Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971)
9/10
The perfect sitcom for its time!
4 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The 1960s was the perfect time to unleash the crazy comic mayhem from Stalag 13 (and its surrounding areas) to the viewing public. Ever notice how the viewer seems to have a 20-year itch? TV shows like COMBAT, 12 O'CLOCK HIGH and McHALE'S NAVY, along with movies taking place in World War Two, were very popular, approximately 20 years after World War Two. In the 1970s, it was MASH and HAPPY DAYS (which took place Approximately 20 years earlier) that became hits. In the late '80s/early '90s, TV shows and movies relating to the Viet Nam conflict were the rage. But back to HOGAN'S HEROES now...

The general story line was not that consistent. For example, Carter's German was good enough for him to pass himself as Hitler, himself. In another episode, his German was so bad that he was told to simply shut up. The same footage of that building with the same cars passing by, was used as Gestapo Headquarters and as the Luftwaffe Headquarters. Old film footage from World War Two was used more than once. But then again, we are not talking "accuracy". We are talking "comedy" and this show has plenty of it. Who, during the 1960s, would had ever dreamed that this show would still be popular over 40 years later or that people would shell out money to get this TV series on DVD (or anything for that matter) to view again and again? The cast of characters worked together well and sometimes, there was even some collaboration. People are people. The only caricature was Major Hochstetter, played brilliantly by the late great Howard Caine.

Ironically, Caine's caricature was the result of Richard Dawson. While the cast were in the sitting room reading their lines before shooting, Howard Caine provided some comic relief by going off the wall, screaming his lines. But when it was time to shoot the episode, Caine was firm but cool, calm and collected. Richard Dawson then suggested that he read his lines like he did during the reading, "like a madman." Hence, this is how the Major Hochstetter character came about.

In the beginning (1965), this show was very funny but as the characters developed and their own individual skills stood out, the show only got better. This series never really "jumped the shark" where the series hit its creative peak, followed by a slow decline in the quality of episodes until the writers found themselves digging the bottom of the barrel for new plots. That doesn't mean that there weren't any "sharks" in the water.

It was common knowledge among fans and the cast that HOGAN'S HEROES outlasted everybody's expectations. So CBS, in an effort to justify the cancellation of the show due to poor ratings, moved the show from Friday night to other time slots, on Saturday and on Sunday, to shake the viewing audience.

With the handwriting on the wall, it was obvious that the show would face the cancellation ax and the last episode to air on Prime Time would air in March 1971. So the quality of story lines took a drop. This did not mean that the story lines were bad or that there weren't any classic episodes from its final season. There were! But it was noticeable that some corners were being cut and some short cuts were being used. For example, in the earlier episodes, the plot took a turn or two and the final moments (which followed that final commercial break) often had even yet another surprise. In its final season, there weren't as many twists or turns.

Had the final season taken place in the early 1980s instead of 1971, they might have ended the series with a farewell episode like they did for MASH. But memories of THE FUGITIVE were still clear. On the final episode of THE FUGITIVE, which was pretty close to breaking all records of being the highest rated episode, Dr. Richard Kimball finally caught that one-armed killer and was finally cleared of the crime he was unjustly convicted of. Then, interest in the series dropped completely off the radar. When THE FUGITIVE went into syndication, viewer interest was low. No doubt, Bing Crosby Productions and later Hogan's Horde, didn't want HOGAN'S HEROES to suffer the same fate.
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