The Andy Griffith Show

The black and white episodes of this program were the best, and I don't know what it was, but when it went to color, all the "magic" the show possessed disappeared!! I can tolerate the color episodes, but I HATED Jack Burns's character of Warren. That "Huh?, Yeah, Huh?" routine was a royal pain in the neck.

And what happened to Andy in the color episodes?? He turned into a man who was always griping about something--cranky and mean. It seemed that no matter what Aunt Bee wanted to do, Andy was there to put a stop to it, or at least, he tried to. Remember the time when Aunt Bee wanted to learn how to drive a car? Wanted to learn how to fly a plane? When she wanted to wear a wig? When she wanted to open a restaurant? Andy Taylor was a very hateful character in the color episodes. They should have stopped production of the show when they changed to color.

The Andy Griffith Show will always be remembered as one of the great slice of life series that ever came on television. It represented the ideal small town full of not only ordinary citizens but the crazies that inhabited it as well, especially characters like Ernest T. Bass and the Darlings. The thing that really made this show great was the relationship between the ever cool Sheriff Andy Taylor and the hyperactive Barney Fife. It was Barney as well as the characters of Aunt Bea, Floyd, Otis, Gomer, Goober and, later, Howard and Emmitt that made this show the classic that it was. Also, in later years this show was criticized for not having any black characters on it. If you think about it, this show was merely a reflection of the times that the show took place in, the early to mid 1960's. Despite that, this show will always be a classic.

Also, one of my favortite episodes will always be the bootlegging episode with the two sisters when you get to see Barney let loose and go POW, POW, POW with his trusty ax.

"The Andy Griffith Show" is probably the greatest sitcom of all time. The writing, the direction, the characters, and the stories all combined to make one of the greatest television shows of any era. Andy Taylor (Griffith) is the sheriff of a small, fictional North Carolina town named Mayberry. He has all sorts of adventures that are so realistic and pure that one feels that they are really in Mayberry when watching the show. Andy lives with his Aunt Bea (Frances Bavier) and his young son Opie (Ron Howard) and works with his deputy sheriff Barney Fife (Don Knotts). The thing that sets "The Andy Griffith Show" apart from almost all other television shows is the realism of the characters. Even though the characters are silly at times, often you can relate these people to actual people that you know or have known. The amazing insight by the writers is truly uncanny. The number of characters that are well-developed is also amazing when one considers how poor writing for television shows usually is these days. The show started out a bit silly in the beginning, but hit a peak from seasons two to five when characters like Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors), Otis Campbell (Hal Smith), Floyd Lawson (Howard McNear), and Goober Beasley (George Lindsey) became more prevalent in the series' plot. However, after the departure of Don Knotts in 1965, the series went from being exceptional to being fair at best the rest of the way. The magic that Knotts brought to the show was even more evident when he was gone. Also Nabors left to create his own series and McNear suffered from health problems throughout the entire run of the series. Smith and Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) also had very little to do with the series after Knotts left. All in all a great series for about five years, but the show's magic slowly disappeared when the series went to color. 5 stars out of 5 for 1960-1965. 2.5 stars out of 5 for 1965-1968.

It may be impossible to find the greatest tv series of all time, but The Andy Griffith Show is definitely in the top ten. It had the warmest most realistic characters and the best writing ever. This show created the best characters out of Andy, Barney, Opie, Aunt Bee, Otis, Floyd, Ellie, Helen and Thelma Lou. Unfortunately, it had just as many clunkers with the extremely irritating and illogical Gomer, Goober, Warren, Howard and Emmett. The best thing about the show was the camaraderie of Andy Griffith and Don Knotts; despite their fights and teasing, you knew they cared about each other. It was this kind of compassion that made everyone connect with the series. Knotts' departure from it was the removal of all the heart as during the rest of the show's run Andy went around irritated all the time. It's these color episodes that are the only thing wrong with the otherwise impeccable show. If Bewitched can be divided into two different series, one black and white, one in color, then the same ought to be done for Andy, and spare the lovers of the series from having to see the worst.

I love this show so much. I'm 26 so I didn't get to see it when it originally aired. However I've watched this show my whole life. I remember watching it when I was a youngster. I think I was about four or five the first time I saw it.

The Andy Griffith show is heart warming and enduring gem. It has made me laugh year after year for decades. It expounds on many social issues like single parenting, child rearing, relationships, and friendships. In the process it mixes a lot sarcastic, witty, and slapstick humor. Andy occasionally will play guitar and sing. It's just all around great entertainment for the whole family. The

The plot of each episode varies from serious to hilarious. There's a nice variety to watch. I of course have my favorite episodes and those I don't like that much. In the end, I just enjoy spending some time each day with the gang from Mayberry.

The character development is the best part about this show. Barney can at first can seem to be an idiot and anonying. However after awhile I began to enjoy his antics. Andy is simple and easy going. Floyd the barber is a busy body. Ronnie Howard is the cute kid, who's intelligence and maturity surpasses his age. In the end it's the characters that make this show fantastic.

I'm glad DVD has made this wonderful gem available to past, present, and future generations. I know I'll be watching this show with my kids. I hope one day the first tune they whistle is the theme to the Andy Griffith Show.