There may never again be a show like The Andy Griffith Show. And without the man who starred in it, the show might not have been quite the same, either.
The Andy Griffith Show was a spin-off from The Danny Thomas Show starring, well, Andy Griffith as the sheriff of a small town. Andy was a widower with a young son named Opie (Ron Howard), and both of them lived with their loving Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier). Getting Griffith to headline his own TV series in the early 1960’s must have also been a coup, as he had already been known for his music as well as movies such as No Time For Sergeants. Some might disregard The Andy Griffith Show as “hokey;” actually watch the show and its unique cast of characters is really no different than the wacky folks you’d see in ensemble shows like Cheers, The Bob Newhart Show, or Community. The show’s legacy is so strong that TAGS festivals still go on fifty years later.
Sadly, North Carolina’s WITN has reported and others have now confirmed that the man who gave us Sheriff Andy Taylor has died at the age of 86.
The Andy Griffith Show itself produced two spin-offs – Gomer Pyle USMC with Jim Nabors and Mayberry RFD, which tried to do the show without Andy, but thankfully had the formula that was set up during Andy’s era. In the 1980’s, the TV-movie Return To Mayberry was a ratings blockbuster, and that, combined with Griffith’s successful lawyer show Matlock, introduced Griffith to another generation.
With Andy Taylor, Ben Matlock, and many of Griffith’s other characters, there was a warmth and a familiarity that came through. This approach, and this wonderful actor, will be missed.
