Over the years it has struck me that The Andy Griffith Show operates very differently in off-network afterlife than most others in that it runs the first five seasons (in b/w with Barney) in the prime time slots while the less popular color episodes and Mayberry RFD are run in odd slots or not at all.

This has proven to be a ratings winner for the show in that the best episodes are the ones cycling in front of the most viewers (and drawing new ones).

I often felt in the 70s-80s that the syndication packages running only color episodes of long running series sometimes hurt their reputation as the earliest b/w seasons were the best (Bewitched, Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies, My Three Sons, etc.). The reputations of those shows bounced back immeasurably when the the early seasons were reintroduced on cable (Nick@Nite, et al).

What if only the "good" seasons of very long running shows (first 5 seasons or more) were more often run in prime time while the latter seasons were put to the fringe. Would ratings improve because you wouldn't have to cycle through those dreadful years (like color My Three Sons?, or Petticoat after Bea?, or post Dick York Bewitched? - or post Richie Happy Days?).

It could even be a marketing thing: "We show only the good ones.''

Not doing away with the poorer seasons as they can be fascinating on their own - only showing them less often than the good (or overnight/early morning). Does Andy have something?

Cool topic, Merlin!

I don't know much about the popularity of TAGS, but I do know I like the earlier episodes better, myself. And I don't watch Mayberry at all. No Sam or Mike for me!

I just learned today that USA aired the Eastland years of The Facts of Life more often than they ran the later seasons. Might have been because they felt the earlier years were more popular. I do remember both USA and Nick at Nite would skip controversial episodes.

For MeTV TAGS is like paying for a Cadillac and getting a Chevy, since they virtually never run the color episodes.

They would be smarter to follow Merlin's logic and air the color seasons at 4 am or on weekends. For more episodes they could air Mayberry RFD along with those color TAGS.

I imagine local channels (like here) that run TAGS run all the episodes. Even TV Land manages to run the color episodes sporadically.

Another factor is that the masses generally would rather see TV shows in color than black and white (TAGS evidently being the exception). With Bewitched the channels could run seasons 1 thru 5 (using the colorized episodes from DVD for seasons 1 and 2) in better times and seasons 6 thru 8 in off hours.

The problem with My Three Sons is the sources for some seasons (3-5 and 11-12) are not very good since they were never syndicated and therefore not mastered to videotape. And for Beverly Hillbillies and PJ I don't see logical dividing points for splitting those shows, although the last few seasons of BH, particularly 9, were pretty subpar.

I think PJ does have a logical dividing point in the departing of Kate and the marriage of Steve & Betty Jo. Once the action shifts to the little honeymoon cottage - and various Kate replacements arrive - the show goes rapidly downhill.