{{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{short description|Season of television series}} {{Infobox television season | season_number = | bgcolour = #FB6900 | image = | image_alt = | caption = | starring = | num_episodes = 25 | network = CBS | first_aired = {{Start date|1979|09|17}} | last_aired = {{End date|1980|03|24}} | prev_season = Season 7 | next_season = Season 9 | episode_list = List of M*A*S*H episodes }}
The eighth season of ''M*A*S*H'' premiered on September 17, 1979 and concluded its 25-episode season on March 24, 1980. Like season 7, this season aired Mondays at 9:00–9:30 pm on CBS.
==Cast== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Actor !! Role |- | Alan Alda || Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce |- | Mike Farrell || Capt. B.J. Hunnicut |- | Harry Morgan || Col. Sherman T. Potter |- | Loretta Swit || Maj. Margaret Houlihan |- | David Ogden Stiers || Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III |- | Jamie Farr || Cpl. Maxwell Q. Klinger |- | William Christopher || Lt./Capt. Father Francis Mulcahy |- | Gary Burghoff || Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly |} Note: Gary Burghoff appeared in four episodes of the season as Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly before leaving the series.
==Episodes== {{see also|List of M*A*S*H episodes}} <onlyinclude>{{Episode table |background=#FB6900|overall=4 |season=4 |title= |titleR=<ref group=n name=DVD>Titles taken from DVD</ref> |director=19 | directorR =<ref group=n name=Cred>Credits from episode title cards</ref> |writer=22 |writerR=<ref group=n name=Cred/>|airdate=17 |prodcode= 8 |prodcodeR=<ref group=n name=ECred>Production Code from end credits</ref> |episodes=
{{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 174 | EpisodeNumber2 = 1 | Title = Too Many Cooks | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = Dennis Koenig | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|09|17}} | ProdCode = S-601 | ShortSummary = The 4077th tries to hang on to a wounded private (Ed Begley Jr.) who is a terrible soldier but a talented chef, while a strain on Potter's marriage has him on edge. Note – Gary Burghoff makes a brief appearance in this episode. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 175 | EpisodeNumber2 = 2 | Title = Are You Now, Margaret? | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|09|24}} | ProdCode = S-602 | ShortSummary = A visiting Congressional aide (Lawrence Pressman) alleges that Margaret is a Communist sympathizer and threatens to ruin her Army career.<br />Thad Mumford and Dan Wilcox won the Writers Guild Award for this episode. Note – Gary Burghoff does not appear in this episode. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 176 | EpisodeNumber2 = 3 | Title = Guerrilla My Dreams | DirectedBy = Alan Alda | WrittenBy = Bob Colleary | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|10|01}} | ProdCode = S-603 | ShortSummary = A South Korean officer (Mako) harasses a wounded woman he claims to be an enemy guerrilla. Second appearance of Scully. Note – Gary Burghoff makes a brief appearance in this episode. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 177 | EpisodeNumber2 = 4 | Title = Good Bye, Radar: Part 1 | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = Ken Levine & David Isaacs | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|10|08}} | ProdCode = S-610 | ShortSummary = The generator goes on the fritz while Radar is on R&R, so B.J. and Potter jury-rig a device to treat a patient. When Radar returns, he learns that his uncle has died, making him eligible for a hardship discharge from the Army. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 178 | EpisodeNumber2 = 5 | Title = Good Bye, Radar: Part 2 | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = Ken Levine & David Isaacs | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|10|15}} | ProdCode = S-611 | ShortSummary = Although Radar has his discharge, the need for a new generator makes him think that the 4077th needs him more than his family does.<br />Ken Levine and David Isaacs received Primetime Emmy and Writers Guild Award nominations for this episode. Note – This is Gary Burghoff's final appearance on the show. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 179 | EpisodeNumber2 = 6 | Title = Period of Adjustment | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = Jim Mulligan & John Rappaport | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|10|22}} | ProdCode = S-604 | ShortSummary = Radar's departure proves too challenging for Klinger, having a tough act to follow as company clerk; and for BJ, whose homesickness explodes when he learns his daughter called Radar 'Daddy' upon seeing him. <br />Charles S. Dubin won the Directors Guild Award for this episode and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.<br />Jim Mulligan and John Rappaport received a Writers Guild Award nomination. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 180 | EpisodeNumber2 = 7 | Title = Nurse Doctor | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Sy Rosen|t=Sy Rosen and Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox}} | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|10|29}} | ProdCode = S-608 | ShortSummary = Father Mulcahy assists a nurse with her studies for medical school, but feels uneasy about her display of appreciation. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 181 | EpisodeNumber2 = 8 | Title = Private Finance | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = Dennis Koenig | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|11|05}} | ProdCode = S-605 | ShortSummary = A Korean woman accuses Klinger of disgracing her daughter, while Hawkeye finds it hard to keep a promise to a dying soldier. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 182 | EpisodeNumber2 = 9 | Title = Mr. and Mrs. Who? | DirectedBy = Burt Metcalfe | WrittenBy = Ronny Graham | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|11|12}} | ProdCode = S-606 | ShortSummary = A hung-over Charles tries to remember what he did while on R&R in Tokyo and learns that he may have wed an unknown woman (Claudette Nevins). His fellow staff members encounter cases of Korean hemorrhagic fever, with its particularly dangerous diuretic phase. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 183 | EpisodeNumber2 = 10 | Title = The Yalu Brick Road | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = Mike Farrell | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|11|19}} | ProdCode = S-607 | ShortSummary = Charles, Margaret, and Father Mulcahy find themselves looking after the whole camp when a salmonella epidemic hits after a bad Thanksgiving turkey. Hawkeye and B.J. get lost in enemy territory during a trip to get antibiotics and pick up a North Korean prisoner. First appearance of G. W. Bailey as Sgt. Rizzo. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 184 | EpisodeNumber2 = 11 | Title = Life Time | DirectedBy = Alan Alda | WrittenBy = Alan Alda and Walter Dishell, M.D. | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|11|26}} | ProdCode = S-609 | ShortSummary = The surgeons race against time to save a soldier with a lacerated aorta.<br />The majority of this episode happens in real time after Pierce announces a deadline of 20 minutes they have to save a patient from paralysis. An analog clock, established as the clock in the helicopter, is superimposed at the bottom right corner of the screen and a quiet ticking sound is heard throughout. The episode has no laugh track. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 185 | EpisodeNumber2 = 12 | Title = Dear Uncle Abdul | DirectedBy = William Jurgensen | WrittenBy = John Rappaport & Jim Mulligan | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|12|03}} | ProdCode = S-613 | ShortSummary = Klinger writes to his uncle Abdul about his duties as company clerk, while Hawkeye and B.J. worry about a mentally disabled soldier (Richard Lineback) who has been on combat duty. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 186 | EpisodeNumber2 = 13 | Title = Captains Outrageous | DirectedBy = Burt Metcalfe | WrittenBy = Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|12|10}} | ProdCode = S-614 | ShortSummary = The surgeons take care of Rosie's after she gets hurt in a brawl, while Father Mulcahy awaits his long-denied promotion. Featuring John Orchard, who had played "Ugly John" in the first season, in a different role. Sirri Murad, who portrays a Turkish soldier, also appeared in the Season 3 episode, "A Full Rich Day." | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 187 | EpisodeNumber2 = 14 | Title = Stars and Stripes | DirectedBy = Harry Morgan | WrittenBy = Dennis Koenig | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|12|17}} | ProdCode = S-615 | ShortSummary = B.J. and Charles have a clash of the egos while working together on a medical paper. Third and final appearance of Scully, whose more traditional attitudes toward relationships clash with Margaret's less stringent views.<br />Harry Morgan received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for directing this episode. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 188 | EpisodeNumber2 = 15 | Title = Yessir, That's Our Baby | DirectedBy = Alan Alda | WrittenBy = Jim Mulligan | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1979|12|31}} | ProdCode = S-617 | ShortSummary = The 4077th tries to find a permanent home for a half-American, half-Korean baby abandoned at the camp. However, the officers find themselves caught between the United States' refusal to take responsibility for its soldiers' actions, and the likelihood that the child will be killed by Koreans in the name of racial purity. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 189 | EpisodeNumber2 = 16 | Title = Bottle Fatigue | DirectedBy = Burt Metcalfe | WrittenBy = Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1980|01|07}} | ProdCode = S-618 | ShortSummary = Because of his bar bill, Hawkeye gets off drinking for a week, but his self-righteousness starts driving everyone else crazy. Meanwhile, Charles is not happy about his sister Honoria's engagement to an Italian. Featuring Shelley Long. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 190 | EpisodeNumber2 = 17 | Title = Heal Thyself | DirectedBy = Mike Farrell | WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Dennis Koenig and Gene Reynolds|t=Dennis Koenig}} | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1980|01|14}} | ProdCode = S-616 | ShortSummary = When Potter and Charles are quarantined with the mumps, a replacement surgeon (Edward Herrmann) fills in for them, but he starts to crack under the pressure. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 191 | EpisodeNumber2 = 18 | Title = Old Soldiers | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = Dennis Koenig | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1980|01|21}} | ProdCode = S-620 | ShortSummary = While the camp is treating Korean refugees, Potter returns in a bad mood after visiting a sick friend and tells the officers about a tontine he formed with some of his fellow soldiers during World War I.
Note: Harry Morgan received the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his performance in this episode. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 192 | EpisodeNumber2 = 19 | Title = Morale Victory | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = John Rappaport | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1980|01|28}} | ProdCode = S-619 | ShortSummary = Music-loving Charles desperately seeks hope for a soldier whose injured right hand ends his career as a concert classical pianist, while Potter puts Hawkeye and B.J. in charge of morale. The movie at the beginning of the episode is ''Tales of Manhattan'', released in 1942. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 193 | EpisodeNumber2 = 20 | Title = Lend a Hand | DirectedBy = Alan Alda | WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Alan Alda and Burt Metcalfe|t=Alan Alda<br/>Jim Mulligan & John Rappaport<br/>Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox}} | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1980|02|04}} | ProdCode = S-621 | ShortSummary = Hawkeye clashes with a know-it-all surgeon, but the two must work together under fire at an aid station.<br />Alan Alda's father Robert and half-brother Antony guest-star in this episode. Robert played the same character in the season 3 episode "The Consultant". | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 194 | EpisodeNumber2 = 21 | Title = Goodbye, Cruel World | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1980|02|11}} | ProdCode = S-622 | ShortSummary = Sidney Freedman visits the 4077th to deal with an Asian-American soldier (Clyde Kusatsu) who may be on the brink of suicide; Klinger attempts to redecorate his quarters with a 'few' things from home. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 195 | EpisodeNumber2 = 22 | Title = Dreams | DirectedBy = Alan Alda | WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s=Alan Alda and James Jay Rubinfier|t=Alan Alda}} | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1980|02|18}} | ProdCode = S-612 | ShortSummary = The surgeons get a few minutes of sleep during a long haul in the OR, but their pleasant dreams soon become nightmares.<br />The episode has no laugh track.<br />Alan Alda received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for directing this episode. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 196 | EpisodeNumber2 = 23 | Title = War Co-Respondent | DirectedBy = Mike Farrell | WrittenBy = Mike Farrell | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1980|03|03}} | ProdCode = S-624 | ShortSummary = B.J. tries to stay faithful to his family back in California despite a mutual attraction between him and a famous war correspondent (Susan Saint James). | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 197 | EpisodeNumber2 = 24 | Title = Back Pay | DirectedBy = Burt Metcalfe | WrittenBy = Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox and Dennis Koenig | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1980|03|10}} | ProdCode = S-625 | ShortSummary = Hawkeye decides to bill the Army for his services, irked at stateside medical fees, as Charles seeks relief after throwing out his back. | LineColor = FB6900 }} {{Episode list/sublist|M*A*S*H season 8 | EpisodeNumber = 198 | EpisodeNumber2 = 25 | Title = April Fools | DirectedBy = Charles S. Dubin | WrittenBy = Dennis Koenig | OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1980|03|24}} | ProdCode = S-623 | ShortSummary = A hot-tempered colonel (Pat Hingle) arrives at the 4077th on April Fools' Day. | LineColor = FB6900 }} }}</onlyinclude>
==Notes==
<references group=n/>
== External links == * [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068098/episodes?season=8 List of ''M*A*S*H'' season 8 episodes] at the Internet Movie Database
{{Mash}} {{M*A*S*H episodes}}
Category:1979 American television seasons Category:1980 American television seasons MASH 08