How TAGS has stood the test of time
It’s well-nigh incomprehensible to think we’ve talked about so many iconic series on this channel without discussing one of the most classic tv shows of all time. But today we rectify a horrible wrong as discuss one of the greatest series of all time.
Back in the late 50’s, TV producer Sheldon Leonard saw potential in Andy Griffith being the lead in his own show so naturally he & Danny Thomas hired veteran comedy writer, Arthur Standur, to create a pilot for him. Initially, the series would’ve seen him as (well, still justice of the peace but) also a newspaper editor in a small town. The William Morris agency told him his rustic background made him well-suited for the part & after many conferences with Sheldon, he flew to LA to shoot the pilot. It ended up being a backdoor pilot that aired as an episode of make room for daddy (later the danny thomas show) entitled danny meets andy griffith. The episode focuses on him arresting danny for running a stop sign. Fellow cast members howard & bavier do appear albeit with the latter in a different role than she would go on to play in the spinoff (someone named henrietta perkins). General foods, the sponsor of the show, had first access to the spinoff which they committed to almost immediately & the rest, as they say, is history.
Don Knotts reportedly saw that episode &, as he was currently looking for new work, called up griffith, saying he should have some sort of a sidekick/comic relief. He concurred & thus, barney fife was born. Reportedly, the two had previously worked together on both the broadway & film versions of no time for sergeants. He auditioned for leonard, the creator & executive producer, & signed a five-year contract. Earle Hagen composed the show’s theme song known as the fishing hole & everett sloane wrote the lyrics after discovering it didn’t have any. If you’ve been living under a rock these past 65 years, the show revolves around widower, sheriff of mayberry, nc & justice of the peace, andy taylor & his son, opie, as they adjust to the transition from rose as their housekeeper to aunt bee. Of course, he also has to deal with his bumbling deputy, barney, eccentric townsfolk & the myriad of criminals who think they can get one over on sheriff taylor.
Finally, on October 3, 1960 at 9:30 pm, the andy griffith show debuted on cbs & the world was never quite the same again. It proved itself to be a rousing hit from the get-go, coming in fourth in its inaugural season & never dipping below seventh place in the annual ratings. It was nominated for nine emmys throughout its run & went on to take home six, five for knotts & one for bavier. In fact, in its final season, it was the number one show on tv, putting it up there with the likes of such juggernauts as i love lucy & seinfeld. Yes, it seems even knotts’s untimely exit from the series failed to deter audiences from tuning in week after week.
So why exactly did he leave the show after its fifth season? Well, like I said, he signed a five-year contract & as such believed the series would come to an end following the conclusion of its fifth season. Why he thought that, I have no idea. Regardless, by the time he realized the series would be returning for a sixth season, it was apparently too late to sign a new contract & as such production was forced to resume without one of its most popular characters. He would, however, return to guest star in two episodes each of seasons six & seven & one episode of season eight. He also popped up in the series premiere of mayberry rfd & of course return to mayberry (but more on that later). & sure, they tried to find a suitable successor for him but the fact remains nobody can replace don knotts. He truly is one of a kind. Even to this day, the term barney fife has infiltrated the current zeitgeist to mean an inept law enforcement official.
Another thing that makes the series special is the fact that it kept up with the times, switching from black & white to color in the middle of its run. You’d think a lot of shows would have done that but it seems pretty rare near as i can tell. The only other series I know of that pulled that off were gomer pyle, usmc & petticoat junction (but by all means, if you know of any others, feel free to sound off in the comments). & yes, as you might imagine, the ratings did take a bit of a nosedive during that season (most likely due to the absence of barn) but by the time seven rolled around, their ratings had begun to rebound. In fact, the final season had a higher viewership than the first.
I think what helped the series stay above water was, in lieu of trying to find a replacement for barn, the series expanded out a bit to focus more on the townsfolk such as floyd, howard, clara & goober. They also introduced ken berry as sam jones in the final season as a character who andy would sort of pass on the mantle of main character to after opting to leave the series later that year. Thus, mayberry rfd was born (but perhaps that’s a story for another day).
The show was shot on a set at desilu studios but the theme song, along with the scenes that take place in the woods, were shot at franklin canyon, a public park just north of beverly hills. It’s still in operation to this day so fans can go visit the now-famous lake & recreate that iconic opening sequence. The lake they shot next to is known as myers lake so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find.
On April 1, 1968, more than 15 million people around the nation gathered in front of their sets to watch the series finale of the andy griffith show. It was indeed a bittersweet day for all those fans but thanks to the spinoff that was in the pipeline, they would not have to say goodbye to their beloved town of mayberry. In fact, mayberry rfd aired just a few months after fans said goodbye to andy, opie & aunt bee.
It would also not be the end of the taylor’s story either as the whole cast (sans bavier due to being in ill health) returned for the 1986 tv reunion movie, return to mayberry. In addition to andy, barn & opie, it even brought back most of the supporting cast from the pyle cousins to the darlings & even ernest t bass so fans could catch up on what they’ve been up to these past few decades. I’m sure many fans were excited to see opie all grown up & find out what became of the rest of the townspeople. It was made to serve as an official series finale & became the top-rated tv movie of the year, proving the series is still as popular as ever.
So what exactly is it about the series that made it so popular? Well, it’s difficult to nail it down to just one aspect. Obviously, barn was one of the most beloved characters but I think it’s a bit more than just that. I think another part of it too is the fact that it’s timeless. The series focused primarily around law enforcement & small-town life which obviously still exist today. So I think it’s definitely relatable for a lot of people who embody that type of existence. I think it also proved popular because the series was often something of a morality tale, imparting important lessons on fatherhood, responsibility & treating other people with kindness & respect. It even introduced so many people around the world to bluegrass thanks to the darlings & their myriad of entertaining performances on the show. Speaking of which, the score, composed by none other than Earle Hagen, has since become iconic in recent years & rightfully so as it perfectly captures the essence of the show.
Even to this day, the series lives on in the hearts & mind of so many fans thanks to mayberry days, an annual weekend festival celebrating the beloved sitcom in the heart of mt. airy (reportedly, the real town mayberry is based on & andy griffith’s birthplace). Just think about that; how many series can say they have their own annual festival celebrating fan’s love of the show? If that doesn’t make the series unique, I don’t know what does. It is also currently streaming on amazon prime & paramount + (among others) &, if physical media is more your speed, the entire series has since been released on dvd. It’s also rerun on a myriad of channels such as metv, tv land, sundance tv & even the cw.
In 2021, fans of the original series released mayberry man, a film that serves as a love-letter to the original series while updating it for a modern audience. It featured a handful of tribute actors playing the likes of gomer, barney & floyd & even features a cameo from karen knotts, the daughter of don, as the fans do everything in their power to keep this incredible series alive. It even spawned a spinoff series that premiered just a few weeks back. That, along with the annual festival, the adoration fans have for this terrific series & its immortality in physical media & streaming, has ensured that no matter how much time passes, we will always be able to return to our beloved hometown of Mayberry.