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Season 1 – Trapper John, M.D.

Play trailer Season 1 – Trapper John, M.D. Sep 1979 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
22% Tomatometer 18 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
The ex-MASH surgeon is chief of surgery at a San Francisco hospital.
Trapper John, M.D. — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A M*A*S*H spinoff that bears virtually no resemblance to that beloved sitcom, Trapper John, M.D. is a dramatic comedy that's neither compelling nor clever.

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Critics Reviews

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Rita Erlich The Age (Australia) Jul 28, 2021
The main problem is that it is dull. If last night's episode is anything to go by, the show needs a good doctor. It seems to be suffering from terminal boredom. Scalpel, nurse, please. Go to Full Review John J. O'Connor New York Times Jul 28, 2021
Constructed around treating victims of an office‐building fire, the first episode walks a thin line between being funny and tasteless. Go to Full Review Eric Mink St. Louis Post-Dispatch Jul 28, 2021
Trapper John has been schizophrenic so far, unable to decide whether to play it straight or for laughs. It seems to be trying to blend the two, but that's a tall order for a one-hour show. Go to Full Review Robert Bowden Tampa Bay Times Jul 28, 2021
1/4
Trapper John is billed as a blend of drama and comedy. It is neither. It is simply silly and irrelevant. Go to Full Review Win Fanning Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Jul 28, 2021
Brinkley's script makes clear the comedic intent of this project, while retaining a nice leavening of medical drama. By and large it succeeds very well. This is thanks in no small measure to the excellent supporting cast. Go to Full Review Bill Mandel San Francisco Examiner Jul 28, 2021
Trapper John promises to be a good combo of fast action, racy humor and, above all, interesting interaction among the attractively textured characters. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mar 26, 2022 Rotten doesn't cover it. It's not the writing or the directing but rather the cast are terrible. Roberts lacks any real dynamic with the rest of the team. He even seems to hinder the other actors abilities as the season continues. It's a shame because if he could have gotten his ego in-check I think his acting would have improved. I guess by this time he was fairly bitter as an actor and knew his career was washed up. See more Read all reviews
Trapper John, M.D. — Season 1

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Pernell Roberts

Trapper John McIntyre

Gregory Harrison

Dr. George Alonzo 'Gonzo' Gates

Mary McCarty

Clara 'Starch' Willoughby, R. N.

Charles Siebert

Dr. Stanley Riverside II

Christopher Norris

Gloria 'Ripples' Brancusi, R.N.

Brian Stokes Mitchell

Dr. Justin 'Jackpot' Jackson

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 23, 1979 Trapper John, M.D. Trapper meets brash Vietnam M.A.S.H. surgeon "Gonzo" Gates on his first day at San Francisco Memorial. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 30, 1979 Flashback Trapper and Gonzo try to uncover the motives behind a deranged Vietnam veteran's attack on another hospital patient (James Coco). Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 7, 1979 Deadly Exposure Gonzo risks his job to uncover radiation leaks at a nuclear plant; guests Dee Wallace, Jayne Kennedy. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 21, 1979 Love Is a Three-Way Street Trapper deals with lingering emotions when his ex-wife's suitor (Monte Markham) insists on McIntyre as surgeon. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 28, 1979 The Shattered Image Trapper deals with a frightened socialite (Celeste Holm); a competent nurse (Shelley Long) has a prison record. Details Episode 6 Aired Nov 11, 1979 What Are Friends For? Gonzo refuses to falsify records so a Vietnam buddy who saved his life can make a fraudulent insurance claim. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 18, 1979 One More for My Baby Gonzo discovers that the teenage son (Patrick Laborteaux) of a seriously ill patient (Penny Fuller) is an acute alcoholic. Details Episode 8 Aired Dec 2, 1979 Taxi in the Rain Gonzo attempts to reunite a woman (Anita Gillette) with her estranged father (William Windom), who needs a kidney transplant. Details Episode 9 Aired Dec 9, 1979 Licensed to Kill Self-proclaimed revolutionaries kidnap Melanie and demand Trapper allow an officer they shot to die; guest Kristoffer Tabori. Details Episode 10 Aired Dec 23, 1979 The Surrogate Two surgery cases find Trapper uncovering a family secret and Gonzo acquiring an unwilling prospective bride (Kim Cattrall). Details Episode 11 Aired Dec 30, 1979 Whose Little Hero Are You A brilliant improvisation saves a life but causes problems for Trapper and Riverside; guest Alan Feinstein. Details Episode 12 Aired Jan 6, 1980 Boom The staff struggle to avoid a panic while searching for an explosive; guests Kathleen Lloyd, Robert Hooks. Details Episode 13 Aired Jan 13, 1980 Have You Hugged Your Nurse Today? Gloria's romantic interest refuses a possible surgical cure to his paralysis. Details Episode 14 Aired Jan 27, 1980 Missionary's Downfall Trapper and Gonzo try to convince an ill girl to undergo conventional treatment rather than using a holistic approach. Details Episode 15 Aired Feb 3, 1980 Warning: I May Be Hazardous to Your Health Stanley Riverside falls in love with a skilled surgeon (Joanna Cassidy), but isn't too pleased when he learns about her past. Details Episode 16 Aired Feb 10, 1980 Till Life Do Us Part Gonzo, Trapper and a terminally ill woman try to cheer a dying patient (Gary Lockwood); guest Jayne Meadows. Details Episode 17 Aired Feb 17, 1980 If You Can't Stand the Heat Gonzo worries over a surgeon's erratic behavior; an elderly woman offers to leave her money to the staff. Details Episode 18 Aired Feb 24, 1980 Strike! A threatened strike by the nurses' union causes unexpected complications for Trapper, Gonzo and Starch; guest John Randolph. Details Episode 19 Aired Mar 2, 1980 It's a Wise Surgeon A 25-year-old arrives, claiming to be the son of Trapper and a Korean woman; guest Barrie Youngfellow. Details Episode 20 Aired Mar 9, 1980 Short Odds Gonzo falls in love with a beautiful surgeon (Trish Stewart) determined to prove her medical skills; guest William Smith. Details Episode 21 Aired Mar 23, 1980 Quarantine An ailing abandoned baby causes Trapper, Melanie and a hospital-room wedding party to be quarantined; guest Imogene Coca. Details Episode 22 Aired Mar 30, 1980 Hot Line San Francisco Memorial starts a hotline for the deeply troubled, and a brilliant surgeon (Paul Burke) is one of the first callers. Details

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Season Info

Director
Murray Golden, Bernard McEveety, Joseph Pevney, Alex March, Seymour Robbie, Robert Douglas, Barry Crane, Corey Allen, Alf Kjellin, Marc Daniels, Jackie Cooper
Screenwriter
Don Brinkley, Shimon Wincelberg, Jack Guss, Ray Brenner, Jeff Stuart, Deborah Zoe Dawson, Victoria Johns, David Hurwitz
Network
CBS
Rating
TV-PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Sep 23, 1979
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