At first, Griffith had a much shorter timeline for the series.
There’s no way to plan for a hit television series. You can try your best to make a series worth watching, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to keep a steady audience. Even better, if your television series does actually end up becoming a success, it will be a wonderful little surprise.
This was the case for Andy Griffith, who was not only surprised by the triumph that was The Andy Griffith Show but also just how much he actually loved to work on the series. During an interview with the Daily News, Griffith revealed that initially, his plan was to only stay on The Andy Griffith Show for about three years before it would be time for him to depart and move on to other projects. However, once the three-year deadline had passed, Griffith still found himself in the same series and loved it.
“When I first started on the series, I planned to leave it after three years. But then a strange thing happened. I found out I actually liked working. I never knew it before,” Griffith said.
“I like getting up in the morning, going to the studio, and putting in a full day. Besides, there wouldn’t be any point in returning now anyway. I’m only 38, and have plenty of time in the future to take it easy.”
Just as Griffith was aware of his own goals and desires, he also knew exactly what he was best at, and that was comedy.
“My particular field is comedy. I know it and am quite willing to accept my limitations. I can’t play a serious role and everyone knows it.” Funnily enough, Griffith was often viewed as the “straight man” of The Andy Griffith Show, otherwise perceived as one of the more serious men in Mayberry. Funnily enough, perhaps he did excel at playing a serious role, if it was performed in the name of comedy, of course.
