Mayberry R.F.D.

As many people know this show is essentially a sequel to the Andy Griffith Show. The producers decided that instead of canceling the show all together, they would continue it with essentially the same cast except for the leads. Ken Berry and Arlene Golonka were okay replacements for Andy Griffith and Aneta Corsaut, but Sam and Millie were no Andy and Helen. Also, even though this show was still popular at the time of the rural purge of 1971, I don't think that its cancellation hit people as hard as the cancellations of The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.

"Mayberry R.F.D." is basically "The Andy Griffith Show" without the key performers, the direction, the writing or the story-lines. What we are left with are city councilman Ken Berry and a sparse group of holdovers (Frances Bavier, Paul Hartman and Jack Dodson). Surprisingly the public did not seem to care as the show ran the better part of four years and completed 78 episodes. By the late-1960s "The Andy Griffith Show" had become stale though (even Griffith admitted to this) and losses like Don Knotts, Ron Howard, Howard Morris, Denver Pyle, Betty Lynn and Hal Smith were way too much to overcome. CBS held on to the idea out of respect, good manners and consistently above-average ratings, but the writing had been on the wall for quite some time when "Mayberry R.F.D." went the way of the dodo in 1971. Personally, I think this detracts from the original program and I have ended up dismissing it. But that is just me. 2 stars out of 5.

I remember watching this series on re-runs in the early and mid 70's. I now, as then, liked the original THE ANDY GRIFFETH SHOW better but was still entertained. I had not seen an episode of Mayberry R.F.D. in probably over 20 years as it is not shown in syndication like TAGS is. However, last year and this year I was able to watch and tape most of the episodes off of TV Land and in doing so have gained a new respect for the show.

I remember as a kid watching TAGS and always knowing when the episode stories and characters were going down the tubes. I could tell this by the episodes that were in color. The color episodes meant that Mayberry was a town no longer lost in time but now it had a more up to date feel. Also, key characters would leave the show such as Barny & Floyd. I really missed these guys and somehow Emmet and Howard did not replace them. Lastly, the final season of TAGS was less about Andy and more about Sam Jones and this was somewhat disappointing.

Now watching M-R.F.D. I feel differently. The final season of TAGS was a good way to bridge the two shows. I think it would have been harder on the fans if all of a sudden Sam Jones showed up on the scene while Andy fell by the wayside. Oddly enough I find myself now liking the new characters such as Howard and Emmet. I don't view them as replacements for other missing characters. Somehow in this series they seem to belong. I do wish that there had been more of Aunt Bee in M-R.F.D..

So even though Mayberry no longer seems quite as rural and laid back and even if some of the plots are borrowed from TAGS it is still a good show and makes me and probably others feel good. I look forward to visiting Mayberry no matter if its via TAGS or M-R.F.D..

Mayberry RFD was one of the quinessential follow-ups to one of the most beloved and most wholesome sitcoms of all time("The Andy Griffith Show") which ran for three seasons before it became the onslaught on the network's crusade of eliminating its rural programming(which it was on CBS-TV and ran from 1968-1971).

The series here picked up where TAGS left off leaving the fictional town of Mayberry,North Carolina-USA under a new sheriff Sam Jones(played by Ken Berry)and leaving Andy Taylor into another position. However,just like Andy Taylor,Sam Jones was also a single dad raising a little boy as well named Mike(played by Buddy Foster) who was taken care of by Aunt Bee(played by Frances Bavier)while his dad has job duties as the law and order of the town and just like Sheriff Taylor,Sheriff Jones also didn't carry a gun,and what he carry was a heart of gold. However,this show did very well without Andy Griffith(who was the executive producer of the series along with Bob Ross)and it still had the same characters everyone has grown to love..........

However,you had Howard(Jack Dodson)who was head of the town council, Emmett(Paul Hartman)who ran the fix-it-shop,and then there's the unpredictable and lovable Goober Pyle(played by George Lindsey)who brought out and now runs Wally's Service Station and the rest of the town's folks.

The episode that was my favorite was the wedding of Andy Taylor during the show's first season where audiences would see Andy Taylor finally walked down the aisle of the church with his sweetheart Helen Crump (played by Aneta Corseaut) along with the rest of the original cast of TAGS (guest stars Don Knotts,Jim Nabors,Ronnie Howard,and even The Dillard's--and even town regulars Ernest T. Bass and Otis were there!)since this was the episode where after the wedding the scenary goes from Mayberry to sunny Florida where the newlyweds Andy and Helen Taylor are having their honeymoon.

But still,the show did have some great moments,even though it didn't last long on the air. The series was cancelled in the spring of 1971. This show was one of CBS' changing(or primary assault) of its rural programming of that year(1971) which included"Green Acres", "The Beverly Hillbillies","Petticoat Junction","Hee-Haw","The Glen Campbell Show","The Jim Nabors Hour",and this series. Catch the episodes on TV Land!

So "Mayberry R.F.D." was to "The Andy Griffith Show." M-R.F.D. was a pale imitation of the original, merely an attempt to keep TAGS rolling without Griffith & Co., who made the show what it was. I disliked M-R.F.D., and felt that there was no reason (save sheer greed) for the TV Execs to prolong the format with this thing.

And Buddy Foster was no Ron Howard, blond hair and plaid shirt or no.