The most-watched finale of a sitcom in U.S. history, the last episode of M*A*S*H, would be seen by 105.9 million people.
The special 2.5-hour episode ended the 11-season series that would go on to win 19 Emmy awards.
Set during the Korean War, M*A*S*H would go on for 251 episodes and last longer than the actual war.
According to The News Tribune, the television listing for Feb. 28, 1983, said, “the Korean conflict comes to an end, Hawkeye, B.J., Col. Potter, Hot Lips and the rest of the camp personnel prepare to go home and face the difficult task of saying good-bye to one another.”
The finale, directed by star Alan Alda, aired right after the 7 p.m. news, Family Feud, and Alice.
“When I finished shooting, I really was churned up,” Alda said during an interview with the Associated Press in 1983.
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