By Davan 
Every MASH Character Who Didn’t Return For The Sequel Show (& Why)
Several notable personnel from the 4077 didn’t appear in the MASH sequel series, AfterMASH, for different reasons. After 11 years on the air, the legendary war comedy finally wrapped up its run with the feature-length iconic finale, “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen.” It gave each prominent character their respective ending as it marked the end of their stint in Korea. Despite the constant complaints about being forced to be in the middle of the war, Alan Alda’s Captain Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce and his cohorts’ departure from their facility was bittersweet for both the characters and the viewers. Coming home was great, but it also meant getting separated from everyone.
Because MASH was still very popular, there was a desire to continue taking advantage of its popularity by expanding the franchise. CBS ended up launching three offshoots — all of them following characters from the original show. However, AfterMASH was its true sequel, considering it featured several players from MASH. The list includes Colonel Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan), Maxwell Q. Klinger (Jamie Farr), and Father John Mulcahy (William Christopher), with a special cameo from Walter “Radar” O’Reilly (Gary Burghoff), since AfterMASH included a backdoor pilot for his own offshoot, W*A*L*T*E*R. Other characters were also referenced, but they never appeared for various reasons.
Hawkeye
Despite being an ensemble series, MASH’s unofficial lead was Hawkeye. He was mostly at the center of its storytelling, and on the rare occasion that he wasn’t, he was still an integral part of the narrative, either as a comedic source or a plot device. Given this, there was naturally interest to see more of him and his life beyond 4077’s stint in Korea. However, after more than a decade of both starring and being a major creative force in MASH, Alda wanted to take a break from the role. Luckily, there was an easy in-universe explanation for his absence.
At the end of MASH, Hawkeye returned to his beloved hometown of Crabapple Cove, Maine to be a local doctor. There, he would have been able to properly practice medicine and get to know his patients instead of doing endless meatball surgery while trying to stay alive in the middle of the war. Since the events of AfterMASH primarily took place in Missouri’s General Pershing Veterans’ Hospital aka. General General, where Potter was the chief of staff, it made sense that Hawkeye didn’t get to appear. For what it’s worth there were plans for Alda to make an appearance for future seasons, but AfterMASH was canceled.
BJ
While a late addition to MASH, Mike Farrell’s BJ Hunnicut was able to endear himself quickly to his fellow 4077 personnel and viewers of the sitcom. Debuting at the start of season 4 as Trapper John McIntyre’s replacement, BJ had big shoes to fill, but thanks to his eventful arrival in Korea, CBS made it easy to accept him. For eight years, BJ became Hawkeye’s partner-in-crime, but unlike Trapper, he was more straightlaced, with being a devoted family man becoming one of his hallmarks.
Like Hawkeye, BJ returned home after the war. However, since he was based in Mill Valley, San Francisco, it was more difficult for him to be involved in AfterMASH. If the sequel series couldn’t easily incorporate Hawkeye in the sequel series because he was back in his hometown, then it was more understandable that BJ couldn’t just jet off to Missouri, especially since he had a wife and a young daughter.
Trapper
Trapper’s departure from MASH was so abrupt that he didn’t even get his farewell episode. His departure effectively ended Wayne Rogers’ stint as the character, but the surgeon’s post-Korea life was tackled in a semi-spin-off titled Trapper John M.D., with the character eventually played by Pernell Roberts. In the show, Trapper became the Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital, and while it’s uncertain whether this post-Korea life applies to Rogers’ version of the character, the fact that Trapper had long been gone in MASH before it ended, it made sense that Potter and co. didn’t invite him in AfterMASH.
Hot Lips
Margaret arguably had the most extensive personal arc in MASH. During her affair with Frank Burns, she was more antagonistic toward Hawkeye and the rest of 4077. As she found her true self during the Korean War, she mellowed on her fellow medical personnel. This transformation was also evidenced by Margaret losing her “Hot Lips” nickname in MASH. While everyone else was happy to go back to their old lives, Margaret continued her profession by joining an army hospital. Considering her dedication to her work, it was difficult to rope her into General, General, hence her After MASH absence.
Frank Burns
Although Margaret eventually found her place at the 4077, Frank never really did. He unexpectedly left the unit shortly after his lover married Donald Penobscott, and was sent back to the US where he was reassigned to command a VA hospital back in Fort Wayne. Since Frank never really made any personal connection with people at the 4077, there was really no reason to recruit him in AfterMASH. Even if he was invited, it was likely that he would just turn it down anyway.
Charles Emerson Winchester III
David Ogden Stiers was the final main character to join MASH, playing Charles Emerson Winchester III, who was Frank’s surgeon replacement at 4077. Unlike the rest of the unit, Charles came from a wealthy family in Boston. Known for his refined taste and penchant for anything expensive, he initially struggled to get used to life in Uijeongbu, South Korea. While AfterMASH didn’t feature Charles, the sequel offered an update about his post-war life. Apparently, he returned to Boston and got married to his high school sweetheart.
Henry Blake
McLean Stevenson was the first main actor who left MASH. Despite the show’s success, leaving it was actually the actor’s idea because he wanted to venture out in his career. Henry Blake was killed in the MASH season 3 finale, an ending that was both harrowing and groundbreaking at the same time. He died when his “plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. It spun in. There were no survivors,” highlighting the horrors of war. This made it impossible for him to appear in AfterMASH.