M*A*S*H blended drama and comedy with the universal theme of making do under difficult circumstances, drew a faithful audience that grew every year, and became a classic television series. It began filming here four years before the sale and transfer of the 2,000-acre 20th Century Fox Ranch was completed and the property was reborn as Malibu Creek State Park. Once filming took place in a public park, fans could come watch as long as they stayed out of the way of cameras and crew. While most interior scenes were filmed on a soundstage at Fox Studios, the large exterior scenes with numerous cast members, multiple vehicles, helicopters, and an occasional tank were filmed here in the State Park. Across 11 seasons and 251 episodes, the series received more than 100 Emmy nominations. Its final episode in 1983 remained the highest-rated television broadcast in history for 28 straight years, until the 2011 Super Bowl. Decades after the series ended, it continued to resonate with audiences worldwide and still aired in 36 countries. In the show's 30th anniversary special, actor Alan Alda said that filming in Malibu Creek State Park in some ways resembled a real MASH unit because electricity, water, food, and equipment all had to be brought in from outside.
