The WORST episodes of The Andy Griffith Show

Every episode of The Andy Griffith Show ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Andy Griffith Show!

Down-home humor and an endearing cast of characters helped make The Andy Griffith Show one of the most beloved comedies in the history of TV. The show centered around widower Andy Taylor, who divided his time between raising his young son Opie, and his job as sheriff of the sleepy North Carolina town, Mayberry. Andy and Opie live with Andy's Aunt Bee, who serves as a surrogate mother to both father and son. Andy's nervous cousin, Barney Fife, is his deputy sheriff whose incompetence is tolerated because Mayberry is virtually crime-free.

Last Updated: 2/23/2024Network: CBSStatus: Ended
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Opie's Girlfriend
star
4.25
55 votes

#1 - Opie's Girlfriend

Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/12/1966

Helen's niece comes for a visit and proves to be both very pretty and very talented in athletics. Trouble is that she beats Opie in almost every sport there is. She actually really likes Opie as a BOY and needs her Aunt Helen to help her to get Opie to like her.

Directors: Lee Philips
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Eat Your Heart Out
star
4.34
50 votes

#2 - Eat Your Heart Out

Season 6 - Episode 24 - Aired 2/28/1966

Poor Andy Taylor. What's he to do when Goober's new sweetheart starts making cow eyes at him? What else? HEAD FOR THE HILLS! Her name is Flora Mahlerbie, Mayberry's attractive new waitress. She charms the patrons all, serves fine pies and juggles her dishes admirably all while managing to remember what the daily blueplate special is. Goober goes for her in a big way but fickle Flora has her eye on anxious Andy. Head for the hills Andy!! "Flora if you wanna be stuck on someone PLEASE be stuck on Goober cause he's crazy over you! You gonna git me in ALL kinds of trouble..."

Directors: Alan Rafkin
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Opie and Mike
star
4.39
44 votes

#3 - Opie and Mike

Season 8 - Episode 28 - Aired 3/18/1968

Opie sticks up for a young boy and must pay the price.

Directors: Lee Phillips
Writer: Doug Tibbles
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Opie's Group
star
4.40
47 votes

#4 - Opie's Group

Season 8 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/6/1967

Opie joins a rock-and-roll group and starts getting failing grades in school.

Directors: Lee Phillips
Writer: Doug Tibbles
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Girl-Shy
star
4.54
50 votes

#5 - Girl-Shy

Season 6 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/20/1965

Warren is truly shy around women except when he is sleep walking. When he sleepwalks he turns into a Lothario of the first order--and his new conquest-to-be is Helen!

Directors: Lee Philips
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Look Paw, I'm Dancing
star
4.54
48 votes

#6 - Look Paw, I'm Dancing

Season 6 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/14/1966

Opie wants to attend his first dance but first must learn how to dance.

Directors: Lee Philips
Writer: Ben Starr
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The Lodge
star
4.60
53 votes

#7 - The Lodge

Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/19/1966

Andy invites Howard to join "The Regal Order of the Door to Good Fellowship" lodge. Howard's mother doesn't like the idea of Howard being around the other men, so she concocts a scheme whereby Howard will be denied membership. It's all a big misunderstanding, and Howard eventually is allowed to join the lodge.

Directors: Lee Phillips
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A Baby in the House
star
4.64
50 votes

#8 - A Baby in the House

Season 6 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/7/1966

Aunt Bee is thrilled to be able to help out her niece by babysitting her infant baby. Unfortunately the baby cries only when Aunt Bee picks her up and not when anyone else does it. This makes Aunt Bee terribly upset until a minor crisis occurs and she finally understands what she was doing wrong.

Directors: Alan Rafkin
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Suppose Andy Gets Sick
star
4.77
44 votes

#9 - Suppose Andy Gets Sick

Season 8 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/11/1967

Andy catches the flu and Goober takes over as his deputy.

Directors: Peter Baldwin
Writer: Jack Raymond
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Opie's Piano Lesson
star
4.87
47 votes

#10 - Opie's Piano Lesson

Season 7 - Episode 26 - Aired 3/13/1967

Opie has to choose between piano lessons and football lessons.

Directors: Lee Philips
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Goober Makes History
star
5.00
48 votes

#11 - Goober Makes History

Season 7 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/19/1966

Goober grows tired of being the most ignorant one in town; he goes away fishing and accidentally grows a beard. The beard makes him believe he is smart--and he becomes an unbearable bore to everyone in Mayberry.

Directors: Lee Philips
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Goober and the Art of Love
star
5.07
60 votes

#12 - Goober and the Art of Love

Season 5 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/1/1965

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.

Directors: Alan Rafkin
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Goober's Contest
star
5.12
51 votes

#13 - Goober's Contest

Season 7 - Episode 30 - Aired 4/10/1967

In order to boost business Goober has a contest at the gas station. The printer accidentally prints a ticket for $200 and Floyd wins the ticket--and Goober can't pay it.

Directors: Lee Philips
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Mind Over Matter
star
5.16
49 votes

#14 - Mind Over Matter

Season 7 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/31/1966

Goober is involved in a minor car accident and thanks to Floyd and Aunt Bee, he becomes convinced that he is truly injured and has whiplash. Aunt Bee feels sorry for him and takes him home to care for him--much to Andy's dismay!

Directors: Lee Philips
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The Hollywood Party
star
5.17
52 votes

#15 - The Hollywood Party

Season 6 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/8/1965

Andy has some explaining to do to Helen when photographs of him getting cozy with a famous and attractive Hollywood starlet make it back to Mayberry.

Directors: Alan Rafkin
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Aunt Bee's Romance
star
5.19
63 votes

#16 - Aunt Bee's Romance

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/19/1964

Aunt Bee's old flame Roger comes to town for a visit and starts driving Andy and Opie crazy. Andy tries to give him the benefit of the doubt for Aunt Bee's sake, until Roger threatens to stay forever.

Directors: Howard Morris
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Otis, the Artist
star
5.22
51 votes

#17 - Otis, the Artist

Season 6 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/3/1966

Warren decides that Otis needs some constructive rehabilitation activity - so he has him take up art. Otis works hard on a large mosaic of a cow that he is proud of and gives it as a gift to the Taylors. Much to Andy's embarrassment, Otis wants them to hang it up on their living room mantle!

Directors: Alan Rafkin
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Barney Fife, Realtor
star
5.29
62 votes

#18 - Barney Fife, Realtor

Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/4/1965

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.

Directors: Peter Baldwin
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The Church Organ
star
5.29
51 votes

#19 - The Church Organ

Season 6 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/13/1965

Clara pleads for a new church organ and Andy gets everyone to pledge money to help buy one, but when the pledges come due no one wants to pay up.

Directors: Lee Phillips
Writer: Paul Wayne
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Banjo-Playing Deputy
star
5.32
60 votes

#20 - Banjo-Playing Deputy

Season 5 - Episode 32 - Aired 5/3/1965

Andy feels responsible when a banjo player loses a job at the carnival, and tries to help him get back on his feet. The man only succeeds in making a mess of things and quickly loses his self-confidence, until he hears about a couple of purse robbers who are on the loose at the carnival.

Directors: Coby Ruskin
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Opie Flunks Arithmetic
star
5.36
55 votes

#21 - Opie Flunks Arithmetic

Season 5 - Episode 30 - Aired 4/19/1965

When Opie gets a D in math class, Andy tells him he can no longer play football after school and pressures him to study harder. When Opie's grade fails to improve, Andy feels helpless until Helen shows him how he may actually be contributing to the problem.

Directors: Coby Ruskin
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A Man's Best Friend
star
5.39
54 votes

#22 - A Man's Best Friend

Season 6 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/29/1965

Opie makes friends with Tommy, the new kid in town. Tommy is a bit mischevious, climbing up on the roof of Andy's building, and taking out a gun from Andy's gun rack even after Andy warns him TWICE not to. Goober gets a dog which he names "Spot" (because there are no spots). Tommy hides one of his walkie-talkies in Spot's collar and he and Opie lead Goober on to thinking that Spot can talk. The tables are turned, however, when Andy uses Tommy's love of horses to teach him a lesson.

Directors: Alan Rafkin
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The Darling Baby
star
5.42
62 votes

#23 - The Darling Baby

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/7/1964

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.

Directors: Howard Morris
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The Arrest of the Fun Girls
star
5.42
59 votes

#24 - The Arrest of the Fun Girls

Season 5 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/5/1965

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.

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Floyd's Barbershop
star
5.53
47 votes

#25 - Floyd's Barbershop

Season 7 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/13/1967

Floyd gets a rent hike after Howard buys the barbershop.

Directors: Lee Philips
Watch Now:Apple TV