Gene Reynolds, who co-created M*A*S*H and Lou Grant, dies at 96

Variety

Reynolds, who began as a child actor, was a prolific writer, director and producer who was nominated for 24 Emmys in his influential career, winning six, including for Outstanding Drama Series for Lou Grant and Outstanding Comedy Series for M*A*S*H. He co-created the TV adaption of M*A*S*H with Larry Gelbart in 1972. He went on to co-create The Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoff Lou Grant with Mary Tyler Moore creators Allan Burns and James L. Brooks in 1977. Reynolds also worked on Room 222. Alan Alda credited Reynolds with making the line between acting and writing fluid. "We constantly scrambled over (the barrier between a show’s writers and actors) from both sides," Alda said. The result, Alda said, was the actors’ “owning it, in some way,” creating “much more believable behavior.”