The Andy Griffith Show is one of my favorite sitcoms, and I enjoy watching TV's favorite bumbling deputy, Barney Fife. Don Knotts was superb as Barney Fife in his first five seasons, the B & W episodes. The show wasn't the same when it went to color, especially when Knotts left the series. Even though he made guest appearances thereafter, the show lost its appeal to audiences. Do you think Don Knotts made the mistake of leaving the series? Andy Taylor without Barney Fife is like Batman without Robin.

CJ Malagodi

And Warren was a terrible replacement for Barney. He wasn't funny at all. Just stupid.

Yea the show wasn't the same without Barney. Don Knotts survived. He was in a few good movies and later Three's Company. I think it hurt Andy Griffith more at the time. It's hard to be a straight man when your comedy partner has deserted you.

:)

Don Knotts' character of Barney was an integral part of the show and there's no doubt that the show was not the same after he left. I think the best of the series would be seasons 2, 3, 4, and 5 - there are some really funny episodes there - but the color episodes were not entertaining at all. So, with Barney leaving and then the show going color, there wasn't much left to like about it. It's my opinion that television series should never run beyond 5 years - they all eventually lose their appeal and the qualities that made them so watchable to begin with.

My 2 cents worth ~
Peace ~

I love the Don and Andy years. When Don left, it all fell apart. However, I kind of liked the Warren character. No, I didn't like him as much as Barney Fife, but Warren at least put in some funny moments. It was a lot better seeing Warren with the pmsing Andy. Oh yeah, watching Andy act pms'll is just so funny. Not.

I agree that Don Knotts was irreplaceable and the show was not quite the same despite the good efforts and more emphasize on Aunt Bea, Opie, Goober, Howard, and the rest.

But the show didn't quite lose its audience appeal during the color years it continued in the top ten and infact, it was the #1 show on television during its final 67-68 season--something the show never accomplished even during the superior Fife years.

The Andy Griffith Show was great with Don Knotts but it isn't the best that I have seen of the 60's era, IMO. Certain aspects of the show seem rather dull and it was Don Knott's brand of humor that leveled out some of the dullness. If it wasn't for the great Don Knotts, this show would probably not be well-known in today's world. Also, I think Don Knott's comedy at its best was in Three's Company as Ralph Furley. He was wild, and more crazy than ever. He was great!

I am a fan of TAGS the early years. When Barney left to make some really funny movies, he was truly missed as Andy's only and #1 deputy. I too enjoyed the B/W episdoes over the later years. However, if Don Knotts had remained on the show we (fans of Don Knotts) would not have enjoyed the many funny movies that brought us laughter to our hearts. :lol: