Why The MASH Actor Who Quit In Season 3 Regretted Leaving The Show

McLean Stevenson came to regret his decision to leave MASH during its third season - despite his character's death becoming a landmark moment on American television. Many MASH actors exited the show during its early years, though this arguably helped it in the long run, as it meant new characters kept the cast dynamic fresh. "Abyssinia, Henry" from the third season was hugely important since it featured the last appearances of both Wayne Rogers' Trapper and the shock death of Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson).

Rogers and Stevenson enjoyed their time on the show and recognized its quality - but they both wanted to front their own projects too. After Stevenson announced he was leaving, it was the showrunner's call to kill Blake off. It was decided his departure opened up a unique opportunity to underline the show's anti-war message, and that not everybody is going home alive. Blake's death led to a backlash from angry viewers, while Stevenson went on to front several sitcoms as the lead star, including the fittingly titled The McLean Stevenson Show.

McLean Stevenson Regretted Leaving MASH During Season 3

Stevenson's MASH follow-ups all tanked

MASH eventually ran for 11 seasons, so Stevenson's exit came quite early in its lifespan. The show quickly replaced Blake and Trapper with Potter (Harry Morgan) and B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell), and remained one of the biggest shows on television for its entire run. Sadly for Stevenson, his bid for solo success quickly faltered. His sitcom The McLean Stevenson Show debuted in 1976 to much fanfare - only to get canceled before it reached the end of season 1.

The star followed up with the equally short-lived In The Beginning, and while Stevenson's next show Hello, Larry lasted for two seasons, it received savage reviews and remains poorly regarded. The press was equally unkind to Stevenson, only mocking his decision to leave MASH so he could front underwhelming sitcoms. Stevenson worked steadily in the years after but commented in 1991's Memories of MASH (via The Los Angeles Times) that he held regrets about leaving.

The mistake was that I thought everybody in America loved McLean Stevenson. That was not the case. Everybody loved Henry Blake. So if you go and do ‘The McLean Stevenson Show,’ nobody cares about McLean Stevenson.

MASH was such a huge series that many of the actors who exited - including Stevenson - found it tough to escape their typecasting afterward. Actors like Larry Linville (who played Frank Burns) or Gary Burghoff (Radar) struggled to find material of the medical sitcom's quality and soon became guest stars on other shows instead. In Burghoff's case, some of his most high-profile post-MASH appearances came with spinoffs like AfterMASH.

Why McLean Stevenson Exited MASH So Early

NBC made Stevenson an offer he couldn't refuse

Custom image by Yailin Chacon

Hindsight may have declared McLean Stevenson totally wrong for leaving - but it's easy to see why it made sense back in 1975. The McLean Stevenson writer Mark Evanier recalled on his blog News From ME a long conversation he had with the star, who detailed his reasoning for quitting MASH. During this time, Stevenson was a regular guest host for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and with rumors Carson would step away, Stevenson was being lined up as his possible replacement.

Related Why Henry Blake's Death In MASH Was So Controversial & Sparked A Major Backlash The 1975 death of MASH commanding officer Lt. Col. Henry Blake had audiences reeling, critics conflicted and became a watershed moment in TV history.

This coincided with Stevenson becoming frustrated with making MASH, including perceived disrespect from the production company over filming conditions. They also refused to raise his salary, claiming that, unlike stars like Alan Alda, he didn't have much to do with its continuing success. At this point in his career, Stevenson felt he'd served his time playing supporting roles, and despite being promised that Blake would become a bigger character, this never manifested in the series. So when NBC offered Stevenson a big payday to jump ship, he took it.

From McLean Stevenson's perspective, it's easy to see why the NBC offer was the better career move - even if time proved that decision wrong.

Not only was he being paid far more than he was on MASH, but the offer came with the enticing possibility of hosting The Tonight Show. Of course, Carson ended up staying as host, while Stevenson's sitcoms all failed. From his perspective, it's easy to see why the NBC offer was the better career move - even if time proved that decision wrong.

The Death Of McLean Stevenson's Henry Blake Was A Groundbreaking TV Moment

Television was never the same after this MASH scene

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In the modern television landscape, it's not that uncommon for TV shows like The Walking Dead to kill off major characters, but back in the 1970s, this was unheard of. Before Blake's demise on MASH - where the plane bringing him back to America was shot down over the Sea of Japan - there simply had never been a show that killed a major supporting player. In addition to the shock and heartbreak it created on and off screen, Blake's death had a story purpose.

One of McLean Stevenson's final projects was a supporting role on CBS adaptation of Dirty Dancing, which ran from 1988 to 1989.

It underlined that in war, good people can die at any time. Henry's death is MASH's ultimate anti-war statement, and there is a reason this ending sequence from season 3's "Abyssinia, Henry" has lingered so long. Even if he came to regret it, McLean Stevenson's decision led to one of TV's most impactful scenes and one that became part of his legacy.

Source: The LA Times, News From ME