Why Andy Griffith Originally Wanted Nothing to Do With ‘The Andy Griffith Show’

Remind Staff August 1, 2025, 5:18 pm

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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor, Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, Ron Howard as Opie Taylor and Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife in 'The Andy Griffith Show', circa 1963. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

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Can anyone imagine The Andy Griffith Show without Andy Griffith? Who else could bring that grounded wisdom and warmth to Sheriff Andy Taylor? Can we imagine someone else dealing with the antics of Don Knotts‘ Barney Fife while raising young Opie?

Well, that almost happened. Griffith once admitted that he “didn’t like” the whole concept of playing a sheriff in a North Carolina town. But, thanks to his judgment of character—and his career being at a dead end—we got one of the most beloved shows in TV history.

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