For the first 10 years of my life, Mayberry was a part of my life. I was born a few months after TAGS premiered, I was 10 when RFD went off the air. Both shows were part of my childhood. The black and white episodes of TAGS were much better than the color episodes. Somehow it lost part of its charm. I tried watching TAGS color episodes in black and white, and it still was not the same. Sure Don Knotts leaving the show had an impact, but somehow Mayberry itself felt different. The first 5 seasons of TAGS I would give a 10/10 rating. I give the last three seasons of TAGS and all the seasons of RFD 7/10. When the first season of RFD came out on DVD, I bought it the instant I saw it on the store shelf. I liked and still like the show. Perhaps a little more now than when I was a kid. I waited and waited for Seasons 2 and 3 to come out on DVD. Then a few days ago, I saw the complete series on DVD in Walmart. I was thrilled. I have been binge watching it since I bought it. I loved Alice Ghostley in everything I have seen her in, including RFD. With that said, I miss Aunt Bea in the 3rd season. I have always been curious as to why she did not appear in the final season and I have yet to find an answer to that.
TV was growing up as I was growing up. First came "That Girl" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." I loved the MTM show from the beginning, perhaps because of "The Dick Van Dyke Show." But my point being, after the infamous rural purge, most of my favorite shows including RFD went off the air. I think the only one left was "Here's Lucy." As I was growing up and losing my innocence, TV was growing up and losing its innocence too. We went from wholesome TV shows like the Paul Henning shows and TAGS/RFD to "All in the Family" and all the Norman Lear shows overnight, which I slowly learned to love and still do. However, as I said, TV lost its innocence overnight, it took me a little more time. I am not an old prude, but I look back on shows like RFD and the "clean" humor and I miss it. Norman Lear helped me grow up and helped to take away my innocence, and for that I am grateful, however also a bit sad about it. To this day, I love watching the old reruns of the Lucille Ball shows, and the rural comedies, and love it when I see an episode I am sure I have seen, but don't remember it, which at my age seems to happen more and more often. I think I am enjoying RFD more now than when I was a kid because I don't remember most of the episodes. Shows like RFD take me back to my wonderful childhood, not only are they still funny, there is a feeling of nostalgia watching them. Watching RFD now, I think it could have had at least 1 or 2 good seasons left, if CBS had not, as Pat Buttram said, "cancelled every show with a tree."
TV was growing up as I was growing up. First came "That Girl" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." I loved the MTM show from the beginning, perhaps because of "The Dick Van Dyke Show." But my point being, after the infamous rural purge, most of my favorite shows including RFD went off the air. I think the only one left was "Here's Lucy." As I was growing up and losing my innocence, TV was growing up and losing its innocence too. We went from wholesome TV shows like the Paul Henning shows and TAGS/RFD to "All in the Family" and all the Norman Lear shows overnight, which I slowly learned to love and still do. However, as I said, TV lost its innocence overnight, it took me a little more time. I am not an old prude, but I look back on shows like RFD and the "clean" humor and I miss it. Norman Lear helped me grow up and helped to take away my innocence, and for that I am grateful, however also a bit sad about it. To this day, I love watching the old reruns of the Lucille Ball shows, and the rural comedies, and love it when I see an episode I am sure I have seen, but don't remember it, which at my age seems to happen more and more often. I think I am enjoying RFD more now than when I was a kid because I don't remember most of the episodes. Shows like RFD take me back to my wonderful childhood, not only are they still funny, there is a feeling of nostalgia watching them. Watching RFD now, I think it could have had at least 1 or 2 good seasons left, if CBS had not, as Pat Buttram said, "cancelled every show with a tree."