TV series
Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH, concerning a lovable doctor who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986.
Availability
Checked Jul 22, 2026
Trapper John, M.D. premiered September 23, 1979. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH, concerning a lovable doctor who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
Twenty-eight years after the Korean War, former M*A*S*H surgeon ""Trapper"" John McIntyre, now Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital, is faced with a younger copy of himself - Vietnam vet Dr. ""Gonzo"" Gates.
Directed by Jackie CooperWritten by Don BrinkleyGuest stars Jack Gilford, Roddy McDowall, Joe Spano, Stephen Pearlman, Barbara Stuart, Jessica Walter
Episode 2
Trapper and Gonzo deal with a deranged Vietnam vet, while Stanley tries to save on taxes by incorporating himself.
Written by Don BrinkleyGuest stars James Coco, Byron Morrow, Robert Clarke, Frank Coppola
Episode 3
When an employee from a local nuclear power plant is admitted to SFM with signs of radiation poisoning, Gonzo cannot understand why it appears that nothing is being done to protect other workers from exposure.
Directed by Joseph PevneyWritten by Don BrinkleyGuest stars Carl Franklin, Dee Wallace, Jayne Kennedy, Iris Adrian, Herb Voland, Paul Lambert, Jack Kruschen
Episode 4
A persistent swain of his ex-wife, Melanie, causes both professional and romantic turmoil for Trapper. Stanley is determined to get rid of the ""Titanic"".
Directed by Marc DanielsWritten by Don BrinkleyGuest stars Monte Markham, Jessica Walter
Episode 5
A wealthy socialite injured in a car accident tries to cover up the fact that she has no real friends by sending herself flowers and gifts.
Directed by Corey AllenWritten by Shimon WincelbergGuest stars Shelley Long, Patricia Smith
Episode 6
A medic who once saved Gonzo's life in Vietnam now wants his friend's help in a fraudulent medical claim.
Directed by Ralph SenenskyGuest stars Jason Hervey, Richard Gilliland, Lurene Tuttle, Paul Lambert, Marki Bey, Paul Bryar
Episode 7
A young widow with a stomach tumor leans heavily on her 14-year-old son, who has dealt with the pressure by becoming a closet alcoholic.
Directed by Bernard McEveetyWritten by Charles LarsonGuest stars Patrick Labyorteaux, Penny Fuller
Episode 8
A local street person known as ""Harry the Hinge"" is admitted to SFM with kidney failure, and manages to convince to convince a wealthy hospital patron to keep the free clinic open.
Directed by Barry CraneWritten by Shimon WincelbergGuest stars Paul Lambert, Anita Gillette, William Windom, Clifton James, Frank Ashmore, Lucille Benson, Peter Brocco
Episode 9
A group of radicals kidnaps Melanie, and gives Trapper an ultimatum: either he kills a policeman who has survived two earlier murder attempts, or they will kill his ex-wife.
Directed by Bernard McEveetyGuest stars Carl Weintraub, Kristoffer Tabori, John Crawford, James Gleason, Sheila Larken, Jessica Walter
Episode 10
An injured boy is torn between the mother he ran away from and the man he considers to be his father. A grateful sheik gives Gonzo a present he can't refuse - his daughter.
Directed by Alex MarchWritten by Don BrinkleyGuest stars Joan Hackett, Kim Cattrall, Albert Paulsen, Christopher Connelly, Robbie Rist
Episode 11
A brilliant improvisation saves a life but causes problems for Trapper and Riverside.
Directed by Robert DouglasWritten by Don BrinkleyGuest stars Katy Kurtzman, Chris Wallace, Michael Currie
Episode 12
There is a bomb somewhere in the hospital set to go off at midnight. The bomb squad can't find it, and the man who planted it is dying from bullet wounds. Can Trapper and Gonzo save his life in time to save San Francisco Memorial?
Directed by Seymour RobbieWritten by Don BrinkleyGuest stars Robert Hooks, Burr DeBenning
Episode 13
Gloria falls for a man in a wheelchair - who happens to already have a wife. Trapper resents Starch labelling him ""predictable"", and decides to do something about it.
Directed by Ralph LevyGuest stars Doreen Lang, Iris Adrian
Episode 14
A former patient who recovered from terminal cancer using a holistic approach he devised has written a book and is looking for converts. He convinces a lupus patient to stop all medical treatment, and nearly allows her to die before accepting that she needs help he cannot give her.
Directed by Joseph PevneyWritten by Don BrinkleyGuest stars Barry Miller
Episode 15
Stanley thinks he has finally found the love of his life in the hospital's excellent new neurosurgeon, until he learns how she made the money to get through medical school. A sleazy reporter looking for dirt around the hospital gets more than he bargained for.
Directed by Alf KjellinGuest stars Allen Garfield, Lynn Carlin, Lloyd Bochner, Joanna Cassidy
Episode 16
A man diagnosed with terminal cancer tries to come to terms with the fact that he only has months to live, then must deal with something almost equally disturbing: he has gone into remission while the new friend he has made continues to get worse.
Directed by Bernard McEveetyGuest stars Lynne Marta, Marcia Rodd, Jayne Meadows, Ned Glass, Gary Lockwood, Diane Sommerfield
Episode 17
At first Trapper is not concerned when an old friend starts to behave erratically, but Gonzo suspects that something is wrong, especially when the doctor freezes during an emergency.
Guest stars Molly Picon, Edward Winter
Episode 18
A strike by the nurses at San Francisco Memorial is a threat to patient care and Gonzo's sex life.
Directed by Alex MarchGuest stars John Randolph, David Opatoshu, Mimi Maynard
Episode 19
A young half-white Korean man comes to the hospital claiming to be Trapper's son, but when John accepts and tries to help him, he runs.
Directed by Robert DouglasGuest stars George Cheung
Episode 20
A new female surgeon at SFM suffers a crisis of confidence after she loses a young patient and has to deal with a cowboy who believes all women belong in the kitchen.
Guest stars William Smith, Nita Talbot, Rhonda Hopkins
Episode 21
When Melanie finds an abandoned baby in the department store she works for, she is ready to adopt him. However, she runs into a couple of problems - the baby has pneumonic plague, and a mother who wants him back.
Directed by Seymour RobbieGuest stars Diane Shalet, Philip Bruns, Kaye Ballard, Imogene Coca, Marta DuBois, James Staley, Jessica Walter
Episode 22
The only hope for a girl going blind from a brain tumour is an alcoholic retired surgeon. Gonzo starts a telephone help line service at SFM.
Directed by Barry CraneGuest stars Billy Jayne, Beverly Sanders, Lew Gallo, Julie Adams, Debbi Morgan, Paul Burke, Jerry Orbach
Episode information updated Jul 23, 2026
Available now in United States
These shows are available now and closely match Trapper John, M.D..
Pernell Roberts"Trapper" John McIntyre
Gregory HarrisonGeorge Alonzo 'Gonzo' Gates
Madge SinclairErnestine Shoop, R. N.
Mary McCartyClara 'Starch' Willoughby, R. N.
Charles SiebertStanley Riverside III
Brian Stokes MitchellJustin "Jackpot" Jackson
Christopher NorrisGloria Brancusi
Simon ScottArnold Slocum
CBSUnited States
20th Century Fox TelevisionUnited States
