These long-forgotten commercials show us what 'M*A*S*H' would have been like as a workplace sitcom
Image: Sober Build Engineer
We all know M*A*S*H as the celebrated sitcom about the Korean War, which ran for an incredible 11 seasons in the 1970s and early '80s.
The series was so beloved, its finale became the highest-rated television event of all time. It was safe the say that even though the show was over, audiences wanted more.
Well, in the late 1980s, computer giant IBM gave them more — by envisioning the original series as a workplace sitcom.
Most of the cast of M*A*S*H appeared in a series of commercials touting the tech company's newest and most innovative products. The YouTube account GroverKent complied them all together for us to enjoy.
M*A*S*H Cast Commercials
This update includes a long-lost IBM commercial featuring Gary Burghoff, Larry Linville, Harry Morgan, Bill Christopher, Loretta Swit, and Wayne Rogers; and a commercial with Mac Stevenson hawking chairs.Aside from the setting, not much has changed from the original series. For example, Alan Alda can't help but make wisecracks about everything.
For diehard M*A*S*H fans, there are two ways to interpret these commercials. Either they come from a parallel universe where M*A*S*H was actually a workplace sitcom called W*O*R*K, or this is a natural continuation of the story, where the members of the 4077th end up working at an accounting firm.
It's fun to see Radar as an office manager, but it's weird to see Col. Potter and Trapper John interact, as the two never crossed paths on the original show. Alas, Klinger doesn't wear a pantsuit.
Do you remember these ads?