Get ready to step back into the cozy town of Mayberry. As part of MeTV’s annual “Month of Mayberry,” the first episode of Mayberry R.F.D. is making its long-awaited debut on the classic TV network on Sunday, May 25, 2025. It will start with the TV movie Return to Mayberry at 4pm and then show the pilot episode at 6pm. The series originally aired in 1968 as a continuation of The Andy Griffith Show … do you remember what happened?
When Andy Griffith decided to hang up his badge and step away from the role of Sheriff Andy Taylor, CBS didn’t retire Mayberry altogether. Instead, they eased the transition by introducing Ken Berry as widowed farmer Sam Jones during the final season of The Andy Griffith Show. With his young son Mike (Buddy Foster) in tow, Sam quickly found his footing in the beloved town of North Carolina. The new series, titled Mayberry R.F.D., short for “Rural Free Delivery,” officially picked up where the original left off, with many familiar faces and even a wedding to celebrate.
That first episode is a memorable one. Andy and Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut) finally tie the knot, with Barney Fife (Don Knotts) standing proudly as best man and Opie (Ron Howard) at their side. Though Andy and Helen eventually move to Charlotte, their presence lingers through guest appearances early on. Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier) stays behind to help Sam and Mike settle in, filling the motherly role until she eventually hands the reins over to Alice Ghostley‘s quirky cousin Alice Cooper.
While the series never strayed far from its original roots, it carved out its own identity with new stories centered around Sam’s life, his budding romance with Millie Swanson (Arlene Golonka) and the everyday antics of Mayberry’s most endearing residents. Goober Pyle (George Lindsey), Clara Edwards, Howard Sprague and Emmett Clark all returned, proving that even with Andy gone, Mayberry still had plenty of heartwarming stories to share.
Even some big names passed through town. A young Farrah Fawcett made an early appearance as a showgirl and Teri Garr popped up as a cashier in one episode. Jodie Foster, Buddy’s real-life sister, appeared twice as a fairy and later as a little girl in a charity episode. Despite consistently ranking in the top ten during its first two seasons, Mayberry R.F.D. came to a quiet end in 1971 when CBS made the controversial decision to cancel several rural-themed shows in what became known as the “rural purge.” It was a move aimed at modernizing the network’s image, but it left many fans missing their weekly visit to Mayberry. Good thing you can revisit it now with MeTV!
