M*A*S*H
Season 8
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes25
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseSeptember 17, 1979 (1979-09-17) –
March 24, 1980 (1980-03-24)
Season chronology

The eighth season of M*A*S*H premiered on September 17, 1979 and concluded its 25-episode season on March 24, 1980. Like season 7, this season aired Mondays at 9:00–9:30 pm on CBS.

Cast

ActorRole
Alan AldaCapt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce
Mike FarrellCapt. B.J. Hunnicut
Harry MorganCol. Sherman T. Potter
Loretta SwitMaj. Margaret Houlihan
David Ogden StiersMaj. Charles Emerson Winchester III
Jamie FarrCpl. Maxwell Q. Klinger
William ChristopherLt./Capt. Father Francis Mulcahy
Gary BurghoffCpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly

Note: Gary Burghoff appeared in four episodes of the season as Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly before leaving the series.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		Title [n 1]Directed by [n 2]Written by [n 2]Original air dateProd.
code [n 3]
1741"Too Many Cooks"Charles S. DubinDennis KoenigSeptember 17, 1979 (1979-09-17)S-601
The 4077th tries to hang on to a wounded private (Ed Begley, Jr.) who is a terrible soldier but a talented chef, while a strain on Potter's marriage has him on edge.
1752"Are You Now, Margaret?"Charles S. DubinThad Mumford & Dan WilcoxSeptember 24, 1979 (1979-09-24)S-602

A visiting Congressional aide (Lawrence Pressman) alleges that Margaret is a Communist sympathizer and threatens to ruin her Army career.
Thad Mumford and Dan Wilcox won the Writers Guild Award for this episode.

Note – Gary Burghoff does not appear in this episode.
1763"Guerrilla My Dreams"Alan AldaBob CollearyOctober 1, 1979 (1979-10-01)S-603
A South Korean officer (Mako) harasses a wounded woman he claims to be an enemy guerrilla. Second appearance of Scully.
1774"Good Bye, Radar: Part 1"Charles S. DubinKen Levine & David IsaacsOctober 8, 1979 (1979-10-08)S-610
The generator goes on the fritz while Radar is on R&R, so B.J. and Potter jury-rig a device to treat a patient. When Radar returns, he learns that his uncle has died, making him eligible for a hardship discharge from the Army.
1785"Good Bye, Radar: Part 2"Charles S. DubinKen Levine & David IsaacsOctober 15, 1979 (1979-10-15)S-611

Although Radar has his discharge, the need for a new generator makes him think that the 4077th needs him more than his family does.
Ken Levine and David Isaacs received Primetime Emmy and Writers Guild Award nominations for this episode.

Note – This is Gary Burghoff's final appearance on the show.
1796"Period of Adjustment"Charles S. DubinJim Mulligan & John RappaportOctober 22, 1979 (1979-10-22)S-604
Radar's departure proves too challenging for Klinger, having a tough act to follow as company clerk; and for BJ, whose homesickness explodes when he learns Radar was able to visit the Hunnicutt family in California on his way home.
Charles S. Dubin won the Directors Guild Award for this episode and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Jim Mulligan and John Rappaport received a Writers Guild Award nomination.
1807"Nurse Doctor"Charles S. DubinStory by : Sy Rosen
Teleplay by : Sy Rosen and Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox		October 29, 1979 (1979-10-29)S-608
Father Mulcahy assists a nurse with her studies for medical school, but feels uneasy about her display of appreciation.
1818"Private Finance"Charles S. DubinDennis KoenigNovember 5, 1979 (1979-11-05)S-605
A Korean woman accuses Klinger of disgracing her daughter, while Hawkeye finds it hard to keep a promise to a dying soldier.
1829"Mr. and Mrs. Who?"Burt MetcalfeRonny GrahamNovember 12, 1979 (1979-11-12)S-606
A hung-over Charles tries to remember what he did while on R&R in Tokyo and learns that he may have wed an unknown woman (Claudette Nevins). His fellow staff members encounter cases of Korean hemorrhagic fever, with its particularly dangerous diuretic phase.
18310"The Yalu Brick Road"Charles S. DubinMike FarrellNovember 19, 1979 (1979-11-19)S-607
Charles, Margaret, and Father Mulcahy find themselves looking after the whole camp when a salmonella epidemic hits after a bad Thanksgiving turkey. Hawkeye and B.J. get lost in enemy territory during a trip to get antibiotics and pick up a North Korean prisoner. First appearance of G. W. Bailey as Sgt. Rizzo.
18411"Life Time"Alan AldaAlan Alda and Walter Dishell, M.D.November 26, 1979 (1979-11-26)S-609
The surgeons race against time to save a soldier with a lacerated aorta.
The majority of this episode happens in real time after Pierce announces a deadline of 20 minutes they have to save a patient from paralysis. An analog clock, established as the clock in the helicopter, is superimposed at the bottom right corner of the screen and a quiet ticking sound is heard throughout. The episode has no laugh track.
18512"Dear Uncle Abdul"William JurgensenJohn Rappaport & Jim MulliganDecember 3, 1979 (1979-12-03)S-613
Klinger writes to his uncle Abdul about his duties as company clerk, while Hawkeye and B.J. worry about a mentally disabled soldier (Richard Lineback) who has been on combat duty.
18613"Captains Outrageous"Burt MetcalfeThad Mumford & Dan WilcoxDecember 10, 1979 (1979-12-10)S-614
The surgeons take care of Rosie's after she gets hurt in a brawl, while Father Mulcahy awaits his long-denied promotion. Featuring John Orchard, who had played "Ugly John" in the first season, in a different role.
18714"Stars and Stripes"Harry MorganDennis KoenigDecember 17, 1979 (1979-12-17)S-615
B.J. and Charles have a clash of the egos while working together on a medical paper. Third and final appearance of Scully, whose more traditional attitudes toward relationships clash with Margaret's less stringent views.
Harry Morgan received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for directing this episode.
18815"Yessir, That's Our Baby"Alan AldaJim MulliganDecember 31, 1979 (1979-12-31)S-617
The 4077th tries to find a permanent home for a half-American, half-Korean baby abandoned at the camp. However, the officers find themselves caught between the United States' refusal to take responsibility for its soldiers' actions, and the likelihood that the child will be killed by Koreans in the name of racial purity.
18916"Bottle Fatigue"Burt MetcalfeThad Mumford & Dan WilcoxJanuary 7, 1980 (1980-01-07)S-618
Because of his bar bill, Hawkeye gets off drinking for a week, but his self-righteousness starts driving everyone else crazy. Meanwhile, Charles is not happy about his sister Honoria's engagement to an Italian. Featuring Shelley Long.
19017"Heal Thyself"Mike FarrellStory by : Dennis Koenig and Gene Reynolds
Teleplay by : Dennis Koenig		January 14, 1980 (1980-01-14)S-616
When Potter and Charles are quarantined with the mumps, a replacement surgeon (Edward Herrmann) fills in for them, but he starts to crack under the pressure.
19118"Old Soldiers"Charles S. DubinDennis KoenigJanuary 21, 1980 (1980-01-21)S-620
While the camp is treating Korean refugees, Potter returns in a bad mood after visiting a sick friend and tells the officers about a tontine he formed with some of his fellow soldiers during World War I.
19219"Morale Victory"Charles S. DubinJohn RappaportJanuary 28, 1980 (1980-01-28)S-619
Music-loving Charles desperately seeks hope for a soldier whose injured right hand ends his career as a concert classical pianist, while Potter puts Hawkeye and B.J. in charge of morale. The movie at the beginning of the episode is Tales of Manhattan, released in 1942.
19320"Lend a Hand"Alan AldaStory by : Alan Alda and Burt Metcalfe
Teleplay by : Alan Alda
Jim Mulligan & John Rappaport
Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox		February 4, 1980 (1980-02-04)S-621
Hawkeye clashes with a know-it-all surgeon, but the two must work together under fire at an aid station.
Alan Alda's father Robert and half-brother Antony guest-star in this episode. Robert played the same character in the season 3 episode "The Consultant".
19421"Goodbye, Cruel World"Charles S. DubinThad Mumford & Dan WilcoxFebruary 11, 1980 (1980-02-11)S-622
Sidney Freedman visits the 4077th to deal with an Asian-American soldier (Clyde Kusatsu) who may be on the brink of suicide.
19522"Dreams"Alan AldaStory by : Alan Alda and James Jay Rubinfier
Teleplay by : Alan Alda		February 18, 1980 (1980-02-18)S-612
The surgeons get a few minutes of sleep during a long haul in the OR, but their pleasant dreams soon become nightmares.
Alan Alda received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for directing this episode.
19623"War Co-Respondent"Mike FarrellMike FarrellMarch 3, 1980 (1980-03-03)S-624
B.J. tries to stay faithful to his family back in California despite a mutual attraction between him and a famous war correspondent (Susan Saint James).
19724"Back Pay"Burt MetcalfeThad Mumford & Dan Wilcox and Dennis KoenigMarch 10, 1980 (1980-03-10)S-625
Hawkeye decides to bill the Army for his services, irked at stateside medical fees, as Charles seeks relief after throwing out his back.
19825"April Fools"Charles S. DubinDennis KoenigMarch 24, 1980 (1980-03-24)S-623
A hot-tempered colonel (Pat Hingle) arrives at the 4077th on April Fools' Day.

Notes

  1. ↑ Titles taken from DVD
  2. 1 2 Credits from episode title cards
  3. ↑ Production Code from end credits
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