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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!

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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
    The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 1 - The New Housekeeper
    7.6/10(828 votes)

    #1 - The New Housekeeper

    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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  2. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 2 - The Manhunt
    8.0/10(747 votes)

    #2 - The Manhunt

    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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  3. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 3 - The Guitar Player
    8.0/10(696 votes)

    #3 - The Guitar Player

    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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  4. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 4 - Ellie Comes to Town
    7.7/10(614 votes)

    #4 - Ellie Comes to Town

    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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  5. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 5 - Irresistible Andy
    8.0/10(553 votes)

    #5 - Irresistible Andy

    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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  6. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 6 - Runaway Kid
    5.5/10(532 votes)

    #6 - Runaway Kid

    S1:E6

    Andy must intervene -- and risk breaking a promise to Opie -- when he discovers that one of Opie's young friends has run away from home.

    Director:Don Weis
    Writer:Arthur Stander

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  7. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 7 - Andy the Matchmaker
    8.5/10(488 votes)

    #7 - Andy the Matchmaker

    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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  8. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 8 - Opie's Charity
    5.0/10(603 votes)

    #8 - Opie's Charity

    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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  9. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 9 - A Feud is a Feud
    8.0/10(574 votes)

    #9 - A Feud is a Feud

    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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  10. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 10 - Ellie for Council
    8.0/10(527 votes)

    #10 - Ellie for Council

    S1:E10

    It's a battle of the sexes when Ellie Walker decides to become the very first woman to run for a seat on the Mayberry city council -- and the town's horrified menfolk decide to sabotage her newfound political career.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  11. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 11 - Christmas Story
    8.7/10(930 votes)

    #11 - Christmas Story

    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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  12. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 12 - Stranger In Town
    9.0/10(663 votes)

    #12 - Stranger In Town

    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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  13. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 13 - Mayberry Goes Hollywood
    7.5/10(514 votes)

    #13 - Mayberry Goes Hollywood

    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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  14. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 14 - The Horse Trader
    8.0/10(460 votes)

    #14 - The Horse Trader

    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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  15. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 15 - Those Gossipin' Men
    9.0/10(525 votes)

    #15 - Those Gossipin' Men

    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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  16. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 16 - The Beauty Contest
    7.5/10(487 votes)

    #16 - The Beauty Contest

    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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  17. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 17 - Alcohol and Old Lace
    9.5/10(550 votes)

    #17 - 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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  18. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 18 - Andy, the Marriage Counselor
    8.0/10(484 votes)

    #18 - Andy, the Marriage Counselor

    S1:E18

    Mayberry newcomers Fred and Jeannie Boone are constantly causing domestic disturbances with their fighting, so Andy decides to play marriage counselor to the bickering couple -- with disastrous results.

    Director:Gene Reynolds
    Writer:Frank Tarloff

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  19. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 19 - Mayberry on Record
    8.0/10(506 votes)

    #19 - Mayberry on Record

    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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  20. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 20 - Andy Saves Barney's Morale
    9.0/10(487 votes)

    #20 - 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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  21. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 21 - Andy and the Gentleman Crook
    9.0/10(456 votes)

    #21 - Andy and the Gentleman Crook

    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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  22. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 22 - Cyrano Andy
    8.0/10(432 votes)

    #22 - Cyrano Andy

    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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  23. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 23 - Andy and Opie, Housekeepers
    9.0/10(432 votes)

    #23 - 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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  24. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 24 - The New Doctor
    8.0/10(418 votes)

    #24 - The New Doctor

    S1:E24

    Andy must make a hasty, ill-advised marriage proposal to Ellie Walker after he becomes convinced that the new, handsome young doctor in town is trying to steal his girl.

    Director:Bob Sweeney
    Writers:Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart

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  25. The Andy Griffith Show Season 1 Episode 25 - A Plaque for Mayberry
    9.0/10(454 votes)

    #25 - 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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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"The New Housekeeper" is the best rated episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" season 1. It scored 7.6/10 based on 828 votes. Directed by Sheldon Leonard and written by Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart, it aired on 10/3/1960. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "The Manhunt".