"M∗A∗S∗H" provides excellent material for the study of television as a cultural force…. [No] other show has emerged to successfully imitate the "M∗A∗S∗H" style. The formula combines the camaraderie of the acting company with an extremely talented team of writers, blending social comment with an inexhaustible supply of one-liners…. [The] formula has proven both flexible and durable. (p. 96)

[The] surface level antiwar theme may fuel the fire of those who claim that an antiestablishment tone is sweeping the airwaves. For example, inferences run through some scripts that the United States, not North Korea, is the real enemy in the war. Real, old-fashioned patriots are often portrayed as idiots. What's more, infidelity seems to run unchecked throughout the "M∗A∗S∗H" unit. It would, indeed, appear that some basic principles of American citizenship are being ridiculed.

But there is a second level...