Looking back over the plethora of TV shows that have come and gone, there are too many considered classics to even try and make a list. But only a handful of those classics can lay claim to being considered beloved. One such series, which undeniably sits amongst the top 5 most favored shows, would have to be “The Andy Griffith Show.” Enjoying an 8 season run (1960 – 1968), “The Andy Griffith Show” gave American viewing audiences a glimpse into what small town life should be. Far away from the rat race of big city living, the town of Mayberry, North Carolina was full of people who knew one another and felt safe to walk the streets at night. It was a town that allowed you to have friendly neighbors, yet gave you space enough on every homestead to have time to yourself. You could spend the day talking with your friends at the local barber shop or sit and fish quietly in a little pond.

The figurehead of both the town and the series came in the form of Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor. Having been widowed, Andy lived a fairly quiet life with his son Opie (Ronny Howard) and his Aunt Bee (Francis Bavier). Aiding him in his quest to keep the peace was Deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts). By and large Barney was a bit of a bumbler, but when push came to shove, Andy always knew he could count on him.

I believe a big part of why “The Andy Griffith Show” became such a beloved show lay in not only the great cast, but in the excellent writing. The episodes were often simple, much like life in Mayberry, but the writers were able to create a funny show without necessarily making fun of the characters. Unlike a lot of the more recent shows about small town life where the tendency was to create satire or stereotypes, “The Andy Griffith Show” was full of believable people finding themselves in believable, yet humorous situations. There was no making fun on the part of the writers, just a lot of fun with the characters.

During the series’ 8 season run, it was never out of the top 10 in the ratings (even hitting #1 in its final season), and Don Knotts was honored with not 1, but 5 Emmy Award wins for his role as Barney Fife. It spawned a couple of spin-offs, including “Gomer Pyle, USMC”, and “Mayberry R.F.D.” as well as the extremely short-lived “New Andy Griffith Show.” The series also gave us Ronny Howard, who of course grew up to become Richie Cunningham on ‘Happy Days” as well as an Academy Award winning film director. And speaking of Gomer Pyle, this is the season that marked the debut of Jim Nabor’s character on the series. He is the cousin of George Lindsey’s Goober Pyle and stayed with the series from 1962 til 1964. (“Well… Go-o-o-o-l-l-ly!”)

Paramount is releasing the seventh season of the series this week (the first thru sixth seasons are already available), delivering all 30 half hour episodes on 5 discs. The season was the second to be broadcast in color, and marked two more guest appearances from Don Knotts as Barney Fife (who had left the series a couple of seasons prior). He won yet another Emmy for his appearances this season. Knotts was always a favorite comic actor of mine and I was very saddened by his recent passing. It's nice to see him in the role that built his career. This was also the season that Frances Bavier finally won her well-deserved Emmy.

My only disappointment on these sets is that there are no special features. A couple of the earlier sets had some extra features (mostly in the form of little sponsor ads done by the cast at the end of some of the episodes), but lately there have been nothing. While I agree with TV Guide's assessment that this was one of the greatest television shows of all time, and having them available on DVD is terrific, I would have liked to have seen some interviews, outtakes, or anything that Paramount might have been able to drum up. One thing I was glad to see was that the inside of the disc cases held titles and descriptions of each of the episodes. Usually when I just see a list of episodes on the back of the box, I worry about being able to find certain ones I'd like to see. This certainly helps!!

Ah well, I really can't complain. Its series like “The Andy Griffith Show” that I really get excited about when I see them being released to DVD. “The Andy Griffith Show” is one I can enjoy with my family without having to worry about censoring when the kids are around. They just don’t make them like this anymore.

Episodes:
Opie's Girlfriend
The Barbershop Quartet
The Lodge
The Darling Fortune
Aunt Bee's Crowning Glory
The Ball Game
Goober Makes History
The Senior Play
Big Fish In A Small Town
Mind Over Matter
Politics Begins At Home
A New Doctor In Town
Opie Finds A Baby
Only A Rose
Otis The Deputy
Don't Miss A Good Bet
Dinner At Eight
Andy's Old Girlfriend
The Statue
Aunt Bee's Restaurant
Floyd's Barber Shop
A Visit To Barney Fife
Barney Comes To Mayberry
Helen The Authoress
Goodbye Dolly
Opie's Piano
Howard The Comedian
Big Brother
Opie's Most Unforgetable Character

Starring: Andy Griffith, Ronny Howard, Francis Bavier, George Lindsey
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 8/29/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give The Andy Griffith Show: Season 7 a B-.