‘The Andy Griffith Show’ is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1960 to 1968. The show is considered one of the best TV shows of all time. The series was created by Sheldon Leonard. It follows Andy Griffith’s character Andy Taylor who is a sheriff of a town that is idyllic and slow-paced. He is a single father and raises his son alone in the town. He is helped by Deputy Barney, whose mistakes lead to various shenanigans in Taylor’s life.
‘The Andy Griffith Show’ remained in the top seven of the Nielsen ratings for its entire run and never dropped below. Its last season topped at number one on the ratings. The only other show that has managed this feat is ‘I Love Lucy‘ and ‘Seinfeld‘. The show has received six Primetime Emmys in its entire run, all bagged by the supporting actors. One of the episodes from the series, ‘Opie The Birdman’ is also included in the Top 100 Greatest Episodes of all time. Andy Taylor’s character is also considered one of the 100 greatest characters of all time.
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‘The Andy Griffith Show’: Opie’s Mother’s Fate
‘The Andy Griffith Show’ was liked by the audience for its humor and heartfelt scenes. Besides that, people also enjoyed seeing the relationship between Andy Taylor and his son Opie Taylor. As Andy has raised his son alone since he was born, the two have a very good bond. During the course of the eight seasons of the show, the duo, alternately portrayed by Andy Griffith and Ron Howard, develop an adorable father-son bond.
However, fans often wondered about the fate of Opie’s mother and Andy’s wife. She is never seen in the show and seldom mentioned by the characters. However, Opie’s mother is mentioned in the show’s predecessor ‘The Danny Thomas Show’ episode named ‘Danny Thomas Meets Andy Griffith’.
Taylor said in the aforementioned episode that Opie’s mother passed away when he was a very small child. However, just like ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ the episode never elaborates on the reason behind this. Taylor said in the episode, “Opie’s mother died when he was ‘the least little speck of a baby’.” Therefore, it is possible that Opie’s mother died in childbirth or shortly after giving birth.
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Andy Taylor’s Relationships On The Show
Even though Opie’s mother and Andy’s wife are never seen in ‘The Andy Griffith Show’, Andy has many girlfriends throughout the eight seasons of the show. Andy first gets involved with Ellie Walker in the first season. Ellie arrived in Mayberry to meet her Uncle when she meets Andy. This is Andy’s first serious relationship in the show.
Andy later dates Nurse Mary Simpson in the second season. In the third season, Andy dates Peggy McMillan who is also a nurse. He also rekindles a relationship with his high school sweetheart Sharon DeSpain in the third season.
The show introduced teacher Helen Crump in the third season of the show, who is in the longest relationship with Andy Taylor. The pair dated from the third season till the series finale. The duo get married in the first episode of the ‘Mayberry RFD‘ and are seen in many episodes of the spinoff series. They even have a son who is named Andy Samuel Taylor Jr.
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