M*A*S*H, Season 4 (1975)

As with my last M*A*S*H review, I'm not going to bother explaining the premise of the show again.  If you somehow got here without actually knowing, well ... you're on the internet.  You'll figure it out.

Season four presents a big shift for the show, as two major characters do not return.  This means replacements need to be introduced for both, of course, so who are these newcomers?

The first is Colonel Sherman Potter, a new base commandant to replace Henry Blake.  The second is B J Hunnicutt, who replaces Trapper John as one of the unit's doctors.

Of the two, I think Potter is definitely the more successful introduction, though this is no fault of Mike Farrell, who plays BJ.  Potter, you see, is pretty much the antithesis of his predecessor.  He's career military to Blake's civilian background, faithful to his wife where Blake was not, and a firm and decive leader whereas Blake was the quintessential ditherer.  About the only thing they have in common is that Potter is just as aware of what an idiot Frank Burns is.  These differences mean that Potter feels distinctive and has his own identity, even if he doesn't actually change the overall dynamic of the show that much.

BJ, meanwhile, is different from Trapper John in that ... he is faithful to his wife.  That's pretty much it.  Otherwise, he's basically just the same "Hawkeye's sidekick" character.  Hopefully the writers will find a way to differentiate him over time.

Another noticeable change this year is Major Houlihan becoming a bit more rounded as a character, with her positive character traits getting a bit more attention and her less positive ones becoming more nuanced.  I ascribe this to the season 2 and 3 efforts of Linda Bloodworth and Mary Kay Place.  It's disappointing but perhaps no surprise that it took the introduction of female writers to start giving the only significant female character some depth.  At least the male writers seem to have followed their lead, though.

Recommended episodes: "Dear Mildred", "The Kids", "Soldier of the Month" and "Der Tag".  Oh and sure, I guess "The Interview", which is very well executed, even if I am not personally as big a fan of it as some.