"M*A*S*H" stars Alan Alda and Mike Farrell sat down together for the first time in more than 40 years for a table read of a new scene for the hit sitcom.
And while it felt like old times as the two actors slipped back into their roles of Hawkeye Pierce and B.J. Hunnicutt, there was one notable difference — the script was written by ChatGPT.
Alda decided to ask the tool to write a scene in which Hawkeye accuses B.J., his fellow doctor in a Korean War mobile surgical unit, of stealing his boxer shorts. The result, a slightly stilted scene, was recorded for Alda's "Clear+Vivid" podcast, according to The New York Times, which shared the dialogue between the two characters.
Hawkeye: "Where are they? My shorts."
B.J.: "Your what?"
Hawkeye: "My shorts — the ones I wear every time I have important surgery. I know you took them."
B.J.: "I wouldn't be caught dead in your underwear."
Hawkeye: "They're not just underwear; they're comfortable, and I like wearing them and they're missing."
B.J.: "Oh, you mean your lucky shorts?"
Hawkeye: "They're not lucky. I don't believe in that nonsense."
B.J.: "Like the time you insisted on wearing the same pair of socks for a week because you won a game of poker in them?"
Hawkeye: "I am not superstitious! Those are just my normal, everyday shorts."
B.J.: "Right, just like the time you made everyone walk backward around the OR to ward off bad luck."
Hawkeye: "That was a joke — I can't believe you're taking that seriously. I am not superstitious. And those are just my normal everyday shorts. I wear them because they inspire me and they remind me of my grandmother."
Alda admitted that it did not quite work. The jokes were leaden at best and the effort was hollow.
Still, Farrell admitted it was unnerving that artificial intelligence could one day supplant human TV writers. Alda was less concerned, saying that while he commanded ChatGPT to "make it funny," it came up with "some really stupid stuff."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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