Quite a few stars left “M*A*S*H” over its run for a variety of reasons. At some point or another, Gary Burghoff’s Radar O’Riley, Larry Linville’s Frank Burns, Wayne Rogers’ Trapper John, and McClean Stevenson’s Lt. Colonel Henry Blake were all written off of “M*A*S*H,” but when Swit wanted out, she was told “no.” The time she wanted to leave most was when she starred as Christine Cagney in a “Cagney & Lacey” TV movie and was offered the role in the CBS series of the same name. Ultimately, however, she was locked into her “M*A*S*H” contract:
“I was very tempted [to leave] after I did that movie. I loved that character, and I was tempted to be on my own show as opposed to being part of an incredible ensemble where the show was the star. 20th Century Fox said: ‘Forget it — you’re not going anywhere.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I can’t?’ And they said, ‘Yeah, we’re not gin gonna let you go.’ Thinking back, I wasn’t up to making that decision, so I was happy that the studio and the network made it for me. That way, I could always blame them!”
Though it would be pretty reasonable for Swit to be furious about the situation since all of her male co-stars were allowed out of their contracts, she had a pretty positive outlook because of the way things turned out.