Likability isn’t generally at the top of my list of needs in a television show (be wary of any Shield fan who says it is), but even I have to concede the magnetic power of a cool group of people. I bought my Dad the box set of M*A*S*H DVDs for his birthday, and it really is a pleasure after a long night at work to sit down and listen to cool people say witty things at each other in a way that shows they (mostly) enjoy each other’s company. The fundamental premise of the series was that the characters were trying to keep themselves sane through an insane situation, so there was always an element of play bordering and often crossing into desperation in the character’s antics, but somehow that never undermined their personal charm; it’s more as if they simply can’t emotionally afford a filter anymore because otherwise they’d get bored out of their minds. I get the sense that you could throw anybody into their group and so long as they didn’t kill anybody or throw around racial slurs, they’d be accepted into the dynamic – you, me, any of us. Perhaps that’s why the ensemble was so charming.

What are casts you would like to hang out with?