Cousins make family gatherings a little more fun! They're the ones who share your history, your memories and plenty of inside jokes. Sometimes, a cousin can feel more like a best friend.

Of course, not every cousin relationship is without its complications. That was certainly the case behind the scenes with two of television's most famous cousins. Gomer and Goober Pyle may have gotten along just fine on The Andy Griffith Show, but things weren't quite so friendly off camera.

From George Lindsey's perspective, he should have been Gomer Pyle. The first — and undoubtedly more popular — Pyle to appear on the show, Gomer became so popular that he landed his own spin-off.

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But while Jim Nabors found fame playing the character, his casting may have cost his future co-star the role he wanted.

According to Daniel de Visé's book Andy & Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show, George Lindsey was actually the producers' first choice to play the better-known Pyle cousin.

"He read for me and he sounded very good, a real pro, and I was about to hire him," Ruben told de Visé.

But then, fate — and Andy Griffith — had other plans.

"Andy came in after rehearsal one day and said, 'Have you already hired the guy to play the filling-station attendant?' And I said, 'I'm about to.' And he said, 'Before you do, would you meet somebody?'" 

"So in comes Jim Nabors. He has a script, he reads, and what he lacked in professionalism and experience he made up for with a certain naive charm that he had. And I said, 'Andy, let's try him. He sounds good.'"

Lindsey would eventually join the cast as Goober, but it's interesting to think how different The Andy Griffith Show — and its spin-off history — might have looked if he'd gotten the first shot at playing Gomer. Could you imagine it?