Ron Howard on The Andy Griffith Show: ''You'd never be able to put on that show today''

Howard argued that such a show wouldn't be made today.

CBS Television Distribution

There are positives and negatives to every medium, and television is no different. In some cases, people might hold the opinion that television was at its peak when they were growing up and has only since gone downhill from there. It's the curse of every generation to believe that your era of entertainment was the best, and more often than not, there's no room for argument.

While each decade of television has its own individual merits, there are simply some shows on television that were on air a number of years ago that seem physically impossible to produce today.

A show like All in the Family has long been the topic of arguments between fans over whether a series like that could benefit from a reboot. While there is no shortage of Archie Bunkers today, it's debatable whether an audience would tolerate one on our screens these days.

The Andy Griffith Show is about as wholesome of television as you can get, yet there have been a few comments that a show like TAGS would never be made today. Namely, these comments are coming from none other than little Opie Taylor himself, Ron Howard. 

By the time Howard made the comments regarding The Andy Griffith Show, he certainly wasn't Opie Taylor any longer. Howard spoke to the Abilene Reporter-News in 1988, when he was well into his career behind the camera, leaving his acting escapades behind. Howard argued that the show wouldn't be able to air new episodes today, precisely because of its comforting and nostalgic nature.

"You'd never be able to put on that show today," Howard said. "Even when we were doing the show, it was twenty years behind the times. It was already nostalgia. But its staying power had to do with the uniqueness of the show and the integrity of the show. Though it was funny and even goofy, Andy wanted the audience to laugh with them and not at them."

Watch The Andy Griffith Show on MeTV!

Weeknights at 8 & 8:30, Sundays at 12 & 6 PM

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7 Comments

Inthe25th 3 months ago
I think we need more shows like The Andy Griffith Show that represents an earlier simpler time. Take the success of Little House on the Prairie. It represented a hundred years before the 1970s, 1980s and it just celebrated fans for fifty years. Why? Because it rings true even today. Scenario: you go to work in the 1970s and you've got high inflation, Watergate, the shock of a presidency like has never been like before, Iran hostage affairs, gas shortages, changes in the home, changes in the workforce, changes in grooming or lack thereof, changes in clothes, changes in social acceptance moral issues and higher crime. Then you come home to be your family and you turn on NBC and a familiar tune plays. You see a loving happy family. The episode unfolds and you're reminded that love is the greatest gift of all. Suddenly, the above I mentioned does not seem to matter as much because with faith and family near and around you you can have the real power to make it work out alright. Yes, I believe it could be rebooted to have at least something very similar to The Andy Griffith Show again as long as the true spirit of what made that show so great were present. Take for example, compare Highway to Heaven (1980s) to Touched by an Angel (1990s/2000s). Help from a Higher Power is still needed in the life of a human being. Amen.
AgingDisgracefully 4 months ago
So no Mayberry CSI?
No overdriven boss?
No quirky-to-be-quirky labfolks?
No roadkill based inquests?
Surely there's an unused Who song available.
KawiVulc 4 months ago
Definately not today. Doesn't check the "right" boxes.
ncadams27 KawiVulc 4 months ago
Definitely. Shows then had a lack of diversity (although it could be argued that there is too much today). Curious how today’s shows will judged sixty years from now. My guess - few, if any, will even be remembered.
Deleted 4 months ago
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MrsPhilHarris 4 months ago
Love Corner Gas!
4 months ago
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MrsPhilHarris 4 months ago
Hang around the gas station and go to The Ruby. Sounds like a gas!
Coldnorth 4 months ago
Jumping jack flash was a gas,gas,gas
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