Summary
MASH was an incredibly popular sitcom and its finale remains the most-watched of all time, making it unlikely that its record will be broken.
The animated parody show MUSH, which depicted canine versions of the characters from MASH, was produced by Filmation. However, it performed poorly and was ultimately cancelled. As a result, the failure of MUSH resulted in the cancellation of the entire Uncle Croc's Block show. Additionally, this marked Filmation's first-ever cancellation from a network, thus ending their relationship with ABC.
MASH's immense popularity gave rise to an unconventional parody called MUSH, which ultimately met with failure. Given its status as one of the greatest sitcoms ever, it comes as no surprise that MASH enjoyed tremendous success during its heyday. The series finale holds the distinction of being both the most-watched finale of any show and the most-watched episode of a scripted series. With the multitude of viewing options available today, it is highly unlikely that this record will be surpassed. However, even before achieving these milestones, MASH was already causing a stir while it was airing.
Recognizing that MASH was an adaptation itself, the creators of the series were well aware of the success of its source material, Richard Hooker's 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, as well as the 1970 film adaptation directed by Robert Altman. Led by Alan Alda's Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce, MASH skillfully straddled the line between comedy and drama as the 4077 unit made the most of their time in Korea during the Korean War. Parodying MASH was no easy feat given its subject matter, but that did not deter one animation company from trying.
MUSH Was A Cartoon Based On MASH Starring Dogs
Filmation, following their success with a cartoon adaptation of Star Trek, tried their hand at giving MASH a similar treatment. In 1975, just three years after the original series premiered, Filmation produced an animated parody called MUSH (short for "Mangy Unwanted Shabby Heroes"). This parody aired on ABC as part of the Saturday morning children’s show called Uncle Croc’s Block. MUSH featured canine versions of the beloved MASH characters, with slightly altered names such as Bullseye, Cold Lips, Col. Flake, and Sonar.
The premise of MUSH took inspiration from the original war dramedy. The canine ensemble found themselves stationed at a frozen Arctic outpost, where they navigated the challenges of their situation while also getting into their own mischievous escapades. However, MUSH episodes were quite brief, only running for six minutes. Behind the scenes, voices were provided by Robert Ridgely for Bullseye, Trooper, and Sonar, while Kenneth Mars portrayed Sideburns and Cold Lips. Despite being supported by Filmation Studios co-founder Lou Scheimer, MUSH failed to capture the audience's attention and was eventually cancelled.
The Failure Of MUSH Cost Filmation A Major Network Deal
After the MASH parody, Uncle Croc's Block faced cancellation, marking Filmation's first-ever rejection from a network. Consequently, this event also signified ABC's final purchase from the animation studio. Nonetheless, Filmation persevered by creating content for other broadcasting companies. Two years after its cancellation, MUSH was included in Filmation's syndication package called The Groovie Goolies and Friends. Despite the fallout with ABC, Filmation benefited financially from Uncle Croc Block's cancellation as they had already received payment from ABC for episodes they no longer had to produce.
