Trapper John, M.D./Pilot

Pilot
Season 1, Episode 1
Airdate	September 23, 1979
Written by	Don Brinkley
Directed by	Jackie Cooper
— N/A	1x02 → Flashback
Trapper John, M.D. — Season One

This is the first episode of the first season of Trapper John, M.D., and the first episode overall.

Guest Stars: Jack Gilford, Barbara Stuart

Special Appearances by: Jessica Walter, Roddy McDowall (Rev. Barnaby Box)

Co-Starring: Stephen Pearlman (Marvin Sternhauser), Ned Wilson (Anesthesiologist), Joe Spano (Dr. Gallant), Mariko Tse (Feldman)

Featuring: Helen Baron (Woman in the Mink Coat), Karen Glow Carr (Receptionist), Herb Davis (Salesman), Jennifer Davis (Nurse), Blake Harris (E.R. Nurse), Hanna King (Tired Nurse), Gene D. Jackson (Intern), David Hernandez (Orderly), Nelson Welch (Old Man), Wayne Winton (Choking Man)

Plot Overview

Trapper John, M.D. focuses on Dr. "Trapper" John McIntyre twenty-eight years after his discharge from the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H.) in the Korean War. In the nearly three decade interim, the character had mellowed considerably. He didn't just learn how to stop fighting the system but became a part of it, in a sense, as the Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. Trapper showed tremendous compassion toward his patients, often violating "established hospital procedures." Working with Trapper was an aspiring young professional named Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates. Gates had a lot in common with Trapper, as he too had served in a M.A.S.H. (albeit during the later Vietnam War). His sense of humor and love of life also reflected elements of Trapper's younger days. In the show, Gonzo resided in a motor home in the hospital parking lot.