In season one, Andy would occasionally refer to Barney as “cousin Barney”, and the two were written as cousins. This idea was dropped after a few episodes.
“The Andy Griffith Show” ended while it was at the top of the Nielsen’s Ratings. There have only been two other television shows in history to do this: “I Love Lucy,” and “Seinfeld.”
At the beginning of the show, where you see Andy and Opie walking down the road together, you will see Opie throwing a rock and Andy nodding or shaking his head in acknowledgement. This was Andy’s personal tribute to his own father, who he said would shake his head in the same manner to tell him “nice work” or “good job.”
During one of the cast’s many pranks, a crew member dressed as a waiter and delivered a dinner to Andy’s hotel room. He caught Andy and Aneta in a compromising position. Now that’s one heck of a backfire.
Andy and Frances had a rather tense relationship for much of the show, as she didn’t care much for his comedic persona. Fortunately, the two made amends before her death in 1989.
