Number 1 Programs: THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW

THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW may be one of, if not THE best, most beloved sitcoms of all time. To this day, the series is still syndicated on cable networks and local stations, even though the series is over 50 years old.

What I love about the series is the timeless story telling and humor the great characters brought to life. It was a family show with good family values. Strong authority figures, but with love right behind it.

THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW premiered on October 3, 1960, on CBS. It ran for eight season, producing over 249 episodes. The series never did worse than ranking 7th in any one season, it was a top 5 series for five seasons and it became just the second series ever to be the #1 show for its final season.

SCHEDULING:

1960-61: Mondays at 9:30 p.m.
1961-62: Mondays at 9:30 p.m.
1962-63: Mondays at 9:30 p.m.
1963-64: Mondays at 9:30 p.m.
1964-65: Mondays at 8:30 p.m.
1965-66: Mondays at 9:00 p.m.
1966-67: Mondays at 9:00 p.m.
1967-68: Mondays at 9:00 p.m.

THE RATINGS:

Season     Rank  Rating
---------------------------
1) 1960–61   4    27.8
2) 1961–62   7    27.0
3) 1962–63   6    29.7
4) 1963–64   5    29.4
5) 1964–65   4    28.3
6) 1965–66   6    26.9
7) 1966–67   3    27.4
8) 1967–68   1    27.6

About THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW:

Andy Griffith is a widowed sheriff of a small North Carolina town of Mayberry. He has one young son, Opie and has brought his Aunt Bee to live with them with daily life and watch after Opie while Andy is at work. His one, and only , deputy is Barney Fife. Barney is all bark and no bite and keeps his only bullet in his shirt pocket, just to be safe.

The town is filled with other great characters, Like Otis, the town drunk. He may illiglly get intoxicated, but was always welcomed to sleep the night off in one of the Jail's two cells. Gomer Pyle worked a Wally's gas station and from time-to-time, be swarn in as an acting deputy, when certain situations arose. Floyd The Barber and his barber show was the central location for getting the inside scoop of what is going on through the town of Mayberry. Ernist T. Bass was the mischief that lived on the edge of the town limits and always causing Andy problems in town.

In the later years, we got Goober, Gomer's cousing, who took his spot at Wally's when Gomer enlisted in the Marines. Howard Sprague, the county clerk, and Emmet Clark, the handyman.

Andy had two love interests through the series, the first was Ellie Walker. She was the new town pharmacist, but lasted just one season. Later, Andy would meet Opie's teacher, Helen Crump. The two would marry at the end of the series and was the vehicle of transitioning the series to MAYBERRY R.F.D., with Ken Berry as the lead.

AWARDS:

The series was recognized the the TV Academy , winning six awards. Don Knotts won five Emmys as best supporting actor in a comedy for his work as Deputy Barney Fife. Francis Bavier won best supporting actress in 1967. The series itself was nominated three times, in the comedy categories.

CAST:

Andy Griffith ....................................... Andy Taylor
Ron Howard ....................................... Opie Taylor
Don Knotts ......................................... Barney Fife
Francis Bavier ..................................... Aunt Bee
Jim Neighbors ..................................... Gomer Pyle
Howard McNear ................................ Floyd "The Barber" Lawson
Hal Smith ............................................ Otis Campbell
Betty Lynn .......................................... Thelma Lou
Elinore Donahue ................................. Ellie Walker
Aneta Corsaut .................................... Helen Crump
Jack Dodson ...................................... Howard Sprague
George Lindsey .................................. Goober Pyle
Jack Burns ......................................... Deputy Warren Furguson