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The Best Episodes of The Andy Griffith Show

Every episode of The Andy Griffith Show ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Andy Griffith Show!

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The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised on CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays the widowed sheriff of the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 11 - The Pickle Story
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #1 - The Pickle Story

    S2:E11

    Andy and Barney are horrified when Aunt Bee decides to enter her prized pickles -- with a taste described as "kerosene cucumbers" -- in a county fair contest, hoping to claim first prize over the competition's perennial winner.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writer:Harvey Bullock

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  2. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 14 - The Keeper of the Flame
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #2 - The Keeper of the Flame

    S2:E14

    Opie joins a secret club known as The Wildcats and is subsequently suspected of being the guilty party when the barn that the club meets in catches fire and burns to the ground.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  3. The Andy Griffith Show Season 4 Episode 1 - Opie the Birdman
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #3 - Opie the Birdman

    S4:E1

    Opie decides to raise a nest of baby birds after accidentally killing their mother with his new slingshot and ends up learning one of the hardest lessons of motherhood in the process.

    Director:Richard Crenna
    Writer:Harvey Bullock

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  4. The Andy Griffith Show Season 6 Episode 29 - The Battle of Mayberry
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #4 - The Battle of Mayberry

    S6:E29

    Opie does some investigative reporting for an essay on the Battle of Mayberry but finds getting at the truth is harder than he imgagined.

    Director:Alan Rafkin
    Writers:John L. Greene, Paul David

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  5. The Andy Griffith Show Season 7 Episode 12 - Only a Rose
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #5 - Only a Rose

    S7:E12

    Aunt Bee is totally excited about her rose that she has been growing for over a year for the annual flower show. While Opie and Arnold are playing, however,they accidently destroy it.

    Director:Lee Philips
    Writers:Arnold Margolin, Jim Parker

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  6. The Andy Griffith Show Season 7 Episode 29 - Opie's Most Unforgettable Character
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #6 - Opie's Most Unforgettable Character

    S7:E29

    Opie has a hard time finishing one of his homework assignments.

    Director:Lee Philips
    Writers:Seaman Jacobs, Michael Morris

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Andy Griffith Show

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  7. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 17 - Alcohol and Old Lace
    9.7/10(3 votes)

    #7 - Alcohol and Old Lace

    S1:E17

    Opie comes home talking about a "flower-making machine" owned by sisters Clarabelle and Jennifer Morrison, the spinsters who run the local flower shop. Andy and Barney do a little investigating -- and discover the contraption is actually a still and the kindly sisters are in the moonshine business!

    Director:Gene Reynolds
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  8. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 20 - Barney and the Choir
    9.7/10(3 votes)

    #8 - Barney and the Choir

    S2:E20

    Things hit a sour note when Barney joins the Mayberry choir -- and it's quickly determined that his singing voice isn't exactly harmonious to the other members of the group.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  9. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 22 - The Merchant of Mayberry
    9.7/10(3 votes)

    #9 - The Merchant of Mayberry

    S2:E22

    Weaver's Department Store in Mayberry has some new competition -- in the form of Bert Miller, a traveling salesman who sets up shop in the town with a little help from Andy.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Ben Gershman, Leo Solomon

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  10. The Andy Griffith Show Season 3 Episode 27 - Barney's First Car
    9.7/10(3 votes)

    #10 - Barney's First Car

    S3:E27

    Barney learns that the car he's spent his life savings on is a lemon, and the little old lady he bought it from may have put one over on him. When Barney and Andy set out to return the car and arrest her, however, they find the hardest part may be just getting there.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

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  11. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 20 - Andy Saves Barney's Morale
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #11 - Andy Saves Barney's Morale

    S1:E20

    When Andy has to leave Mayberry for the day to testify in a court case held in a neighboring town, Deputy Barney Fife is left in charge of the sheriff's department -- and he proceeds to arrest everyone in Mayberry!

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writer:Frank Tarloff

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  12. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 23 - Andy and Opie, Housekeepers
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #12 - Andy and Opie, Housekeepers

    S1:E23

    Aunt Bee must leave Mayberry to care for a sick cousin, but not before scolding Andy and Opie for their messy housekeeping habits. The two are determined to clean house before she returns -- a project that suddenly accelerates when she phones to say she'll be coming home earlier than expected!

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writer:Frank Tarloff

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  13. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 25 - A Plaque for Mayberry
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #13 - A Plaque for Mayberry

    S1:E25

    The Women's Historical Society is all set to throw a celebration in honor of the last living descendant of a Revolutionary War hero named Nathan Tibbs, who has been traced to Mayberry. But their excitement turns to horror when they discover that the intended honoree is the town drunk, Otis Campbell.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Ben Gershman, Leo Solomon

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  14. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 30 - Barney Gets His Man
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #14 - Barney Gets His Man

    S1:E30

    Barney's reputation as a deputy soars when he inadvertently helps capture Eddie Brooke, an escaped convict. But Brooke vows to escape again and head straight back to Mayberry to exact his revenge.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Ben Gershman, Leo Solomon

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  15. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 32 - Bringing Up Opie
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #15 - Bringing Up Opie

    S1:E32

    After being scolded by Aunt Bee, Opie decides to run away from home -- a plan that quickly turns into a series of eye-opening, and sometimes dangerous, adventures for Opie and a scare for both Aunt Bee and Andy.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  16. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 1 - Opie and the Bully
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #16 - Opie and the Bully

    S2:E1

    Sheriff Andy Taylor must decide whether to intervene or let the problem work itself out when a bully harasses his son Opie at school.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writer:Frank Tarloff

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  17. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 2 - Barney's Replacement
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #17 - Barney's Replacement

    S2:E2

    When a rookie policeman is sent to Mayberry for training, Barney mistakenly believes the man is his replacement and quits the police force to become a vacuum-cleaner salesman.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  18. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 4 - Mayberry Goes Bankrupt
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #18 - Mayberry Goes Bankrupt

    S2:E4

    Will the town coffers run out of cash? It appears that way when Mayberry resident Frank Myers is stunned to discover that the township apparently owes him close to $350,000!

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  19. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 6 - Opie's Hobo Friend
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #19 - Opie's Hobo Friend

    S2:E6

    Andy is wary when Opie becomes fascinated by a wily hobo (Buddy Ebsen) who begins to influence the boy with his carefree, conniving ways.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writer:Harvey Bullock

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  20. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 7 - Crime-Free Mayberry
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #20 - Crime-Free Mayberry

    S2:E7

    Two crooks masquerade as an FBI agent and a professional photographer in a scheme to honor the Mayberry Sheriff's Department for preserving the community's low crime rate -- but they actually have their eye on the town bank.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writer:Paul Henning

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  21. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 10 - The Clubmen
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #21 - The Clubmen

    S2:E10

    Both Andy and Barney are offered membership in an exclusive men's club, but Barney manages to alienate the entire group by trying too hard to fit in -- an endeavor that threatens his chances at joining the elite organization.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Fred S. Fox, Iz Elinson

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  22. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 12 - Sheriff Barney
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #22 - Sheriff Barney

    S2:E12

    When Barney gets an offer to become the sheriff of nearby Greendale, Andy decides to let him be the sheriff of Mayberry for a day to give him a taste of what the top law-enforcement spot entails.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Ben Gershman, Leo Solomon

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  23. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 17 - The Jinx
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #23 - The Jinx

    S2:E17

    After a series of mishaps, Barney declares that Mayberry resident Henry Bennett is a "jinx." Andy sets out to prove him wrong -- but begins to believe it himself after the troubles continue.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  24. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 18 - Jailbreak
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #24 - Jailbreak

    S2:E18

    Barney must attempt to salvage his reputation after he inadvertently allows a criminal to escape from the Mayberry jail and the state police are called in to assist in the manhunt.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writer:Harvey Bullock

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  25. The Andy Griffith Show Season 2 Episode 23 - Aunt Bee the Warden
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #25 - Aunt Bee the Warden

    S2:E23

    With the town jail full, Andy reluctantly decides to have the town drunk, Otis Campbell, incarcerated in Andy's own home. But when Aunt Bee takes charge as the "warden," Otis is soon howling to be locked up in the real jail!

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Pickle Story" is the best rated episode of "The Andy Griffith Show". It scored 10/10 based on 2 votes. Directed by Bob Sweeney and written by Harvey Bullock, it aired on 12/18/1961. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Keeper of the Flame".