In the long list of old shows throughout television history, not all are true classics. Some are just curiosity series; others are entertaining but lacking in anything strongly admirable. And then you have the true greats, including the masterfully-written and acted "Perry Mason", the suspenseful and brilliant "The Twilight Zone", and this one. "The Andy Griffith Show" will always be remembered as one of the greatest TV shows ever made; it is hard to achieve what Griffith, Knotts and Howard did in this outstanding program. While comedy is part of what makes it work, the really great thing about this series was not just humor, but the characters. The chemistry of these characters is truly outstanding; each one plays its part to perfection in being what they are supposed to be, and fit together so well it is no wonder it is so recognized even today.
The setting is that of the stereotypical small southern town, filled with a cast of characters that work amazingly well together. To name the main ones, the character of Andy Griffith is Andy Taylor, the sheriff of the town, a friendly and easy-going type who takes his job with a grain of salt (he doesn't even carry a gun!) His best is brought out in the deputy sheriff Barney Fife, the most enjoyable, endearing character on the program, played by the brilliant Don Knotts. The way these two characters alone work together is just stupendous, sort of in the manner of a comedy duo: Andy is the straight man, while Barney is an incompetent yet lovable character full of pride in his job, but also extremely socially awkward (yes, it is rather cringey how much so he is at times). He is always messing up and making a fool of himself so much that you also have to feel sorry for him and root him on. This pair is already gold, so much in fact that both were brought back together to appear in Griffith's second best-known series, "Matlock" in the 80's and 90's (though that show isn't as good and I haven't seen any episodes featuring Knotts).
Supporting characters include Andy's son, Opie, a young boy portrayed by the young Ronny Howard. His father-son relationship with Andy is also great and believable, as is his comedic interactions with Barney. And Aunt Bee, depicted by Frances Bavier, makes a wonderful mother figure, with enough comedy of her own to make her part also convincing. The supporting characters, such as Gomer Pyle at the gas station, Floyd the barber, Otis the town drunk, etc. are great, with plenty of great charm and laughs to bring to the show. Put together, all these characters have tremendous chemistry, being lovable and unforgettable in their own special ways. There is not one character on the show that does not mix well with any other character: that's how great they work together!
The morals this show occasionally drops on audiences certainly isn't intended to be annoying, but actually increases the show's value. Most of the situations presented within the show are actually very believable, involving true-to-life stories such as Opie's lesson when he meets a spoiled kid, or when he sees his friends run off to misbehave with a kid who's a bad influence. That's another part that makes "The Andy Griffith Show" so outstanding: it has plenty of realistic situations where the characters learn a lesson in an endearing yet funny way. It gives the show more value than just the typical sitcom (which I wouldn't even classify this show as being, since it is more than just laughs) and as such makes it one of the best American comedy series I've seen.
Now, it wouldn't be fair if I did not mention how "The Andy Griffith Show" did go in a bit of a decline after the first five seasons. In 1965, the series turned to color rather than the infamous black and white, which was certainly an interesting change to have happen. However, most fans have complained when discussing these last three seasons, saying they were not nearly as good as the earlier ones. It's certainly not just the color that brought this on; what was the real reason? The answer: Don Knotts left the show to make movies (including the great "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken"), returning as a guest star for only five of the color episodes. As the funniest character who brought much of the real humor into the show, and Griffith's main counterpart, his missing presence was deeply felt by the fans, and as some say, Andy became less likable because of it (which I can definitely understand). So, because of being left without a deputy, they brought in Jack Burns, who filled the vacuum Barney left behind. His character was called Warren Ferguson, and after eleven episodes he too left the show due to fans despising this new deputy (considering him incredibly annoying). Personally, having seen two episodes featuring Warren, I don't entirely agree with this: Burns definitely couldn't have been anywhere near as good as Knotts, but still could have been a fairly fun character if the writers and cast had worked toward creating a good chemistry. Sadly, this never happened. Andy and Warren's 'chemistry' (which was like mixing oil and water) consisted of Warren making some uncalled for remark and Andy giving him a look that said "Shut up, you're not helping matters". They didn't get along, plain and simple. Perhaps it might have worked if, like I said, everyone had worked towards fitting him in, but fans simply didn't give Burns a chance.
In conclusion, "The Andy Griffith Show" is just incredible, even if the last three seasons were more lackluster. The characters are lovable, the comedy is great, and it is just a wonderful feel-good program all around. There's no way any studio nowadays could possibly create something this endearing; the golden age is over, and most shows today rely on violence and sex rather than making anything truly worthwhile. One of the classic great television shows that will never die.
The setting is that of the stereotypical small southern town, filled with a cast of characters that work amazingly well together. To name the main ones, the character of Andy Griffith is Andy Taylor, the sheriff of the town, a friendly and easy-going type who takes his job with a grain of salt (he doesn't even carry a gun!) His best is brought out in the deputy sheriff Barney Fife, the most enjoyable, endearing character on the program, played by the brilliant Don Knotts. The way these two characters alone work together is just stupendous, sort of in the manner of a comedy duo: Andy is the straight man, while Barney is an incompetent yet lovable character full of pride in his job, but also extremely socially awkward (yes, it is rather cringey how much so he is at times). He is always messing up and making a fool of himself so much that you also have to feel sorry for him and root him on. This pair is already gold, so much in fact that both were brought back together to appear in Griffith's second best-known series, "Matlock" in the 80's and 90's (though that show isn't as good and I haven't seen any episodes featuring Knotts).
Supporting characters include Andy's son, Opie, a young boy portrayed by the young Ronny Howard. His father-son relationship with Andy is also great and believable, as is his comedic interactions with Barney. And Aunt Bee, depicted by Frances Bavier, makes a wonderful mother figure, with enough comedy of her own to make her part also convincing. The supporting characters, such as Gomer Pyle at the gas station, Floyd the barber, Otis the town drunk, etc. are great, with plenty of great charm and laughs to bring to the show. Put together, all these characters have tremendous chemistry, being lovable and unforgettable in their own special ways. There is not one character on the show that does not mix well with any other character: that's how great they work together!
The morals this show occasionally drops on audiences certainly isn't intended to be annoying, but actually increases the show's value. Most of the situations presented within the show are actually very believable, involving true-to-life stories such as Opie's lesson when he meets a spoiled kid, or when he sees his friends run off to misbehave with a kid who's a bad influence. That's another part that makes "The Andy Griffith Show" so outstanding: it has plenty of realistic situations where the characters learn a lesson in an endearing yet funny way. It gives the show more value than just the typical sitcom (which I wouldn't even classify this show as being, since it is more than just laughs) and as such makes it one of the best American comedy series I've seen.
Now, it wouldn't be fair if I did not mention how "The Andy Griffith Show" did go in a bit of a decline after the first five seasons. In 1965, the series turned to color rather than the infamous black and white, which was certainly an interesting change to have happen. However, most fans have complained when discussing these last three seasons, saying they were not nearly as good as the earlier ones. It's certainly not just the color that brought this on; what was the real reason? The answer: Don Knotts left the show to make movies (including the great "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken"), returning as a guest star for only five of the color episodes. As the funniest character who brought much of the real humor into the show, and Griffith's main counterpart, his missing presence was deeply felt by the fans, and as some say, Andy became less likable because of it (which I can definitely understand). So, because of being left without a deputy, they brought in Jack Burns, who filled the vacuum Barney left behind. His character was called Warren Ferguson, and after eleven episodes he too left the show due to fans despising this new deputy (considering him incredibly annoying). Personally, having seen two episodes featuring Warren, I don't entirely agree with this: Burns definitely couldn't have been anywhere near as good as Knotts, but still could have been a fairly fun character if the writers and cast had worked toward creating a good chemistry. Sadly, this never happened. Andy and Warren's 'chemistry' (which was like mixing oil and water) consisted of Warren making some uncalled for remark and Andy giving him a look that said "Shut up, you're not helping matters". They didn't get along, plain and simple. Perhaps it might have worked if, like I said, everyone had worked towards fitting him in, but fans simply didn't give Burns a chance.
In conclusion, "The Andy Griffith Show" is just incredible, even if the last three seasons were more lackluster. The characters are lovable, the comedy is great, and it is just a wonderful feel-good program all around. There's no way any studio nowadays could possibly create something this endearing; the golden age is over, and most shows today rely on violence and sex rather than making anything truly worthwhile. One of the classic great television shows that will never die.