M*A*S*H Leaving Netflix on April 1st? [Updated]

107 Comments

Attention! Attention! If you’re upset about M*A*S*H being removed from Netflix’s streaming service, please contact Netflix directly. See this post.

April 1st, 2016 Update:

It’s confirmed. M*A*S*H has been removed from Netflix’s streaming service in the United States and potentially other countries as well.

March 21st, 2016 Update:

I chatted again with Netflix customer support this afternoon and asked if there was any update on the M*A*S*H situation. Here’s what I was told:

I don’t see anything official on extending that license, but I went ahead and put in a request to do so on your behalf. I know it’s a huge fan favorite, and there are a lot of folks who’d like to keep watching it 🙂

Unless something changes in the next 10 days, it looks like M*A*S*H will be leaving Netflix streaming as of April 1st.

Original Post:

I’ve received a few e-mails from M*A*S*H fans concerned because they’ve read the series is leaving Netflix. Recall that the first five seasons were added to Netflix’s streaming service on February 1st, 2015 while seasons 6-11 were added on April 1st. “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” wasn’t made available until July 1st.

Anyway, as of yesterday Netflix users started seeing a notice pop up informing them that M*A*S*H won’t be available after April 1st. I saw the notice myself a few minutes ago when I started watching an episode through my TV. I haven’t seen it while watching on my computer. It only appeared once and I don’t remember exactly how it was worded. I do not know whether this impacts Netflix users outside the United States.

A quick search of Twitter reveals a few dozen tweets about M*A*S*H leaving Netflix dating, the earliest coming yesterday morning. There are also one or two comments at the Netflix Facebook page. There has been no response from Netflix as far as I can tell but that’s probably normal. I doubt Netflix has the time to respond to every complaint about a TV show or movie being removed from its streaming service.

I just finished chatting with a friendly Netflix customer support representative named Madison. I asked whether or not M*A*S*H was leaving. Here’s what Madison told me:

Okay I have good and bad news for you my friend. It looks like it is scheduled to be removed on 4/01/2016 the reason for this is because our legal contracts will expire on that date and as of right now we haven’t been able to renew them.

The good news is that we are still working to get new permissions for it so I am going to reach out to the content team and let them know we really don’t want to see it go. There is a possibility we will be able to renew and leave it on Netflix for everyone to enjoy.

Madison also let me know that Netflix owns the rights to M*A*S*H on DVD in perpetuity, so anyone who still has a Netflix DVD account doesn’t have to worry about losing access to the series on DVD. Before the request was sent to the content team, I was asked if there were any other titles I’d like to see added to Netflix. I suggested AfterMASH.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much we as fans can do to influence the contract negotiations between Netflix and 20th Century Fox. If you’re a Netflix user and you want to support M*A*S*H, I would suggest contacting Netflix via Twitter, Facebook, or its website to let the company know you want M*A*S*H to remain available for streaming. The more demand for the series, the more effort (and money) Netflix may be willing to put into extending the contract with 20th Century Fox.

Remember to be polite because Netflix isn’t to blame here. Hopefully, 20th Century Fox and Netflix will come to an agreement before April 1st and M*A*S*H won’t go anywhere. It’s happened before with other TV shows.

107 Replies to “M*A*S*H Leaving Netflix on April 1st? [Updated]”

  1. Now then, what’s all this talk of Netflix being superior to DVD, hmmm? 😛

    At least when you make the one-time purchases of DVDs, they’re yours to own forever . . . Netflix is essentially an internet rental service – they remove shows and movies from their service all the time, then people are always like, “Wha? Why? What brought this on? Now how will I ever be able to watch it again?”

  2. This is why it’s better to own hard copies of your favorite programs and films. This happens quite a bit, and is likely to continue in the future.

    What I would really like is for Fox to remaster the series in HD, but that seems like a longshot, unfortunately.

  3. I am glad that you got a response from Netflix. I have been a subscriber for 2+ years and my biggest complaints about them is lack of response/customer service and general lack of communication about programs that are coming and going on the service.

    I would hate to see M*A*S*H leave Netflix as it affords opportunity to attract younger fans to the series. ME TV continues to show it, but I have a feeling that I would be one of the “younger” crowd in ME TV’s audience as I am still a good ways from being a ‘senior citizen’. The products advertised on ME TV make it clear that most of their audience is 65+.

  4. I just spoke to Netflix through my account and was told they are not removing MASH from their lineup on April 1 st I guess they got the permission they needed to keep streaming it

      1. lol no joke, but the info she gave me was wrong it will still be available on DVD until they get it back up and streaming, if the licensing is not squared away by April 1st he also told me they are running a special that we can get a free month of the DVD membership and it should definitely be back streaming by then.

    1. well i got an E-mail from Netflix telling me the info i was given was wrong they are planning to remove it on April 1 st but it shouldn’t be for long he said they have a great relationship with 20th Century Fox and expect to have it back up and streaming soon because out the massive amount of messages wanting it to stay

      1. The sooner the better. I just started watching it a month ago and I am just into season 3. I don’t have time to binge the rest by the 1st (wish I did)

  5. I really hope that the negotiations go well with this. I had been meaning to watch this show for many years, but only started a few months back. No surprise, I LOVE IT! However, I am only mid-way through S4. There is no way that I can finish in time. I have seen many shows leave Netflix, but this is the only one that has me genuinely upset. Please Netflix, in the name of Henry Blake, renew this contract! I will definitely be (politely) tweeting about this.

  6. Netflix just released its April list and Mash is gone. Very odd that the licensing for this show was so short given the long catalog of episodes involved how do they think people could thoroughly enjoy it in such a short viewing window??

    1. I guess one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing at Netflix one rep tells me MASH is not being removed in April another tells me it is suppose to be because of the licensing but not to worry it will be all worked out by April 1st and then a Third says well it will still be available on DVD. I can only imagine the waiting times for the DVD if this post is any sign of how many people love this show ! Being a Disabled Desert Storm Veteran I have the luxury of binge watching but this s my go to show on Netflix there is maybe 2 other series i watch on NETFLIX like Cheers and Frasier so I too will probably drop the streaming part of NETFLIX once April hits plus with Playstation Vue going nation wide i can cut cable Playstation Vue is only $44.95 for a hundred plus channels and your local stations and an online DVR with no cap on how much you can record as long as you watch them within 28 days of recording beats the hell out of the $130 a month i’m paying for basic cable with no DVR now.

  7. I am so tired of good television shows replaced by crap. No talent, lack of talent etc. MASH was and is still considered one of the greatest television shows created. I plan unsubscribing if MASH is removed.

    1. I hear you. Decent quality TV dropped out in the 90s. Most of the good old TV shows are available on HULU streaming or Netflix DVD. I plan on dropping Netflix streaming and only keep the DVD once MASH is gone.

  8. Just like Comcast/Xfinity, you get a different answer depending on who you talk to. I was told 2 days ago M*A*S*H wasn’t scheduled to leave. and now… it looks like it is going. They did this to me with Doctor Who as well.

  9. Well, if they are going to get a renewed license, I hope they get it quickly. I just finished “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen,” and I almost cried. The part when Hawkeye sees the Goodbye and the camp being taken down put me through so much sorrow in such little time.

    Current Time of posting: 11:24PM
    Time left till April 1st: 36 minutes.

    1. It’s April 2nd and it’s gone. Actually I got the note the title was removed. I see a lot of comments about them bringing it back. I started buying the season dvds thru Walmart.

  10. I was on season 8 and it’s what I watch before I go to sleep at night. Well was…now I am pissed I didn’t get a notification that this was going to happen and that it has ruined my nightly routine. If I paid for Netflix I would cancel it but I watch it with my boyfriends account.

  11. New to the forum, but I wanted to comment that as of this morning, when I checked my lineup, MASH was missing, so it looks like for the moment it’s gone. 🙁

  12. I just called Netflix to complain, lol. I’m a med student and MASH is my go to before bed so I don’t know what I’m gonna do until they get it back. The guy seemed to think they wouldn’t have a problem getting it back, so. Hopefully.

  13. Well fingers crossed! So annoying. I was almost to the end of Season 4. Woke up this morning to watch another episode before getting up and it was all gone. I didn’t actually know it was leaving. I’ve watched it on my iPhone, my iPad and my computer. I never saw any notice that it was getting pulled. Off to make a phone call. I can’t believe it can’t be streamed anywhere, not even for purchase! Ugh!

  14. Oh No!! Mash is my go-to when i cook or clean the kitchen. Please settle the contract and bring it back!

  15. I love Mash. Woke up this morning to see it was gone. I called Netflix. They just told me they would put in the request. Apparently it was the third most favorite show out of the top fifty and they get rid of it? I realize it is a contract thing, but I hope they resolve it. I loved to watch it when I cooked or worked out.

  16. I didn’t know it would be gone either. Wish it was M.A.S.H. was in episode 10 season 5.. It was just nice seeing it my list available to watch when i wanted now it feels all empty.

  17. There never bringing it back unless thousands call and threaten to cancel service even then it’s a gamble

  18. I called Netflix and the guy I spoke with (James) said CBS owns the rights to MASH and did not renew license with Netflix. If you call in, you can request they put it back in and Netflix will submit all the requests to CBS. Another thing that James said we can do, is do a search for a show (MASH) and those searches get logged which will also let netflix know people want the show. Total call with netflix took less than 5 min.

  19. This is so unfair, I was on Season 11 and I just can’t access. Wish I could have seen all episodes before this happened

  20. Well this is a kick in the knickers, no more lunches in the break room with Hawkeye, Trapper, Henry, Hot Lips, Ferret Face, or any of the other crew of the 4077th as of today. Boo hiss boo!

  21. I am absolutely disgusted, mash was one of the greatest series ever to hit the boob tube, I am seriously considering canceling my Netflix. All I want is to remember the days before most of television sucked.

  22. Please bring Mash back! There is nowhere else to watch the best series ever created for TV other than Netflix, it is why I have kept my Netflix account.

  23. My favorite part of Netflix was Mash! I am sad that Netflix doesn’t want to offer it. Disgusted now!

  24. My husband and I watch MASH every night. We were shocked when it was removed. Please bring it back.

  25. I have seen this happen with another series I was watching a few years ago. Netflix was able to get rights to the series again and it came back. I’m hoping it will be the same with MASH.

    I never saw a notice. I was watching Netflix late Thursday night and some time around midnight I noticed Mash was gone

  26. I am really surprised at the number of people saying Netflix is the only place they are able to watch the show.
    You can’t escape from it in syndication!
    http://www.metv.com/shows/m-a-s-h

    The syndication rights to the show were sold for dirt cheap back when the show was struggling on CBS, so there are television stations out there that have zero revenue from advertising that can still afford to show M*A*S*H, sometimes for 2 hour stretches a day.

  27. I am gutted. MASH is about the ONLY thing I watch on Netflix. Please bring it back. I feel like an old friend (s) has died. I’m an almost 70 year old woman, who remembers well the days of Korea/Vietnam and how they impacted my life. MASH was a huge help to me to sort out all the feelings left behind by these conflicts.

  28. I, too, got Netflix so I could watch complete episodes, (unlike the episodes on MeTV that seem about 3 minutes shorter- That’s an hour per season!), in order without commercial interruption. I got the subscription as an xmas present from my mother in law; and made it as far as season 7 before April 1st. If it doesn’t come back by the time my subscription expires, I won’t renew. Meanwhile, I’m back to DVR’ing the slightly shorter episodes on MeTV. It could be worse.

    Yeah, I’m more than a little pissed and depressed and am mourning in a way.

    I did an online chat with a Netflix rep and registered my “vote” to bring it back. They were kind and receptive and optimistic that it would come back “some day”. If anyone has any other suggestions of with whom we should register our displeasure to the greatest effect, please post it here.

    MASH was one of the best TV shows of all time; are its fans not a large enough market for Netflix to care?

    In unrelated news:
    Our local Boy Scout district recently held a camporee loosely/unofficially based on MASH. Only a handful of the scouts had ever seen an episode of the show (my sons and several other boys). They engaged a competition where they had stations dedicated to triage, surgery (think the game “Operation”), first aid, signalling/Morse code and even did a brief “bug out” (hike) down a local historical trail. It was about as much as we could do without copyright infringement. Fun.

  29. I’ve waited this week to see if Netflix was seriously trying to re-new the MASH license. Looks like they are not. We’re done with Netflix until they get it back.
    MASH was the reason we subscribed in the first place. Bye Netflix

  30. Didn’t see any alert this was ending on Netflix. Since what we watch is tracked why can’t there be an alert posted to viewers for some reasonable period of time ahead of license lapse. Or post lapse date on “home page” especially for tv series.

  31. Netflix handled the MASH cancellation very poorly. There was absolutely no communication. I watched episodes frequently and it suddenly just disappeared. Why did Netflix have to covertly and without warning make it disappear? They could have broadcast an announcement to anyone that had watched any episodes with a simple explanation. How would Netflix handle it if I suddenly and without warning just stopped paying my subscription? They would hunt me down constantly and plead for my return.

  32. I would like to see this come back. Was watching it daily and no notice that it was going away. Couldn’t figure out why next episode didn’t load. I was actually watching when they killed it.

  33. I need my mash back even thought I 22 I love older tv shows like hogans Heros mash and Andy Griffith are my favorite shows I hope it comes back on

  34. Bring MASH back please!!
    My mother is 94 and its the only show she watches.its like her extended family. Her company when we are away. Please see what u can do
    Napier families in Georgia
    Thank you!!

  35. My wife and I have been watching M*A*S*H for several months. We were in Season 7. We are disappointed that we will no longer get to watch the show. Hopefully the show will be back soon. In the meantime, I guess we’ll be watching NYPD Blue on Amazon Instant Video.

  36. If you have a minute, you might want to go over to Netflix and do a review for Mash. I noticed there was a lot of people asking Netflix to bring it back. It might help.

  37. We watch an episode every night and are currently in season 6. Can not believe it is just gone. No notice, not that that would have helped. These episodes are the perfect antidote to the rest of the stuff out there. Really, everyone needs a real laugh and the end of the day.

  38. PLEASE BRING MASH BACK . IT IS MY FAVORITE SHOW AND IT FEELS LIKE THE BEST FAMILY SHOW. INEVER GOT TO SEE ALL OF THE SEASONS AND I WAS WATGHING EVERY DAY. PLEASE BRING IT BACK.

    1. We were very disappointed to hear mash was not going to be on Netflix we would watch it every night will having dinner. Please bring it back!!!

  39. Not happy they can’t continue to run MASH. I was watching series from the beginning and was to the middle of season 7 🙁

  40. It would be a terrible loss to the Netflix customer base particular to the ones who grew up watching it in the 70s on TV. Please make every possible effort to keep it available on Netflix.

  41. My CHAT with Netflix

    You
    Just want Netflix to know that I’m disappointed to find M*A*S*H has been removed. Please see what can be done to bring it back.

    Netflix Mo
    Oh absolutely, and I know that we are for sure! Since you chatted in, I can let my team know that you, like so many others, would like to see that back as soon as possible and I know my team is already working on that as well

  42. I JUST started a Netflix account specifically to watch MASH. I’m cancelling my cable service and knew I would miss the two shows on MeTV between 7 and 8:00PM every weeknight. I can’t believe this. Literally started the Netflix account less than a week ago.

  43. I was watching this everyday and now I come back from my vacation and see that it’s gone. No warning at all. I’m really disappointed and guess I’ll have to go to another site to finish watching it. So disappointing as this was the only show I was watching on Netflix.

  44. I am soo dissapointed that Mash has been removed, Please let us Know what we netflix customers can do to help bring back Mash. I feel like I am suffering a great loss without my Mash Family in the evening.

  45. If you think they are going to immediately bring MASH back then you’re crazy. Netflix knew this was gonna happen when they took it off. Why? because of the outcry for them to finally add it to the library. MASH had to be one of the most demanded series over the years. Don’t call them just hit the CANCEL MEMBERSHIP BUTTON immediately. When enough of you do that they will try to contact you. We wont get it back if we are doing the begging.

  46. I refuse to beg for an outstanding show such as MASH, only to sit back and wait. I logged on to Amazon and bought each individual season’s DVD (which allows me to turn the laugh track off). Now I own every episode forever, plus additional footage and bonus material. Average cost was $10 per season. Money well spent. I’ll keep watching while contract negotiations continue with Netflix. So there.

  47. .please bring MASH back! I am hooked without a fix . Wha Wha Wha!

    I thought I was losing my skills and couldn’t find it. We need it back please

  48. So disappointed MASH is no longer available on Netflix!
    Really can’t imagine why Netflix would let that contract expire.
    You need to get it back!

  49. I miss my mash 4077 on Netflix and I am thinking of leaving Netflix because of them lossing mash 4077 I watch Netflix for them and there not able to watch no need in Netflix there removed all the good old shows

  50. If you visit [LINK REMOVED] all seasons and episodes are available for streaming there.

    If you don’t mind watching episodes on a laptop or are able to hook your laptop/computer up to your TV then this is a very good alternative for the time being. I’ve been using this particular site to stream MASH for the last week or so and haven’t had any problems whatsoever.

      1. Umm no
        not a scam

        Number 1: you didn’t even try it…so how can you judge something before even doing so?

        Number 2: I’m simply trying to help others because I was upset when I realized MASH was no longer on Netflix….so before you go calling me a jerk….you jerk…. get your facts straight….But, it’t cool. Keep waiting around for Netflix to get MASH back because it most likely isn’t happening anytime soon….so I’ll keep watching the episodes on the site I found and you’ll be sitting around like a…umm…jerk…yea. idiot

      2. In the end, this isn’t a scam or a virus or whatever. Anyone can do what they want. They can choose to wait it out for Netlflix to get MASH back, get the DVDs, whatever. When I signed onto Netflix on April 1 and realized MASH was gone, I was confused, so I Googled Netflix MASH and came across this site. Once I read posts and saw that Netflix had removed MASH from streaming, I went out to find a streaming site that was legitimate that streamed MASH. This website is solely dedicated to MASH and nothing else. It is legitimate and isn’t a scam. Again, if you want to believe me and watch MASH episodes without having to wait, then great. If not, then it’s your choice and enjoy sitting around. I can’t force anyone to believe me, but again, I was just trying to help. Thanks, buddy for acting on impulse and thinking something is fake. That’s all you right there.

      3. You’re right! It is a scam! No telling what all it just put on my computer! I hate people like this! Mashfan “YOU ARE” a JERK! Shame on you!

      4. I tried it. I have a Mac … so why not … won’t hurt my computer. The moment I saw I needed to download a Windows Player (not needed on a Mac) I knew.

        Then, I hit the play button and had to relaunch my Chrome. Found some .exe which can’t load on a Mac. They downloaded them on my desktop. I just tossed ’em in the trash can.

        So YEP … it’s a SCAM!

  51. So far MASH isn’t back yet. I feel bad for Netflix because I’m sure they don’t want this, but CBS is the rights holder, and I’m sure they’re pushing it over to CBS All Access because that’s their on-demand service that is now in competition with companies like Netflix and Hulu. That’s also where the new Star Trek series will be shown, so I get the feeling they’re going to start pulling in all of their properties in order to showcase them there on their on-demand service.

    If so, we may see even more CBS shows start disappearing from Netflix, and there’s nothing Netflix can do about it once their contracts are up. I’m a little concerned.

    1. I just contacted Netflix for an update and the agent told me they were indeed still working on renewing the agreement to get MASH back on their service.

  52. There is nothing on TV except Wednesday, Thursday and a little on Friday. Days before I found M*A*S*H on your site. I was elated since I have been a customer for a long time. I was thinking about stopping services. Then I found M*A*S*H on Netflix. I was so happy and told all my friends. They all signed up for Netflix. Now M*A*S*H has been removed. I go to Netflix now and nothing interesting crosses my mind. I will contact CBS and ask them to allow it on Netflix. I enjoy M*A*S*H so I will do as much as I can. HELP

  53. I just contacted Netflix for an update and the agent told me they were indeed still working on renewing the agreement to get MASH back on their service.

    1. Thanks for the effort! I missed the notice about it being cancelled. I decided to grind it out and watch the ENTIRE series. 1 episode left in Season 10 … I could smell the finish line. Then, April 1st hit. Oh, well. Sour grapes.

      I actually know Gary Burghoff but haven’t watched a show since we became friends. He did an OUTSTANDING job. If I didn’t know him, I would just assume that’s just who he is, he’s just that natural in that role.

  54. I just took my 77 year old mom into the Santa Monica mountains today to get as near to the MASH set as possible. She had a stroke last year which impacted her mobility and we couldn’t make it the last mile to the actual MASH set, which has a few of the vehicles from the show that were left after a set fire. We felt the ambiance of the show from the proximity of the setting. We were even imagining that the dirt road we were walking was from the episode where Hawkeye was trying to catch up to Trapper John leaving. She was a huge fan (MASH Trivial Pursuit owner and constant winner). We came home tonight and I was going to put MASH on with Netflix because I knew it was available. Wrong. Currently downloading a torrent of the entire series. I hate doing it because it is not legal, but I feel just this once it’s ok because of my mom. We don’t have cable. Anyone who really wants to watch the show should torrent it, but delete the files when it becomes available on netflix again. I use a mac so my exposure to viruses is a little more minimized, but I know torrents work on pcs too. It’s a thought for anyone who really wants to watch the show before it shows up on a streaming service again.

  55. SCAM…now whoever this is has my credit card and I can watch MASH!

    I will be watching my credit card statement like a hawk to check for fraudulent charges of any kind.

    ISNT ANYBODY HONEST ANYMORE?????

    I should have figured it would too good to be true.

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