20 TV Shows That Are Practically Flawless

A spin-off of the same-titled feature film from 1970, Mash takes place during the Korean War, released while America was still grappling with the conflict in Vietnam, and did an impossible thing by blending hard-hitting war drama with silly humour and an almost skit-like ability to look away from the horrors of battle.

Mash was a great war series, able to talk politics in a big way without taking a stand on either side of the debate, but as a sitcom it was close to unbeaten during its run. Alan Alda's Hawkeye Pierce, a man who used comedy to escape the torment around him, was the focal point, and the show's most hilarious but tragic figure.

Like Hawkeye, Mash was a show willing to have heaps of fun - Hawkeye not wanting to use his gun - but also break your heart - the chicken reveal - but no matter what it was doing it did it impossibly well, making it clear why its final episode is the most watched finale of all time.