The Andy Griffith Show is one of the most beloved sitcoms in American television history, first airing in 1960 and ending in 1968. During its eight seasons, the audience became attached to such fierce and humorous characters as Andy Taylor – played by Andy Griffith himself, the adorable Opie played by Ron Howard as a young boy, and Don Knotts as the charming but unassuming Barney Fife. The peaceful, down-to-earth atmosphere of Mayberry and the intimate, humane stories created a “home” in the hearts of millions of generations of viewers.
The deep affection was clearly shown when, even though it had been 25 years since the last episode aired, the members of the forum were reunited in 1993 in a special one-hour television program. The show first aired on February 10, 1993, and while it rarely gets reruns these days, fans will have the chance to relive this treasured episode on Sunday, May 4 at 5 p.m. ET on MeTV. It’s part of MeTV’s “Mayberry Month” series, a time for MeTV to honor the classic series by airing special, one-off episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D., and affiliate shows.
Before enjoying this special anniversary, viewers should “revisit old times” with memorable moments from the show that made Mayberry so vibrant and familiar.
The 1993 revival will be hosted by Andy Griffith himself, who starred in the original series. He will not only re-introduce classic scenes from the series, but also share personal memories from the filming process. In particular, he invited former co-stars such as Ron Howard, Don Knotts and Jim Nabors to participate in separate interviews, where they reminisced about their memories, talked about their favorite episodes and the bond between the crew members.
One of the most touching shares was when Ron Howard talked about the real-life relationship between him and his father, which directly inspired the way to build the touching father-son relationship between the characters Opie and Andy in the film. In addition, Jim Nabors revealed that the first episode he participated in on The Andy Griffith Show was also the first time he acted in a film, marking a step forward in his acting career. Notably, the program also showed behind-the-scenes videos shot by Ron Howard’s mother – a valuable document that helped to outline the everyday, intimate edges of the crew behind the lens.
The program did not stop at the internal conversation. It was a surprise to see a number of celebrities express their love for The Andy Griffith Show, including country singer Randy Travis, actor Burt Reynolds, singers Reba McEntire, Lisa Hartman, and many others. In particular, some rather unexpected guests such as famous saxophonist Kenny G and two football players Howie Long and Steve Wright also appeared to share memories associated with the film.
In addition to the 1993 special, MeTV also brought another gift to fans during “Mayberry Month”: the 1986 TV movie Return to Mayberry. This is a romantic comedy style work, aiming to pay tribute to The Andy Griffith Show with the return of familiar cast members such as Griffith, Knotts, Nabors and many other characters. The show was well received and there was even talk of a possible new series following Mayberry’s story. However, that idea didn’t pan out at the time, as Andy Griffith had already committed to another season of Matlock.
What about you? Do you remember the first time you watched the 1993 TV revival? And would you be willing to return to Mayberry with MeTV for this special occasion?
