The Beverly Hillbillies is a series that is responsible for plenty of laughs, but it also bears the enormous honor of having saved The Dick Van Dyke Show.

According to series creator Carl Reiner, The Dick Van Dyke Show was underperforming in its early episodes. It wasn’t that the series wasn’t good; it simply couldn’t find an audience. The series originally aired on CBS, and luckily, it caught a break during a schedule change. The Dick Van Dyke Show’s time slot was moved, so the series aired directly after The Beverly Hillbillies. The rural sitcom was already incredibly popular with viewers, and Reiner believed that it provided The Dick Van Dyke Show with a built-in audience.

“Thank goodness for The Beverly Hillbillies,” said Reiner during an interview with the Asbury Park Press. Fans of the Clampett family lingered after their favorite show had ended, and luckily fell in love with the Petrie family as well.

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Though the two shows seemed pretty different, both held the same zany energy that captivated audiences everywhere. “I start out with the craziness,” Reiner said of developing plotlines, “and then I try to back myself into a corner with the situation. Getting out makes the show.”

Reiner also credited the show’s summer hiatus with drumming up new fans. Audiences were able to catch up on older episodes of the series.

“Our summer reruns helped a lot. People discovered us. ‘I’m going to have a hard time going back to Como after seeing your show,’ wrote one fan. Most of the mail followed this line.”