Greatness recognizes greatness, and Rod Serling certainly knew greatness when he saw it. Serling was primarily known as the creator of the hit series The Twilight Zone, a series that today is synonymous with terror itself. Despite the original series airing from 1959 to 1964, audiences today are still frightened by some of the more spine-chilling episodes.

Of course, Serling had his own opinions on television as a whole. According to an article for the Tampa Tribune, he felt that one of the main issues with television was "the lack of balance and the time limit put on writers."

But despite these few misgivings, Serling said that he felt that, overall, television was a wonderful thing.

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"I think TV has done much more good than harm," said the writer, according to an article for The Tampa Tribune.

But even with his penchant for the sinister, Serling was also a fan of more lighthearted fare.

According to a 1963 article in TV Guide Magazine, Serling frequently visited the nearby set of The Andy Griffith Show during filming. Serling described the series as "one of the few genuinely funny comedies in the medium."

"What hits me is that the people are characters, not caricatures," said Serling.

It was a standard that those on the set of The Andy Griffith Show worked hard to keep throughout the series and one that arguably made the show what it is today.

Serling's sentiment was echoed by series creator Sheldon Leonard in another article for TV Guide Magazine in 1961. "Ideas for shows are plentiful, but personalities are rare," said Leonard.

A recent TV Guide article calls the appeal of The Andy Griffith Show "homespun charm."

"In a TV landscape with a maddening amount of shows and movies to choose from, The Andy Griffith Show remains the ultimate comfort TV...We continue to turn to Andy Griffith as a place that has the warmth and humor of home," states the article. Perhaps viewers consistently return to The Andy Griffith Show because, like Serling, they see characters that they can recognize. Perhaps it's because we see ourselves.