M*A*S*H

When this show first came on the air elementary school students were watching. That was a little disturbing, given the bloody operating room scenes and the occasional slightly sexual dialogue. But such dialogue was brief and infrequent, and the operating room scenes are quite tame by today's standards. All this makes MASH one of the better choices out there for students from junior high on up. While there perhaps could've been more respect shown for the war than there was, one must remember that not everyone felt that the Korean War was a just war, an excellent time for parents to tell their children that it's possible to be promilitary and antiwar. While the moralizing episodes were perhaps sometimes too stiff, those episodes were especially the ones that made people think that the writers, producers and characters were empathetic, caring people. Sometimes the show is lame (hence 4 stars instead of 5), but usually it's very good. I'm biased, but my favorite episodes are the Father Mulcahy episodes, as the actor who played him (Bill Christopher) adopted an autistic son named Ned.

I gave this show a 5 star rating because it's one of the best comedy/dramas ever made, one could argue that it created the entire "dramedy" category. Lots of new viewers are going to have access to M*A*S*H as it's now available on Netflix streaming. Pause because it is so very graphic and heartbreaking at times (it's set in mobile military hospital unit during Korean War and characters you grow to love are lost). You know your child and what they can and can't handle, so the age rating on this show really is up to the individual parent. Also, the CSM reviewer is right about the anti-war message being a central theme. One can see this as an opportunity to discuss serious topics like "what is a just war," or, one could be put off by the political opinion in the show and feel that it shows a lack of respect for opposing political viewpoints. Bottom line, show is brilliant, but known for it's political preachy tone (at times) and is heartbreakingly sad and funny all at once. One should know this and be prepared for discussions with your child to help them process the serious themes involved. Also Hawkeye is the central character, he's a lovable anti-hero type, but is the camp scoundrel who loves his liquor, so expect a lot of drinking and skirt-chasing (now understood to be sexual harassment, but this show was made in the 70's). Lots going on in this show, so take a minute to decide for yourself if appropriate for your family.