Creator: Arthur Stander
Years: 1960-1968

That little kid directed Apollo 13. When this show started, no man had ever orbited the Earth. When the show ended, no man had ever been to the moon.

Anyway, now that I’ve blown my own mind, I’ll say that of all the quaint ol’ sitcoms, this might be my favorite. Andy Griffith is very enjoyable as the charming small-town sheriff and Don Knotts is entertaining as the bumbling deputy. Some jokes still hold up to day, like the running gag of drunk Otis living in the jail and Barney’s OCD about his gun. But it’s definitely dated. I was watching this with my wife, and they were joking about domestic abuse. Barney said that her husband probably gave his wife “the ol’ what for!” while swinging his arm and grinning. To be clear, Mayberry’s police were against domestic violence, but the language used is cringeworthy.