By Kayla DeKraker
MeTV is bringing back its “Month of Mayberry,” a month-long event in May that highlights episodes from THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW.
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW ran from 1960 to 1968 and focused on the small town of Mayberry, North Carolina. It starred Andy Griffith as a widower raising his young son, Opie (played by now director Ron Howard), and his comical deputy friend Barney Fife, played by Don Knotts.
Running May 3 to May 29, Month of Mayberry kicks of with RETURN TO MAYBERRY, which airs at 2 p.m. ET/PT on May 3. This 1986 movie starring Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor sees him return “to Mayberry to run again for sheriff, only to discover his former deputy, Barney, has also entered the race.”
Remind Magazine reported, “On Friday, May 8 at 8 p.m., viewers can revisit 1993’s THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW REUNION, a one-hour reunion special featuring Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts, Jim Nabors, George Lindsey and Jack Dodson reflecting on the series and their favorite memories.”
May 4-7 at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET/PT is “All About Andy Week,” highlighting episodes about — you guessed it — Andy.
Related: Andy Griffith Reveals Intimate Moments with Christ While Battling Nerve Disorder
May 11-15, meanwhile, will feature nostalgic episodes focusing on Barney for “The Fife Is Right Week.”
“Best of the Rest Week” is May 18-22 and will feature “favorite Aunt Bee episodes and other sidekicks, including Floyd, Ernest T. Bass, Gomer, Goober and Otis,” Remind said.
Andy and Opie’s father-son relationship takes centerstage May 25-29 in “Father and Son Week.”
MeTV is available on broadcast TV or to stream via Frndly TV, Philo, Fubo or Sling TV.
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW has enjoyed lasting popularity, thanks to its memorable cast.
Knotts, who Yahoo called a “gifted comedian,” won the Best Supporting Actor Primetime Emmy Award five times for his work on the show.
“No one was ever more golden than Don Knotts. He is a sheer genius,” co-star George Lindsey said. “The one scene with him trying to recite the preamble of the Constitution to Andy in ‘Opie’s Ill-Gotten Gain’ episode is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen on television. No director did that. That was the pure brilliance of Don Knotts. He takes acting one step further than anybody else. He’s simply as good as they get.”
Meanwhile, Howard learned a lot from his on-screen dad.
“He treated me really well, but he made it a learning experience, not in a stern, taskmaster kind of a way, but I was really allowed a real insight into creativity and how things work and why some scenes were funny and others weren’t,” he said. “That insight has served me really well over the years. Andy was really kind to me, always playful and fun, but, by the same token, he wanted to get the work done.”
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW fans won’t want to miss MeTV’s Month of Mayberry.
Read Next: Andy Griffith: ‘I Never Stopped Thanking God for the Help He Provided’
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