ABSTRACT
The successful CBS comedy series "M*A*S*H" provides excellent material for the study of television as a cultural force. It also proves particularly suited to the new criticism. Horace Newcomb, in TV: The Most Popular Art, comments that the program "has created a format and attitude of its own," and indeed, no other show has emerged to successfully imitate the "M*A*S*H" style. Without ever moralizing, "M*A*S*H" is the most moral entertainment on commercial television. It proposes craft against butchery, humor against despair, wit as a defense mechanism against the senseless enormity of the situation. Not surprisingly, the message comforts rather than threatens the audience. While some would criticize the "M*A*S*H" treatment of Mulcahey as a timid bumbler, made light of but always respected by the others, there are important reasons for such a characterization. Although "M*A*S*H" may put America's traditions to a severe test, in the end they ultimately survive. The emphasis is on stability. The tone is one of confidence.
