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The Best Episodes of The Andy Griffith Show Season 5

Every episode of The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Andy Griffith Show Season 5!

Binge this in 10h 25m•Peaking at 9.0/10

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 5 Episode 14 - Three Wishes for Opie
    9.0/10(559 votes)

    S5:E14

    Opie makes three wishes on a "magic lamp" Barney bought. When one of his wishes doesn't come true, Barney dismisses the whole thing. Opie learns there are many different ways for a wish to be granted.

    Director:Howard Morris
    Writer:Richard M. Powell

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  2. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 2 - Barney's Physical
    8.6/10(433 votes)

    S5:E2

    New height and weight requirements go into effect for all law enforcement officers, which threatens to put Barney out of a job unless Andy can figure out a way to throw around some much-needed weight.

    Director:Howard Morris
    Writer:Bob Ross

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  3. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 8 - Barney's Uniform
    8.4/10(412 votes)

    S5:E8

    Barney angers a local businessman who threatens to break every bone in his body if he sees him out of uniform, so Barney starts wearing his uniform everywhere. Andy has an idea to help him by changing a little more than his clothes.

    Director:Coby Ruskin
    Writers:Sam Bobrick, Bill Idelson

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  4. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 9 - Opie's Fortune
    8.4/10(356 votes)

    S5:E9

    Opie finds a change purse with $50 and Andy tells him he can keep it if no one claims it in seven days. On the seventh day the owner comes looking for the money, and Andy discovers Opie has already spent it.

    Director:Coby Ruskin
    Writers:Art Baer, Ben Joelson

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  5. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 25 - The Case of the Punch in the Nose
    8.4/10(412 votes)

    S5:E25

    Barney uncovers an old assault case between Floyd the barber and his friend Charlie that never went to trial and ends up re-igniting an old feud that spreads to the whole town. Now Andy has to find a way to resolve the dispute and keep everyone out of court.

    Director:Coby Ruskin
    Writers:Sam Bobrick, Bill Idelson

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  6. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 19 - The Lucky Letter
    8.3/10(343 votes)

    S5:E19

    Barney feels he's become "hexed" after Andy persuades him to throw away a chain letter. Now with the annual law-enforcement officers' pistol-shooting qualifications coming up, Andy has to soothe Barney's nerves or he may lose his job.

    Director:Theodore J. Flicker
    Writer:Richard M. Powell

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  7. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 22 - If I Had a Quarter Million Dollars
    8.3/10(337 votes)

    S5:E22

    Barney sets up a sting operation to catch a crook who may be returning to Mayberry for some stolen loot and ends up arresting an undercover FBI agent instead. But a suspicious Andy realizes Barney's operation may not have been as far off as he thought.

    Director:Alan Rafkin
    Writer:Bob Ross

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  8. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 26 - Opie's Newspaper
    8.3/10(367 votes)

    S5:E26

    Opie and his friend decide to spice up the newspaper they've started with a gossip column, which works great until Andy and Aunt Bee realize it's mostly about them.

    Director:Coby Ruskin
    Writer:Harvey Bullock

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  9. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 6 - Barney's Bloodhound
    8.2/10(364 votes)

    S5:E6

    Barney buys an old bloodhound to help him and Andy track down a prison escapee, but he only succeeds in getting them both taken hostage. That's when Andy remembers the dog's one pet peeve.

    Director:Howard Morris
    Writers:Sam Bobrick, Bill Idelson

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  10. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 10 - Goodbye, Sheriff Taylor
    8.2/10(340 votes)

    S5:E10

    While Andy is away in Raleigh considering a job offer, Barney is left as acting sheriff and dreams of the day he'll have the job. When he ends up causing more trouble than he prevents, he wonders if he really wants the job as much as he thought.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writers:Fred Freeman, Lawrence J. Cohen

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  11. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 16 - Barney Fife, Realtor
    8.2/10(368 votes)

    S5:E16

    Andy catches Opie trying to sell his broken bike to a friend and teaches him a lesson in honest dealing. But when Barney talks Andy into selling his house, the lesson comes to haunt him as Opie points out all the faults of the Taylor house to Barney's potential buyers.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writers:Sam Bobrick, Bill Idelson

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  12. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 23 - TV or Not TV
    8.2/10(399 votes)

    S5:E23

    An article written up about Andy attracts the attention of a Hollywood film crew who come to make a television show about him. Andy is flattered, until he notices the crew's strange fascination with the Mayberry town bank.

    Director:Coby Ruskin
    Writers:Art Baer, Ben Joelson

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  13. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 4 - The Education of Ernest T. Bass
    8.1/10(411 votes)

    S5:E4

    Ernest T. Bass returns to Mayberry to get an education so his girlfriend will marry him. But when he meets his new teacher Helen, he falls in love with her. Now Andy has to help Helen give Ernest all the facts he needs, including the one about the true object of his affection.

    Director:Alan Rafkin
    Writers:James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

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  14. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 21 - Barney Runs for Sheriff
    8.1/10(351 votes)

    S5:E21

    Andy is offered a job in Minnesota so Barney decides to run for sheriff in the upcoming election. But when Andy's job offer falls through, he returns to Mayberry to find Barney with a case of campaign fever, aiming to unseat Andy.

    Director:Alan Rafkin
    Writer:Richard M. Powell

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  15. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 13 - Andy and Helen Have Their Day
    7.9/10(348 votes)

    S5:E13

    Andy and Helen end up before a justice of the peace when Andy forgets his fishing license during their picnic. When word reaches Barney, he believes they are getting married and rounds up the whole gang to be there for the nuptials.

    Director:Howard Morris
    Writers:Sam Bobrick, Bill Idelson

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  16. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 15 - Otis Sues the County
    7.9/10(361 votes)

    S5:E15

    Otis is talked into suing the county by a shady lawyer, thinking Andy will support his efforts to attract more money for the courthouse. To his surprise, Andy decides to fight the case.

    Director:Howard Morris
    Writer:Bob Ross

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  17. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 20 - Goober and the Art of Love
    7.9/10(368 votes)

    S5:E20

    Goober starts to annoy Andy and Barney by hanging around during their dates with Helen and Thelma Lou. They decide to set him up with a girl he likes, only to find they now have twice the trouble.

    Director:Alan Rafkin
    Writers:Fred Freeman, Lawrence J. Cohen

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  18. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 31 - Opie and the Carnival
    7.9/10(346 votes)

    S5:E31

    Opie goes to the carnival to try and win a present for Andy's birthday but ends up spending all his money on a crooked shooting gallery. When Andy hears about it, he visits the gallery himself to teach the operators a lesson in straight shooting.

    Director:Coby Ruskin
    Writers:Fred Freeman, Lawrence J. Cohen

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  19. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 7 - Man in the Middle
    7.8/10(325 votes)

    S5:E7

    A lover's spat between Barney and Thelma Lou blows out of proportion and ends up involving Andy and Helen. Soon all four are not speaking and it's up to Barney to fix things, but he'll have to make up with Thelma Lou first.

    Director:Alan Rafkin
    Writers:Gus Adrian, Dave Evans

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  20. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 28 - The Arrest of the Fun Girls
    7.8/10(410 votes)

    S5:E28

    After arresting a couple of "fun girls" from Mount Pilot, Andy and Barney need to postpone their big date with Helen and Thelma Lou. Not wanting their dates to worry, Andy describes their prisoners as hard-bitten criminals. The ploy works, until Helen and Thelma Lou decide to make a surprise visit to the courthouse.

    Director:Theodore J. Flicker
    Writer:Richard M. Powell

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  21. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 17 - Goober Takes a Car Apart
    7.7/10(366 votes)

    S5:E17

    Andy is horrified to find Goober has brought a car into the courthouse after being left in charge while Andy was away at a sheriff's conference. That's when he learns that a couple of law-enforcement friends from the conference are coming for a visit.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writers:Sam Bobrick, Bill Idelson

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  22. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 18 - The Rehabilitation of Otis
    7.7/10(333 votes)

    S5:E18

    Barney's attempts at getting Otis to stop drinking through psychotherapy only succeed in driving him away to Mount Pilot. When Andy sees how bad Barney feels, he takes him up to Mount Pilot to convince Otis to come back, only to find that Otis prefers their jail over Andy's.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writers:Fred Freeman, Lawrence J. Cohen

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  23. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 1 - Opie Loves Helen
    7.6/10(344 votes)

    S5:E1

    Opie develops a crush on his teacher, Ms. Crump, and Andy sees that the only way to get Opie to forget about it is to admit to him that he and Helen are an "item."

    Director:Aaron Ruben
    Writer:Bob Ross

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  24. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 3 - Family Visit
    7.6/10(397 votes)

    S5:E3

    Aunt Bee's sister Nora and her family come to visit and drive everybody crazy. When Nora's husband starts going around town acting like a police officer, Andy decides to give him a taste of the life of a real lawman.

    Director:Howard Morris
    Writers:James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

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  25. The Andy Griffith Show Season 5 Episode 12 - The Darling Baby
    7.6/10(391 votes)

    S5:E12

    The Darling family returns to Mayberry seeking a future husband for their 3-month-old daughter. To Andy's horror, they choose Opie, and he finds he will have to scare up a little witchcraft to get out of this one.

    Director:Howard Morris
    Writers:James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

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Season 5 Ratings Summary

"Three Wishes for Opie" is the best rated episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" season 5. It scored 9/10 based on 559 votes. Directed by Howard Morris and written by Richard M. Powell, it aired on 12/21/1964. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "Barney's Physical".