Inside the Real Reason Why Larry Linville Left ‘M*A*S*H’
Larry Linville played Major Frank Burns for the first five seasons of M*A*S*H, becoming one of the show’s most memorable stars. However, fans were stunned when he chose not to renew his contract after Season 5 and left the show. Many wondered if there were conflicts on set, but the truth is that he was dealing with some personal issues, including a tough divorce, and was simply ready to move on from the beloved series and the character of Frank.
When he first joined the cast, Linville signed a five-year deal. At the end of that contract, the producers offered him an additional two-year extension, but he turned it down. Linville reportedly felt the role of Frank Burns had reached a natural end. As the series grew more dramatic, other characters were given more depth and emotional arcs. Frank, on the other hand, remained the same and wasn’t given the same opportunity to evolve. Linville recognized that there was little left to explore and believed he had already taken Frank as far as he could.
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection
By Season 5, this became more obvious. Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit) had grown more independent, and her relationship with Frank had ended, leaving his character more isolated. Writers noted that Burns was being used primarily as comic relief, which made him feel out of step with the show’s increasingly serious subject matter. Linville reportedly found this limiting and did not want to spend more years portraying a character who was no longer evolving.
The production team hoped to give him a proper farewell. There were talks of creating a special departure episode to explain Frank’s exit, but Linville declined to participate. It was reported that Linville was dealing with a difficult divorce at the time, which may have influenced his decision not to return even briefly. Since he chose not to cooperate, the writers crafted an offscreen explanation. In the Season 6 premiere, “Fade Out, Fade In,” it is revealed that Frank has been promoted and reassigned to a new post back in the United States.
Even series creator Larry Gelbart wishes they had written Frank differently and made him “a little less silly” in the show. He explained to Slash Film, “There would be the occasional show where he would get drunk, try to be one of the guys. That’s the one thing I would do [differently]. I’d make him a little less inane before the fifth season.”
Linville’s exit opened the door for Major Charles Emerson Winchester, played by David Ogden Stiers. Winchester brought a more complex and sometimes sympathetic presence to the 4077th. Many critics believe that the introduction of Winchester allowed M*A*S*H to continue its shift toward more sophisticated storytelling.
After leaving M*A*S*H, Linville continued working steadily as a character actor. He appeared in television series such as Mannix, Murder, She Wrote, and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, along with roles in made-for-TV movies and the occasional feature film.
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