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Andy Griffith admitted that The Andy Griffith Show wasn't a hit in major cities
Mayberry’s charm wasn’t for everyone!
People turn to television for two main reasons: to escape their lives or see them reflected on screen. Some shows whisk us away to distant galaxies or the Wild West. But even the most fantastical stories are often grounded in familiar human struggles.
Other shows bring us closer to home, finding universal truths in everyday settings. This was the case for The Andy Griffith Show.
Mayberry’s small-town charm offered viewers a comforting sense of nostalgia. But not everyone was charmed by its back-home appeal.
A December 1965 interview with The New York Times caught Andy Griffith in the middle of his sitcom success. In its sixth season, The Andy Griffith Show was already a hit with audiences.
He spoke warmly about the cast and crew, but he also acknowledged that Mayberry wasn't everyone's kind of town.
"We rarely appear in the ratings for the 30 major cities," Griffith said.
For all its success, the show wasn't winning over big-city audiences the way it was winning over viewers in smaller communities.
"We do just great in towns of 50,000 or less," Griffith said.
It seemed Mayberry had found its people — even if they didn't live in the biggest cities. You don't need a big-city audience to make a small town feel like home.
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