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The Best Episodes of The Andy Griffith Show Season 1

Every episode of The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Andy Griffith Show Season 1!

Binge this in 10h 25m•Peaking at 9.2/10

Andy Taylor is the widowed sheriff of the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina. His life is complicated by an inept, but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife, a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee, and

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 11 - Christmas Story
    9.2/10(948 votes)

    S1:E11

    Mayberry's local "Scrooge," storeowner Ben Weaver, manages to have harmless bootlegger Sam Muggins thrown into jail on Christmas -- but the Mayberry folks manage to celebrate Christmas with Sam in a most unusual way.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writer:Frank Tarloff

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  2. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 30 - Barney Gets His Man
    8.9/10(550 votes)

    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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  3. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 2 - The Manhunt
    8.6/10(769 votes)

    S1:E2

    Andy and his bumbling deputy, Barney Fife, offer to help track down an escaped convict, but the captain of the state police scoffs at the small-town sheriff's help.

    Director:Don Weis
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  4. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 8 - Opie's Charity
    8.5/10(619 votes)

    S1:E8

    Andy is dismayed when Opie refuses to contribute money to the school charity drive -- but there's a secret reason for Opie's apparent selfishness.

    Director:Don Weis
    Writer:Arthur Stander

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  5. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 17 - Alcohol and Old Lace
    8.5/10(565 votes)

    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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  6. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 1 - The New Housekeeper
    8.2/10(853 votes)

    S1:E1

    Sheriff Andy Taylor and his young son Opie are in need of a new housekeeper. Andy's Aunt Bee looks like the perfect candidate and moves in, but her presence causes friction with Opie.

    Director:Sheldon Leonard
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  7. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 12 - Stranger In Town
    8.2/10(677 votes)

    S1:E12

    Ed Sawyer, a mysterious stranger, arrives in Mayberry and disrupts the lives of the townspeople because he appears to know everyone's name, intimate details about their lives, and other startling facts about them.

    Director:Don Weis
    Writer:Arthur Stander

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  8. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 15 - Those Gossipin' Men
    8.2/10(540 votes)

    S1:E15

    Aunt Bee, accused by Andy of being a hopeless gossip, sets out to prove that the men of Mayberry are even bigger rumormongers than the women.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  9. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 20 - Andy Saves Barney's Morale
    8.2/10(501 votes)

    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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  10. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 25 - A Plaque for Mayberry
    8.2/10(467 votes)

    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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  11. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 4 - Ellie Comes to Town
    8.1/10(628 votes)

    S1:E4

    When Mayberry's local pharmacist falls ill, his niece Ellie Walker steps in as a temporary replacement -- and creates turmoil with the town's resident hypochondriac.

    Director:Don Weis
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  12. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 19 - Mayberry on Record
    8.1/10(521 votes)

    S1:E19

    A New York City record promoter arrives in Mayberry, intent on making a recording of the region's local folk music, but Andy becomes wary of the stranger and suspects he might be a con artist seeking some fast cash.

    Director:Gene Reynolds
    Writers:Benedict Freedman, John Fenton Murray

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  13. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 28 - Andy Forecloses
    8.1/10(476 votes)

    S1:E28

    Andy, faced with the unpleasant task of serving an eviction notice on a family who has fallen on hard times, tries desperately to come up with a way for the tenants to keep their home.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Ben Gershman, Leo Solomon

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  14. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 9 - A Feud is a Feud
    8.0/10(588 votes)

    S1:E9

    Andy hopes to finally bring peace to two of the county's longtime feuding families, the Carters and the Wakefields -- by arranging a duel between the two patriarchs of the quarreling clans!

    Director:Don Weis
    Writer:Frank Tarloff

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  15. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 26 - The Inspector
    8.0/10(440 votes)

    S1:E26

    When a state inspector arrives in Mayberry to check the jail and courthouse, Andy and Barney are shocked to discover he's a by-the-book stickler for rules and regulations. Things look shaky until Andy is able to demonstrate the "Mayberry way" of fighting crime.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  16. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 29 - Quiet Sam
    8.0/10(478 votes)

    S1:E29

    Barney is convinced that the new, mysterious farmer in town warrants further investigation. Andy finally agrees to pay a visit to the man's farm -- and finds himself drawn into a predicament he never imagined he'd find himself in.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

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  17. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 21 - Andy and the Gentleman Crook
    7.9/10(471 votes)

    S1:E21

    A notorious, nationally known con man dubbed "Gentleman Dan" becomes a hero of epic proportions to Aunt Bee, Opie and Barney when he is held for two days in the Mayberry jail.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Ben Gershman, Leo Solomon

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  18. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 22 - Cyrano Andy
    7.9/10(443 votes)

    S1:E22

    Andy makes an earnest attempt at matchmaking to help Barney win the heart of his girlfriend, Thelma Lou. Things go fine at first -- until barney misinterprets Andy's efforts and thinks he's trying to steal her away!

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  19. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 7 - Andy the Matchmaker
    7.8/10(499 votes)

    S1:E7

    When Barney's bumbling law enforcement techniques are questioned, Andy and Ellie decide to stage a fake robbery -- a scheme that turns Barney into a real hero!

    Director:Don Weis
    Writer:Arthur Stander

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  20. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 23 - Andy and Opie, Housekeepers
    7.8/10(444 votes)

    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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  21. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 3 - The Guitar Player
    7.7/10(711 votes)

    S1:E3

    A gifted guitar player (James Best) who has self-doubts about his musical talent gets a chance at stardom -- with a little push from Andy.

    Director:Don Weis
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  22. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 5 - Irresistible Andy
    7.7/10(566 votes)

    S1:E5

    It's the annual church picnic, and when Andy invites Ellie to the event, he begins to suspect that she has marriage on her mind -- so he hastily arranges for three of Mayberry's most eligible bachelors to lavish attention on her.

    Director:Don Weis
    Writer:Frank Tarloff

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  23. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 13 - Mayberry Goes Hollywood
    7.7/10(531 votes)

    S1:E13

    Lights! Camera! Chaos! A Hollywood producer chooses idyllic Mayberry as the backdrop for his next movie, and the entire town goes into a frenzy as they gear up for the anticipated glamour, fame and fortune.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Benedict Freedman, John Fenton Murray

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  24. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 14 - The Horse Trader
    7.7/10(474 votes)

    S1:E14

    Andy performs some slick dealing with an antique dealer to get rid of the town's old worthless cannon. But when young Opie later mimics his father's shady deal to obtain a pair of roller skates, Andy has second thoughts about his own wheeling and dealing.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  25. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 16 - The Beauty Contest
    7.7/10(500 votes)

    S1:E16

    The Mayberry town council wants to end the annual Founder's Day celebration with a beauty contest, with Andy chosen to pick the winner. The result is pandemonium as candidates of all shapes and sizes descend on the hapless "judge."

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Christmas Story" is the best rated episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" season 1. It scored 9.2/10 based on 948 votes. Directed by Bob Sweeney and written by Frank Tarloff, it aired on 12/19/1960. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Barney Gets His Man".