On what date did the M*A*S*H spin-off pilot W*A*L*T*E*R air on CBS?

The M*A*S*H spin-off pilot W*A*L*T*E*R aired on CBS on July 17, 1984. It was presented as a CBS Special Presentation after the network declined to order the proposed series.

Gary Burghoff reprised his role as Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly, now back in civilian life after the Korean War. The half-hour pilot relocated Radar from the 4077th MASH to St. Louis, where he attempted to build a new life and pursue work as a police officer. Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds were among the creators associated with the project, and Bill Bixby directed.

The pilot’s broadcast history is easy to confuse with a regular series premiere. W*A*L*T*E*R was never picked up, and its single scheduled airing was pre-empted on the West Coast by CBS News coverage of the Democratic National Convention. Radar had also appeared in the M*A*S*H-related series AfterMASH before this attempted spin-off.