff at as the chief of staff at General Pershing Veterans’ Hospital aka. General General.

4 Maxwell Q. Klinger

The end of MASH ironically saw cross-dressed Maxwell Q. Klinger (Jamie Farr) deciding to stay behind in Korea. After spending the first several seasons of the medical comedy-drama trying to get Section 8, it was surprising that he ended up extending his stint in the country after the 4077th was called back home. Ultimately, Klinger found love in Korea, a welcomed development following his heartbreaking separation from his first wife, Laverne. He married Soon-Lee, and instead of whisking her away back to the States, they opted to stay behind to find her missing family.

In AfterMASH, however, Klinger had returned home, but soon after, he realized that reclaiming his old life wasn’t going to be easy — something that he didn’t foresee during his ardent attempt at being discharged from the military and sent home Eventually, Potter offered him a job to be his administrative assistant at General, General. This effectively re-established their Korean dynamic as 4077’s commanding officer and company clerk.

3 Father John Mulcahy

As one of the only three original characters from MASH who appeared in all 11 seasons of the show, Father John Mulcahy’s (William Christopher) return in AfterMASH was significant. While every character who was in the sequel quickly discovered that transitioning after the war wasn’t going to be easy, Father Mulcahy arguably had the most devastating situation. After losing his hearing in the MASH finale, the 4077’s Padre resorted to drinking. It wasn’t until Potter intervened and had him go through surgery to regain his hearing that he slowly figured out his bearings. Like Klinger, Father Mulcahy relocated to Missouri to become the Catholic chaplain at General General.

2 Soon-Lee Klinger

As Klinger’s wife, Soon-Lee (Rosalind Chao) became a pivotal character in AfterMASH despite being a rather late addition to MASH. Her desire to find her missing parents was what compelled Klinger to stay in Korea after the 4077 unit had been recalled back to the States. In AfterMASH, She and Klinger appeared to still be very much in love. The couple eventually had a baby, with Soon-Lee moving in with the Potters while Klinger faked insanity to avoid jail time.

1 Walter “Radar” O’Reilly

Although not part of the core cast of AfterMASH, Gary Burghoff reprised Walter “Radar” O’Reilly in the MASH spin-off as a guest star. Unlike the rest of his former 4077 personnel, Radar had a head start in acclimating himself back home after he was discharged from the outfit in season 8. Potter, Klinger, and Mulcahy were supposed to travel to Idaho for Radar’s wedding when he surprised everyone by showing up in Missouri, all panicked because of a hunch that his fiancée had cheated on him. Radar’s appearance in AfterMASH actually functioned as the backdoor pilot for his own spin-off, W*A*L*T*E*R, which unfortunately was never picked up.