‘M*A*S*H’ star Jeff Maxwell recalls meeting ‘passionate’ veterans: ‘That had such a profound impact on me’

Jeff Maxwell starred as Pvt. Igor Straminsky in "M*A*S*H," a war sitcom that aired from 1972 until 1983. For the 50th anniversary, Reelz is airing “M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever."

Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.

"It wasn’t getting good ratings," the 75-year-old told Fox News Digital. "After CBS moved it to another day, it immediately skyrocketed. Suddenly everybody was getting a chance to see it. But there weren’t enough eyes on it at first. Then it was put in a time slot with other great shows, and suddenly, people were discovering it."

"The themes that the show dealt with week-to-week were always very universal," he shared. "It had this amazing ability to navigate tragedy, the horrors of war and humor in a very sophisticated, human way. I use the term ‘situational comedy’ lightly when describing ‘M*A*S*H’ because it dealt with some pretty heavy-duty stuff … but it was always dealt with kindness. And I think it pushed buttons. And I think [creators] Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds put their arms around the show and said, ‘We’re going to do this right – no matter what.’"