The confusing saga of M*A*S*H on television continues today with the news that ION will be returning M*A*S*H to its schedule beginning this Saturday (February 20th). Recall that ION dropped the series in October of 2009:

There has been a schedule change and the program “M*A*S*H” is no longer part of our lineup. This program’s run on the network has ended. Thank you for contacting ION Media Networks.

On January 13th of this year, however, Sitcoms Online reported that the very first episode of M*A*S*H would air on Saturday, March 6th at 3PM. Then, on February 9th, Sitcoms Online revealed that M*A*S*H would run from 3-4PM on Saturdays. Today from Sitcoms Online comes the news that M*A*S*H will also air Monday through Friday from 4-5PM, replacing Texas Justice, starting February 22nd.

According to television listings at TVGuide.com, M*A*S*H will actually return on Saturday, February 20th at 3PM with the pilot, followed by the second episode at 3:30PM. It will also be seen on Sunday, February 21st from 3-5PM with the next four episodes from the first season, followed by the next two episodes on Monday, February 22nd from 4-5PM. Here’s what the regular weekly schedule looks like at the moment:

Saturdays: 3-4PM (Beginning February 20th)
Sundays: 3-5PM (Beginning February 21st)
Mon-Fri: 4-5PM (Beginning February 22nd)

TVGuide.com’s listings only run through Monday, March 1st; for the next two weeks, at least, this schedule holds true. I don’t receive ION so I won’t be able to confirm that the series is airing, however.

Edit: As I was writing this post, Gavin e-mailed me the following:

This past Saturday, my PVR recorded M*A*S*H from ION. Yay! I googled a bit, and it turns out, M*A*S*H is now back on Ion twice a day Monday through Saturday, starting 22 February.

So Gavin’s PVR adds more confirmation to the return of M*A*S*H on ION. But will the return be Saturday, February 20th or Monday, February 22nd?

Due to the fact that I no longer receive Hallmark Channel or ION, I wasn’t aware of this until a few days ago when Shawn contacted me, but both cable channel Hallmark Channel and broadcast network ION have stopped airing repeats of M*A*S*H. Sitcoms Online reported on September 17th that ION would replace the 4-5PM airings of M*A*S*H with extra airings of Reba beginning Monday, October 5th.

I e-mailed ION and received the following reply:

There has been a schedule change and the program “M*A*S*H” is no longer part of our lineup. This program’s run on the network has ended. Thank you for contacting ION Media Networks.

As for Hallmark Channel, Sitcoms Online reported on September 21st that the weekday block of M*A*S*H (from 5-8PM) would be replaced by I Love Lucy, also beginning Monday, October 5th. Well, today is October 5th and M*A*S*H is gone from both Hallmark Channel and ION. It still airs on TV Land from 5-6AM on Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri, 9PM to 12AM on Wednesdays and 8-11PM on Saturdays (at least that’s the schedule for the next two weeks).

I sent Hallmark Channel an e-mail as well but have not received a reply. It is possible M*A*S*H will return in the future. And there’s always the complete series on DVD.

M*A*S*H will start airing on the ION television network next week, beginning Monday, September 8th. Two episodes will be shown back-to-back from 4-5PM ET, Monday through Friday, and from 6-7PM ET Saturday and Sunday. Check the ION website to see if you get ION in your area. I have updated M*A*S*H On TV to reflect this change.

ION Media Networks has announced that M*A*S*H will join its ION Television’s prime time schedule this coming fall. ION Television is a broadcast network in the United States that currently airs an assortment of sitcoms including Alice, The Drew Carey Show and Who’s the Boss?, along with movies and paid programming. In March, Baywatch will be added to its schedule. From a press release available here:

“A timeless staple like ‘M*A*S*H’ is a great win for our schedule, as we migrate our network to mainstream audience appeal in the 2008/2009 season,” said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO, ION Media Networks. “We anticipate further announcements in coming months, including some shows that people may not expect from us, as we look to give ION Television a more light-hearted and open-minded programming sensibility that will invite new audiences.”

M*A*S*H is currently seen in the United States on cable channels TV Land and The Hallmark Channel; it is also shown in syndication on individual broadcast television stations. No word on whether those stations will lose the right to air M*A*S*H due to ION Television’s agreement, or when M*A*S*H will premiere, aside from a general Fall 2008 start date.