Trapper John, M.D. is an American Medical Drama television series that ran on CBS. A Spin-Off of the film M*A*S*H and the series of the same name, set in what was then the present day.
The series follows the title character (Pernell Roberts), a lovable surgeon who runs the San Francisco Memorial Hospital some 25 years after his time in the military. Working with Trapper is an aspiring young physician named Dr. George Alonzo Gates (Gregory Harrison), usually referred to as "Gonzo", who has a lot in common with Trapper, having also served in a MASH unit (albeit during the later part of The Vietnam War).
The show ran for seven seasons, from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986; as such, Roberts played the character more than twice as long as Wayne Rogers did on the M*A*S*H TV series (1972–75).
The show also starred Charles Siebert, Madge Sinclair, and Brian Mitchell, now better known as Brian Stokes Mitchell.
Tropes for the series:
- Base on Wheels: Dr. "Gonzo" Gates lives in a motorhome in the hospital parking lot.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Gonzo is hot-headed, unpredictable, and idealistic to a fault, but he's a damn good doctor.
- Celebrity Paradox: A real mind-bender: Gregory Harrison, the actor who played Gonzo, also played the husband of a nurse on one episode of the M*A*S*H TV series, though fortunately Trapper had left the show by that point.
- The same can't be said of many of the series' guest stars, including Edward Winter, Soon Tek Oh, and Arlene Golonka, all of whom had previously appeared in M*A*S*H alongside Wayne Rogers' Trapper.
- Character Title: Trapper, the main character of the show.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: The other characters make frequent jokes about Gonzo getting on his "white charger" when an issue catches his attention.
- Clear My Name: In the two-parter "Girl Under Glass" Gonzo is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a patient whose wealthy father is about make a large donation to the hospital.
- Christmas Episode: "'Tis the Season".
- Dr. Jerk: Dr. Stanley Riverside II fits the arrogant-but-dedicated mold.
- As the series progresses he proves himself to be a Dr. Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
- Expy: Many of the original characters started out as thinly-veiled copies of the M*A*S*H cast (Gonzo in the role of Hawkeye, Stanley as Frank, Gloria as Margaret, etc.), but quickly developed their own identities as the series attempted to distance itself from its predecessor.
- The Gambling Addict: Justin "Jackpot" Jackson, who is always looking for a way to make a wager.
- Hospital Hottie: Nurse Gloria "Ripples" Brancusi.
- Downplayed. By the end of the first season, the nickname was dropped.
- In Name Only: Made fleetingly few, if any, references to its source material beyond the pilot, with Trapper's nickname and background in Korea being the only commonalities. But for that, it could have been a generic medical drama.
- It's a Costume Party, I Swear!: Done near the end of an episode, Dr. Riverside and other staff members are going to a (confirmed) costume party; he's waiting by the elevators, dressed as a Pilgrim-but everyone else is in their usual hospital attire, with no intention of donning costumes...leaving him looking awkwardly out of place, when they all get on to ride downstairs.
- Shout-Out: The Season 3 episode "42" sees a patient of the same name who claims to be a hitchhiking alien with a PDA-like device that provides explanations of Earthling customs.
- Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: A source of frequent tension between Trapper and Gonzo. It's often revealed after Gonzo has read him his rights that Trapper has already set in motion his own plan to fix the current problem from inside the system.
- Unique Pilot Title Sequence: The show's pilot opened with a title sequence in the font of The Greatest American Hero-style type and Pernell Roberts dreaming via clips of M*A*S*H.
