View source for The Andy Griffith Show

{{Short description|American sitcom TV series (1960–1968)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = The Andy Griffith Show (television series logo).svg
| image_class          = skin-invert
| image_size           =
| caption              =
| genre                = [[Sitcom]]
| runtime              = 25–26 minutes
| executive_producer   = {{Plainlist|
* [[Sheldon Leonard]]
* [[Danny Thomas]]
}}
| creator              = [[Sheldon Leonard]]
| starring             = {{Plainlist|
* [[Andy Griffith]]
* [[Ron Howard]]
* [[Don Knotts]]
* [[Frances Bavier]]
}}
| opentheme            = "[[The Andy Griffith Show Theme|''The Andy Griffith Show'' Theme]]"
| theme_music_composer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Earle Hagen]]
* [[Herbert W. Spencer]]{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Although Hagen was the sole composer of the theme, the [[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]] credits Spencer as "co-composer".}}
}}
| location             = {{Plainlist|
* [[RKO Forty Acres|Desilu Culver]] (1960–1967)
* [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount Studios]] (1967–1968)
}}
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| network              = [[CBS]]
| company              = {{Plainlist|
* [[Danny Thomas|Danny Thomas Enterprises]]
* Mayberry Enterprises
* [[CBS Productions]]
}}
| camera               = [[Single-camera setup|Single-camera]]
| first_aired          = {{start date|1960|10|03}}
| last_aired           = {{end date|1968|04|01}}
| num_seasons          = 8
| num_episodes         = 249
| list_episodes        = List of The Andy Griffith Show episodes
| related              = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[The Danny Thomas Show]]''
* ''[[Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.]]''
* ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]''
}}
}}
'''''The Andy Griffith Show ''''' is<!-- Do NOT change to "was" per WP:TVLEAD--> an American [[sitcom]] television series that was aired on [[CBS]] from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in [[black and white]] and 90 in [[Color television|color]].

The series originated from an episode of ''[[The Danny Thomas Show]]''. It stars [[Andy Griffith]] as [[Andy Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show)|Andy Taylor]], the widowed sheriff of [[Mayberry|Mayberry, North Carolina]], a fictional community of roughly 2,000–5,000 people.<ref>Season 4, episode 20, as stated in the script<br>– In season 8, episode 30 "Mayberry R.F.D." a sign says that the population of Mayberry is 5,360.</ref> Other major characters include Andy's lifelong friend (and cousin), the well-meaning and enthusiastic but bumbling deputy, [[Barney Fife]] ([[Don Knotts]]), Andy's aunt and housekeeper, [[Aunt Bee|Bee Taylor]] ([[Frances Bavier]]) and Andy's young son, [[Opie Taylor|Opie]] ([[Ron Howard]]). The townspeople round out the regular cast. Regarding the tone of the show, Griffith said that despite a contemporary setting, the show evoked nostalgia, saying in a ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' interview, "Well, though we never said it, and though it was shot in the '60s, it had a feeling of the '30s. It was when we were doing it, of a time gone by."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ahbyf9cbEU| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/3ahbyf9cbEU| archive-date=2021-10-29|title=Andy Griffith & Don Knotts on The Today Show|access-date=September 10, 2012|date=March 4, 1996|work=NBC Today Show}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The series was never placed lower than seventh in the [[Nielsen ratings]], ending its final season at number one. The only other shows to end their runs at the top of the ratings are ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' (1957) and ''[[Seinfeld]]'' (1998).<ref>{{Cite news|title=Looking back at 'I Love Lucy' 64 years later|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/10-love-lucy-article-1.2397434|last=Dostis|first=Melanie|work=New York Daily News|date=October 15, 2015|access-date=2020-05-18|archive-date=May 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522161341/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/10-love-lucy-article-1.2397434|url-status=live}}</ref> On separate occasions, it has been ranked by ''[[TV Guide]]'' as the 9th- and 13th-best series in American [[television history]].<ref name="Top50Shows">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tv-guide-names-top-50-shows/|work=CBS News|title=TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows|agency=Associated Press|date=February 11, 2009|access-date=July 5, 2012|archive-date=October 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015042308/http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-207_162-507388.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Fretts">{{cite magazine|last1=Fretts |first1=Bruce |last2=Roush |first2=Matt |title=The Greatest Shows on Earth |magazine=TV Guide |volume=61 |issue=3194–3195 |pages=16–19 |doi= <!--|access-date=December 22, 2013 -->}}</ref> Though neither Griffith nor the show won awards during its eight-season run, co-stars Knotts and Bavier accumulated a combined total of six [[Emmy Awards]]. The series spawned its own spin-off{{snd}}''[[Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.]]'' (1964–1969){{snd}}and a reunion telemovie, ''[[Return to Mayberry]]'' (1986).

After the eighth season, when Griffith left the series, it was retitled ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.|Mayberry, R.F.D.]],'' with [[Ken Berry]] and [[Buddy Foster]] replacing Griffith and Howard in new roles. In the new format, it ran for [[List of Mayberry R.F.D. episodes|78 episodes]], ending in 1971 after three seasons. Reruns of ''The Andy Griffith Show'' are often shown on [[TV Land]], [[MeTV]], [[The CW]], and [[SundanceTV]]. On those channels, the episodes are edited to make room for more commercials, but some airings on SundanceTV air the full uncut versions. The complete series is available on DVD and Blu-ray and intermittently on streaming video services such as Amazon Prime and [[Paramount+]]. Mayberry Days, an annual festival celebrating the sitcom, is held each year in Griffith's hometown, [[Mount Airy, North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.surryarts.org/mayberrydays/index.html|title=Mayberry Days|website=The Surry Arts Council Presents Mayberry Days|access-date=October 30, 2014|archive-date=November 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125030834/http://www.surryarts.org/mayberrydays/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Origin==
[[Sheldon Leonard]]—producer of ''The Danny Thomas Show''—and [[Danny Thomas]] hired veteran comedy writer Arthur Stander (who had written many of the "Danny Thomas" episodes) to create a pilot show for Griffith, featuring him as justice of the peace and newspaper editor in a small town.<ref name="Kelly">Kelly, Richard. ''The Andy Griffith Show''. Blair, 1981.</ref>  At the time, Broadway, film, and radio star Griffith was interested in attempting a television role, and the [[William Morris Agency]] told Leonard that Griffith's rural background and previous rustic characterizations were suited to the part.<ref name="Kelly" /> After conferences between Leonard and Griffith in New York City, Griffith flew to Los Angeles and filmed the episode.<ref name="Kelly" /> On February 15, 1960, ''The Danny Thomas Show'' episode "Danny Meets Andy Griffith" aired.<ref name="Kelly" /> In the episode, Griffith played the fictional Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry, North Carolina, who arrests Danny Williams (Thomas' character) for running a stop sign. Future players in ''The Andy Griffith Show,'' Bavier and Howard, appeared in the episode as townspeople Henrietta Perkins and Opie Taylor (the sheriff's son), respectively.<ref name="Kelly" /> [[General Foods]], sponsor of ''The Danny Thomas Show,'' had [[Right of first refusal|first access]] to the [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] and committed to it immediately.<ref name="Kelly" /> On October 3, 1960, at 9:30&nbsp;p.m., ''The Andy Griffith Show'' made its debut.<ref name="Beck">Beck, Ken, and Jim Clark. ''The Andy Griffith Show Book''. St. Martin's Griffin, 1995.</ref>

==Production==
[[File:Andy Griffith Don Knotts 1970.JPG|right|thumb|Knotts and Griffith as their characters in a still taken from the October 7, 1965, one-hour variety special ''The Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, and Jim Nabors Show'']]
The sitcom's production team included producers [[Aaron Ruben]] (1960–1965) and Bob Ross (1965–1968).<ref name="Kelly" /> First-season writers (many of whom worked in pairs) included Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart, Arthur Stander, and [[Frank Tarloff]] (as "David Adler"), Benedict Freedman and John Fenton Murray, Leo Solomon and Ben Gershman, and Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum.<ref name="Kelly" /> During season six, Greenbaum and Fritzell left the show. Ruben departed for ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'', a show he owned in part.<ref name="Kelly" /> Writer [[Harvey Bullock (writer)|Harvey Bullock]] left after season six. [[Bob Sweeney (director)|Bob Sweeney]] directed the first three seasons save the premiere.<ref>{{cite web |title=Don Knotts, Andy Griffith & Jim Neighbors, The Andy Griffith Show 1960s |url=https://myvintagephotos.com/product/don-knotts-andy-griffith-jim-neighbors-the-andy-griffith-show/ |website=My Vintage Photos |access-date=7 March 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
The show was filmed at [[Desilu Studios]],<ref name="Kelly" /> with exteriors filmed at [[RKO Forty Acres|Forty Acres]] in Culver City, California.<ref name="Kelly" /> Woodsy locales were filmed north of [[Beverly Hills]] at [[Franklin Canyon Park|Franklin Canyon]],<ref name="Kelly" /> including the opening credits and closing credits with Andy and Opie walking to and from "the fishin' hole".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.journalnow.com/news/ask_sam/ask-sam-where-were-the-andy-griffith-lake-scenes-filmed/article_5435c1b5-f8a9-5fa2-9c77-ef6c583d3483.html|title=Ask SAM|last=Clodfelter|first=Tim|work=[[Winston-Salem Journal]]|date=March 28, 2020|access-date=March 31, 2020|archive-date=March 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328223900/https://www.journalnow.com/news/ask_sam/ask-sam-where-were-the-andy-griffith-lake-scenes-filmed/article_5435c1b5-f8a9-5fa2-9c77-ef6c583d3483.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Don Knotts]], who knew Griffith professionally (they had appeared together in both the Broadway and film versions of ''[[No Time for Sergeants]]'') and had seen ''The Danny Thomas Show'' episode, called Griffith during the developmental stages of the show and suggested the Sheriff character needed a deputy and comic sideman; Griffith agreed. Knotts auditioned for the show's creator and executive producer, [[Sheldon Leonard]], and was offered a five-year contract playing Barney Fife.<ref name="Kelly" /> The [[The Andy Griffith Show Theme|show's theme music]] was composed by [[Earle Hagen]], who also performed the whistling in the opening and closing credits.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Burlingame |first=Jon |title=Music for Prime Time: A History of American Television Themes and Scoring |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-19-061830-8 |pages=213–214}}</ref> [[Herbert W. Spencer|Herbert Spencer]] was credited by the [[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]] as "co-composer", but was not involved with the composition of the theme.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Bruce |title=Earle Hagen, 88; Composed Noted TV Tunes |work=[[New York Times]] |date=May 28, 2008 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/897137101 |access-date=July 31, 2023 |id={{ProQuest|897137101}} |archive-date=October 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022192425/https://www.proquest.com/docview/897137101 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1961, actor [[Everett Sloane]], who also guest starred as Jubal Foster in the episode "The Keeper of the Flame", wrote lyrics for the theme after he learned it did not have any.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Julian |first=Harold |date=October 29, 2000 |title=Book Revives Life and Times in Mayberry |pages=E6 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/393506024 |access-date=July 31, 2023 |id={{ProQuest|393506024}} |archive-date=October 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022192422/https://www.proquest.com/docview/393506024 |url-status=live }}</ref> This vocal version of the theme was renamed "The Fishin' Hole" and first appeared on an [[LP record|LP album]] of music from the show.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kirkley |first=Donald |date=October 8, 1961 |title=Andy Griffith Hits the Road |pages=53 |work=[[Baltimore Sun]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/129205247/ |url-status=live |access-date=July 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801032315/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/129205247/ |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> One of the show's tunes, "The Mayberry March", was reworked several times in different tempo, styles, and orchestrations as background music. The show's sole sponsor was [[General Foods]],<ref name="Kelly" /> with promotional consideration paid for (in the form of cars) by [[Ford Motor Company]] (mentioned in the credits).{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

===Griffith's development of Andy Taylor===
Initially, Griffith played Taylor as a heavy-handed unworldly country bumpkin, grinning from ear to ear and speaking in a hesitant, frantic but friendly manner. The style recalled that used in the delivery of his popular [[monologue]]s such as "[[What It Was, Was Football]]." He gradually abandoned the "rustic Taylor" and developed a serious and thoughtful characterization. Producer Aaron Ruben recalled: <blockquote>He was being that marvelously funny character from ''[[No Time for Sergeants]],'' Will Stockdale [a role Griffith played on stage and in film]&nbsp;... One day he said, "My God, I just realized that I'm the [[Double act|straight man]]. I'm playing straight to all these kooks around me." He didn't like himself [in first year reruns]&nbsp;... and in the next season he changed, becoming this [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincolnesque]] character.<ref name="Kelly" /></blockquote> As Griffith stopped portraying some of the sheriff's more unsophisticated character traits and mannerisms, creating his own problems and troubles was impossible in the manner of other central sitcom characters such as Lucy in ''I Love Lucy'' or Archie Bunker in ''[[All in the Family]]'', whose problems were the result of their temperaments, philosophies, and attitudes. Consequently, the characters around Taylor were employed to create the problems and troubles, with rock-solid Taylor stepping in as problem solver, mediator, advisor, disciplinarian, and counselor.<ref name="Kelly"/>

==Premise and characters==
{{Main|List of The Andy Griffith Show characters|List of The Andy Griffith Show guest stars}}

[[File:Andy Griffith Show 1961.JPG|thumb|right|In the 1961 episode "Andy Saves Barney's Morale", Andy leaves Barney in charge while he is away and returns to find Barney has jailed many of Mayberry's citizens for petty reasons.]]

The series revolves around [[Andy Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show)|Andy Taylor]] ([[Andy Griffith]]), the sheriff of the sleepy, slow-paced, fictional community of [[Mayberry]], North Carolina. His laid-back but level-headed approach to law enforcement makes him the scourge of local [[moonshine]]rs and out-of-town criminals, while his abilities to settle community problems with commonsense advice, mediation, and conciliation make him popular with his fellow citizens. His professional life, however, is complicated by the repeated gaffes of his inept deputy, [[Barney Fife]] ([[Don Knotts]]). Barney is Andy's cousin and best friend. At home, widower Andy raises his young son [[Opie Taylor|Opie]] ([[Ronny Howard]]), assisted by his maiden aunt and housekeeper, [[Aunt Bee]] ([[Frances Bavier]]). Opie, though generally respectful and well-behaved, is also curious and adventuresome and tests his father's parenting skills. Aunt Bee, meanwhile, is a wonderful cook and housekeeper, but her ill-considered romances and occasional quirks cause her nephew concern.

Andy's friends and neighbors include, at various times, barber [[Floyd Lawson]] ([[Howard McNear]]; [[Walter Baldwin]] portrayed the role in the 1960 episode "Stranger in Town"), service station attendants and cousins [[Gomer Pyle]] ([[Jim Nabors]]) and [[Goober Pyle]] ([[George Lindsey]]), and local drunkard [[Otis Campbell]] ([[Hal Smith (actor)|Hal Smith]]). There are two mayors over the course of the series: Mayor Pike ([[Dick Elliott]]) is more relaxed, but often indecisive, while Mayor Roy Stoner ([[Parley Baer]]) has a more assertive personality.  Other semi-regulars include townswoman [[Clara Edwards (character)|Clara Edwards]] ([[Hope Summers]]), Barney's sweetheart [[Thelma Lou]] ([[Betty Lynn]]) and Andy's schoolteacher sweetheart [[Helen Crump]] ([[Aneta Corsaut]]). Ellie Walker ([[Elinor Donahue]]) is Andy's girlfriend in the first season, while Peggy McMillan ([[Joanna Moore]]) is a nurse who becomes his girlfriend in season 3. In the color seasons, County Clerk [[Howard Sprague]] ([[Jack Dodson]]) and handyman Emmett Clark ([[Paul Hartman]]) appear regularly, while Barney's replacement, Deputy [[Warren Ferguson (The Andy Griffith Show)|Warren Ferguson]] ([[Jack Burns]]), appears in about half of season six.

[[Ernest T. Bass]] made his first appearance in episode 94 ("Mountain Wedding"), as well as four later episodes. The actor who portrayed him, [[Howard Morris]], also played George, the television repairman in episode 140 ("Andy and Helen Have Their Day") and two uncredited voice roles, as Leonard Blush and a radio announcer. Morris also directed a total of eight episodes of the show, none while portraying Ernest T. Bass.

[[Unseen character]]s such as telephone operator Sarah, and Barney's love interest, local diner waitress Juanita Beasley, as mentioned in the first season, are often referenced. The show's announcer for the first five seasons, Colin Male, portrayed Game Warden Peterson in episode 140 ("Andy and Helen Have Their Day").

In the series' last few episodes, farmer Sam Jones ([[Ken Berry]]) debuts and later becomes the lead of the retitled show, ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]''<ref name="Kelly" /> Don Knotts, Aneta Corsaut, Jack Dodson, and Betty Lynn also appeared on Griffith's later show, ''[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|Matlock]]''.

==Episodes==
{{Main|List of The Andy Griffith Show episodes}}
{{:List of The Andy Griffith Show episodes}}
The show comprises eight full seasons and 249 episodes<ref name="Kelly" />—159 episodes in black and white (seasons 1–5) and 90 in color (seasons 6–8). Griffith appears in all 249 episodes with Howard appearing in 202, Bavier appearing in 175, and Knotts appearing in 141. Only Griffith, Howard, Bavier, Knotts and Hope Summers appeared in all eight seasons. Knotts left the show at the end of season five to pursue a career in films (on the show, it is explained that he takes a job as a detective with the [[Raleigh Police Department]]) but returned to make five guest appearances as Barney in seasons six through eight. His last appearance is in the final season, in a story about a summit meeting with Soviet dignitaries "ranked eleventh among single comedy programs most watched in television between 1960 and 1984, with an audience of thirty-three and a half million."<ref name="Kelly" />

==Reruns, spinoffs and reunions==
[[File:Andy Griffith Ken Berry Mayberry RFD 1968.JPG|thumb|right|Sam Jones ([[Ken Berry]]) and his son Mike ([[Buddy Foster]]) were recurring characters in the final season of ''The Andy Griffith Show,'' setting up the sequel series ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]'']]
In October 1964, CBS added [[reruns]] of the show to its daytime schedule. Titled ''Andy of Mayberry'' to distinguish the repeat episodes from the new episodes airing in primetime, these aired in daytime until September 1970. The show entered syndication a year later under its original title.

At the end of season four (May 1964), the [[backdoor pilot]] "[[Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.]]" aired and the following September, the spinoff series ''[[Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.]]'' debuted with Jim Nabors in the role of Gomer and [[Frank Sutton]] as [[drill instructor]] Sergeant Vince Carter.

In the last episodes of the eighth season, as Griffith was preparing to leave, the character Sam Jones, played by [[Ken Berry]], was introduced as the new star and the series was retitled ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]'' Most of the cast members continued their original roles, with Bavier becoming Sam's housekeeper. To create a smooth transition, Andy and Helen were married in the first episode with the new title and remained for a few additional episodes before leaving with a move to [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]], effectively ending their appearances.

After ''RFD''{{'}}s cancellation in 1971, George Lindsey played Goober for many years on the popular country-variety show ''[[Hee Haw]].''

Goober, Barney and Emmett all made appearances in the series premiere of ''[[The New Andy Griffith Show]],'' which starred Griffith as a similar but canonically different character, Mayor Andy Sawyer. All three characters treated Sawyer as if he were Andy Taylor. The series only lasted ten episodes.<ref name="tvparty_newags">[http://www.tvparty.com/newandy4.html The New Andy Griffith Show, TVparty.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128094703/http://www.tvparty.com/newandy4.html |date=January 28, 2021 }}, retrieved February 12, 2020</ref>

In 1986, the reunion [[telemovie]] ''[[Return to Mayberry]]'' was broadcast with several cast members reprising their original roles. Absent, however, was [[Frances Bavier]]. She was living in [[Siler City, North Carolina]] in ill health and declined to participate. In the TV movie, Aunt Bee is portrayed as deceased (and in fact, Bavier did die three years later), with Andy visiting her grave. Also absent were Howard McNear, Paul Hartman, Jack Burns, and the cast members who were featured only in the ''Mayberry RFD'' seasons.

Griffith and Howard reprised their roles a final time for a [[Funny or Die]] skit supporting the [[Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign|2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/20/ron-howard-brian-grazer-t_n_145164.html|title=Inside Ron Howard's Obama Video Endorsement |work=[[The Huffington Post]]|last=Thomson|first=Katherine|date=December 21, 2008|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025135058/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/20/ron-howard-brian-grazer-t_n_145164.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1993, ''The Andy Griffith Show'' had a Reunion Special which featured Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Ron Howard, Jim Nabors, George Lindsey, and Jack Dodson.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-02-21-reunion-shows_x.htm|title=Happy days for television reunions|last=Oldenburg|first=Ann|date=February 21, 2005|work=USA Today|pages=1|access-date=June 8, 2009|archive-date=May 29, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070529223018/http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-02-21-reunion-shows_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2003, four surviving cast members (Griffith, Howard, Knotts, and Nabors) came together for a reunion special that featured the actors reminiscing about each other's time on the show. The production was interspersed with archival footage and short filmed interviews with some of the other surviving cast members. This special was called ''The Andy Griffith Show: Back to Mayberry.''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386286/|title=The Andy Griffith Show: Back to Mayberry|website=IMDb|access-date=June 8, 2009|archive-date=February 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212004233/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386286/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/10/news/review-television-a-friendly-mayberry-get-together.html|title=Review/Television; A Friendly Mayberry Get-Together|last=O'Connor|first=John J.|date=February 10, 1993|work=The New York Times|pages=1|access-date=June 8, 2009|archive-date=February 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209193112/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/10/news/review-television-a-friendly-mayberry-get-together.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Reception ==

===Ratings===

''The Andy Griffith Show'' was a top ten hit through its entire run, never ranking lower than seventh place in the yearly ratings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/index.htm|title=ClassicTVguide.com: TV Ratings|website=classictvguide.com|access-date=February 27, 2023|archive-date=February 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221225141/https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> A Nielsen study conducted during the show's final season (1967–68) indicated the show ranked number one among blue collar workers followed by ''[[The Lucy Show]]'' and ''[[Gunsmoke]].'' Among white collar workers, the show ranked third, following ''Saturday Movies'' and ''[[The Dean Martin Show]]''.<ref name="Kelly" /> The final season of ''The Andy Griffith Show'' was the number one ranked show on television.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ClassicTVguide.com: TV Ratings > 1960s |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1967.htm |access-date=2023-03-20 |website=classictvguide.com |archive-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221224514/https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1967.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Other shows to have accomplished this include ''I Love Lucy''<ref>{{Cite web |title=ClassicTVguide.com: TV Ratings > 1950s |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1956.htm |access-date=2023-03-20 |website=classictvguide.com |archive-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221224504/https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1956.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''Seinfeld.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=ClassicTVguide.com: TV Ratings > 1990s |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1997.htm |access-date=2023-03-20 |website=classictvguide.com |archive-date=March 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320195628/https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1997.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1998, the year ''Seinfeld'' ended, more than five million people a day watched the show's reruns on 120 stations.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.drpolitics.com/article-view.php?id=4 |title=What Andy, Opie, and Barney Fife Mean to Americans |access-date=January 27, 2009 |author=Ted Rueter |newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor |date=January 22, 1998 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524183316/http://www.drpolitics.com/article-view.php?id=4 |archive-date=May 24, 2008 }}</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
====Emmys====
'''1961'''
* Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor or Actress in a Series: Don Knotts – Won
* Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor – Nominated (Winner: ''[[The Jack Benny Program]]'')
'''1962'''
* Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor: Don Knotts – Won
* Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor – Nominated (Winner: ''[[The Bob Newhart Show (1961 TV series)|The Bob Newhart Show]]'')
'''1963'''
* Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor: Don Knotts – Won
'''1966'''
* Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy: Don Knotts for "The Return of Barney Fife" – Won
'''1967'''
* Outstanding Comedy Series – Nominated (Winner: ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'')
* Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy: Don Knotts for "Barney Comes to Mayberry" – Won
* Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy: Frances Bavier – Won

====TV Land Awards====
* Favorite Second Banana: Don Knotts – Won (2003)
* Single Dad of the Year: Andy Griffith – Won (2003)
* Legend Award – Won (2004)

==== Other accolades ====
* In 1997, the episode "[[Opie the Birdman]]" was ranked No. 24 on [[TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time]].<ref>{{cite magazine |year=1997 |title=Special Collector's Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time |url=<!--|access-date=October 4, 2011 --> |magazine=[[TV Guide]] |issue=June 28 – July 4}}</ref>
* In 2002, ''[[TV Guide]]'' ranked ''The Andy Griffith Show'' ninth on its list of the 50 Best Shows of All Time.<ref name="Top50Shows" />
* [[Bravo (American TV network)|Bravo]] ranked Andy Taylor 63rd on their list of the 100 greatest TV characters.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 100 Greatest TV Characters |url=http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Greatest_TV_Characters//index.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015070449/http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Greatest_TV_Characters/index.shtml |archive-date=October 15, 2007 |access-date=October 19, 2010 |publisher=Bravo}}</ref>
* In 2013, ''TV Guide'' ranked ''The Andy Griffith Show'' number 15 on their list of the 60 Greatest Shows of All Time.<ref name="Fretts" />

==Merchandise and pop culture==
Very little merchandise was produced for ''The Andy Griffith Show'' during its original run, a peculiarity for a hit TV show in the 1960s. One theory for the lack of merchandise is that the show's producers, Griffith in particular, wanted to protect its image as a realistic and thoughtful offering and keep the public's focus on the show itself rather than its branding.<ref name=RetFan1>{{cite magazine |last=Eury |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Eury|date=Summer 2018|title=Original Andy Griffith Show Collectibles|magazine=RetroFan |issue=1 |pages=59–62 |publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]]}}</ref> Among the handful of merchandise released during the show's first run, [[Dell Comics]] published two ''The Andy Griffith Show'' [[comic book]]s, one drawn by [[Henry Scarpelli]], the other by [[Bill Fraccio]].<ref name=RetFan1/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/scarpelli_henry.htm|title=Henry Scarpelli|website=lambiek.net|language=en|access-date=January 25, 2019|archive-date=November 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117001900/https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/scarpelli_henry.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2004, copies in near-mint condition were priced in excess of $500 each.<ref>Overstreet, Robert M. ''Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide''. 34th edition. House of Collectibles, Random House Information Group, May 2004.</ref> There was also a [[soundtrack album]], two coloring books, and a 1966 [[Grape-Nuts]] cereal box with a photo of Griffith in character as Sheriff Andy Taylor beside a lemon pie recipe on the back.<ref name=RetFan1/> The show's enduring popularity has spawned considerable merchandise during the decades following its cancellation,<ref name=RetFan1/> including board games, bobblehead dolls, kitchenware, and books. In 2007, a line of canned foods inspired by the series was made available in grocery stores across America.

Griffith's hometown of [[Mount Airy, North Carolina]], annually hosts a week-long "Mayberry Days" celebration featuring concerts, parades and appearances by the show's players.

In 2003, the country band [[Rascal Flatts]] released the song "[[Mayberry (song)|Mayberry]]" and many of the lyrics pay tribute to the show.  Canadian rapper and singer [[Drake (musician)|Drake]] references the show's theme song in his 2009 track "[[Best I Ever Had|Best I Ever Had"]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Drake – Best I Ever Had |url=https://genius.com/Drake-best-i-ever-had-lyrics |access-date=2024-08-09}}</ref>

The cable television network [[TV Land]] erected bronze statues of Andy and Opie in Mount Airy and [[Raleigh, North Carolina]] (''see:'' [[Pullen Park]]).<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-219640620.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513081922/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-219640620.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=May 13, 2014| title=Vandals toss paint on statue of Andy and Opie in N.C. (Front) | agency=Associated Press | date=February 25, 2010 | access-date=August 6, 2013}}</ref>

The Taylor Home Inn in [[Clear Lake, Wisconsin]], is a bed-and-breakfast modeled after the Taylor Home.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14063707 | title=A little touch of Mayberry: B&B recreates Andy Griffith's TV show home | agency=Associated Press | work=NBC News | date=July 27, 2006 | access-date=September 7, 2012 | archive-date=October 22, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022192412/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14063707 | url-status=live }}</ref> The Mayberry Cafe in [[Danville, Indiana]], features Aunt Bee's Fried Chicken and a replica of Andy's [[Ford Galaxie]] police car.

In 2021, the original feature film ''Mayberry Man'' was produced by children of actors from ''The Andy Griffith Show'' featuring Mayberry tribute artists set in a fictitious modern-day Mayberry.

==Home media==
In the late 1980s, Premier Promotions released various episodes on VHS. Most tapes had either two or four episodes. In the early to mid-1990s, [[United American Video]] (under license from the show's then-syndicator [[Viacom Enterprises]]) released VHS tapes of various episodes. They either had two or three episodes. These compilations were culled from episodes early in the show's run that had lapsed into the public domain; these episodes continue to be circulated on unofficial video releases.

Starting in 2004, [[Paramount Home Media Distribution|Paramount Home Entertainment]] (under the [[CBS Home Entertainment]] label starting in 2006) released all eight seasons as single-season packages on Region 1 DVD. ''The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete Series'' was first released as a 40-disc boxed set in 2007. In addition to all 249 episodes of the series, its bonus features included the episode "Danny Meets Andy Griffith" from ''[[The Danny Thomas Show]]'' which served as the pilot, the episode "Opie Joins the Marines" from ''[[Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.]]'' which featured Ron Howard and the 95-minute, [[Television film|made-for-television]] [[comedy film]] ''[[Return to Mayberry]]''. In 2016, ''The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete Series'' was repackaged and released again as a 39-disc set that featured all 249 episodes of the series but did not include the bonus feature disc. The last 16 episodes of the third season, which lapsed into the [[public domain]] after CBS neglected to file copyright renewals on the episodes in 1989, are available on discount DVDs. The 2007 lawsuit ''CBS Operations Inc v. Reel Funds International Inc.'' ruled that the episodes in question were [[derivative work]]s based on the copyrighted episodes even though the episodes themselves were not under copyright and granted CBS indirect copyright over the public domain episodes; the ruling [[enjoin]]ed Reel Funds International, a public domain distributor, from selling DVDs with those episodes within the jurisdiction of the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.winston.com/index.cfm?contentid=34&itemid=2488 |title=Winston.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831181432/http://winston.com/index.cfm?contentid=34&itemid=2488 |archive-date=August 31, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-txnd-3_06-cv-00588|title=CBS Operations Inc v. Reel Funds International Inc|work=gpo.gov|access-date=September 23, 2013|archive-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116084702/https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-txnd-3_06-cv-00588|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!DVD name
!Ep#
!Release date
|-
| ''The First Season''
| 32
| November 16, 2004
|-
| ''The Second Season''
| 31
| May 24, 2005
|-
| ''The Third Season''
| 32
| August 16, 2005
|-
| ''The Fourth Season''
| 32
| November 22, 2005
|-
| ''The Fifth Season''
| 32
| February 14, 2006
|-
| ''The Sixth Season''
| 30
| May 9, 2006
|-
| ''The Seventh Season''
| 30
| August 29, 2006
|-
| ''The Final Season''
| 30
| December 12, 2006
|-
| ''The Complete Series''
| 249
| May 29, 2007
|-
| ''The Complete Series''
| 249
| February 16, 2016
|}

Note: The Region 1 release of ''The Third Season'' contains two episodes edited for syndication: "The Darlings Are Coming"—which had several scenes cut—and "Barney Mends a Broken Heart", which had its [[epilogue]] cut.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Ken |last2=Clark |first2=Jim |title=The Andy Griffith Show Book |type=trade paperback |year=1985 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=0-312-03654-X |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/andygriffithshow0000beck }}
* Beck, Ken, and Clark, Jim. ''Mayberry Memories.'' Rutledge Hill Press, 2000.
* {{Cite book |last1=de Vise |first1=Daniel |title=Andy & Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic TV Show |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vYPRCgAAQBAJ |year=2015 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4767-4773-6 }}
* Fann, Joey. ''The Way Back to Mayberry''. Broadman and Holman, 2001. {{ISBN|0-8054-2420-2}}.
* Kelly, Richard. ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (John F. Blair, 1981). {{ISBN|0-89587-043-6}}.
* McElroy, Kathleen. "Remembering Mayberry in White and Black: The Andy Griffith Show's Construction of the South," ''Memory Studies,'' 8 (Oct. 2015), 440–453.
* [[Gustavo Pérez Firmat|Pérez Firmat, Gustavo]]. ''A Cuban in Mayberry: Looking Back at America's Hometown''. Austin: The University of Texas Press, 2014.
* {{Cite news |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-14331567_ITM |title=Why "The Andy Griffith Show" is Important to Popular Culture |first=Don Rodney |last=Vaughn |publisher=Journal of Popular Culture | date=November 1, 2004}}

==External links==
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{{Commons category|The Andy Griffith Show}}
* {{IMDb title|0053479|The Andy Griffith Show}}
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{{Mayberry}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Andy Griffith Show, The}}
[[Category:The Andy Griffith Show| ]]
[[Category:American television spinoffs]]
[[Category:1960s American single-camera sitcoms]]
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[[Category:Culture of North Carolina]]
[[Category:American television series about families]]
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