Season OneSince its network debut in 1960,The Andy Griffith Showhas been a  viewer favorite thanks to its folksy, nostalgic charm and memorable  cast, both of which shine in this set featuring the series' debut  season. Originally spun off from an episode ofMake Room for Daddy(both series shared producers Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas),The Andy Griffith Showcentered around the lives of small-town sheriff Andy Taylor (the  marvelously dry Griffith), his son Opie (Ron Howard), cousin and deputy  Barney Fife (multiple Emmy winner Don Knotts), and the other gentle  eccentrics of Mayberry (which was based on Griffith's real hometown).  But while other "rural" programs poked fun at its characters (The Real McCoys,The Beverly Hillbillies),The Andy Griffith Shownever stooped to stereotypes, preferring instead to draw its humor from  the fine writing and cast, which counted Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee,  Howard McNear as Floyd the Barber, and Hal Campbell as Mayberry's  benevolent drunk, Otis, among the first season ensemble. All 32 episodes  (including the epilogues, which are rarely aired in syndication) are  compiled on this four-disc set, which regrettably lacks any supplemental  features.--Paul GaitaSeason TwoThe Andy Griffith Showreturns on DVD with its complete second  season, a five-disc collector’s set of 31 episodes more memorable than  one of Aunt Bee’s "kerosene cucumbers." Set in the small town of  Mayberry, the television series (1960-1968) followed the hilarious  antics of widower Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith), his son Opie (Ron  Howard), and Deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts). It has achieved cult  status as one of television’s most beloved sitcoms for its stellar cast,  pristine comedy, and nostalgic charm. By season two, the series found  its tone and tenor, proved by such classic episodes as "The Pickle  Story," "The Manicurist," and "Barney and the Choir." After viewers  endure (or skip) Paramount’s half dozen promotional trailers at the  beginning of disc one, they can bask in 13 hours of restored,  uninterrupted, black and white television magic. The season’s parade of  guest stars includes Barbara Eden, Buddy Ebsen, Alan Hale Jr., Bill  Bixby, and Sterling Holloway. Whereas the first season’s DVD set was  without bonus material, this collection features sponsor spots, original  commercial advertisements (linked to individual episodes) where the  show’s cast members promote brands such as "Sanka" coffee and "Post"  breakfast cereals--a guaranteed smile. (All ages)--Lynn GibsonSeason ThreeThe Andy Griffith Showhit its stride during its third season  (1962-63), admirably restored in this five-disc, 32-episode boxed set.  Andy Griffith perfects his levelheaded Sheriff Andy Taylor; Don Knotts  is unsurpassed as the comically neurotic Barney Fife; and Ron Howard  continues his legendary run as earnest Opie. The season opens with the  endearing episode "Mr. McBeevee," Opie's friend in the trees who Andy  believes to be a figment of his son's imagination. From there, every  disc contains renowned classics, such as "Floyd, the Gay Deceiver"  starring the dashing Howard McNear; "Andy and Opie, Bachelors" offering  some of the season's greatest quips; and "The Darlings Are Coming," that  crazy clan of mountain musicians including the overtly flirtatious  Charlene. The season is acclaimed for introducing several new, recurring  characters into the cast including Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors), "Miss  Peggy" (Joanna Moore), and Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut). Except for two  episodes missing closing epilogue scenes (which Paramount discloses),  the set contains 13 hours of full-length, uncut, black-and-white magic.  Also included is the originally aired "Fishin' Hole"  theme music  throughout the collection, as well as more than two dozen "Sponsor  Spots," vintage commercial advertisements featuring the show's cast.  Don't miss the season highlight, "Man In A Hurry," a touching story  where Malcolm Tucker delivers the now-famous summation of Mayberry,  "Outrageous… a whole town is standing still because two old women's feet  fall asleep," precisely the reason why this beloved sitcom remains a  timeless treasure. (All ages) --Lynn GibsonSeason FourGoober fans, rejoice--the arrival of George Lindsay's popular character is just one of the homespun joys ofThe Andy Griffith Show's  fourth season, which has been compiled on this five-disc set. Lindsay  as Goober Pyle, cousin to Jim Nabors's Gomer, makes his debut in one of  the season's funniest episodes, "Fun Girls," which is also the only time  Gomer and Goober appeared together on screen. By season's end, Gomer  would depart for his own series (season 4's final episode, "Gomer Pyle,  U.S.M.C.," would serve as the pilot for that program), but before then,  he enjoyed some fine episodes, including "Andy Saves Gomer" (from a fire  at the filing station) and "Citizen's Arrest" (a knockout showcase for  Nabors and Don Knotts, who is topnotch, as always, as Barney Fife).  Other supporting characters get a spotlight or two in season 4,  including Howard Morris's Ernest T. Bass ("Hot Rod Otis, "Otis T. Bass  Joins the Army") and Denver Pyle and Maggie Peterson's Briscoe and  Charlene Darling ("Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee"), but of course, the  crux of the show remains Andy and son Opie (Ron Howard), who do  stand-out work in the well-loved "Opie the Birdman," which addresses  serious topics--death and responsibility--in the series' typically warm  and humane manner. No supplemental features accompany the 32  black-and-white episodes, but that won't detract one bit from spending  some quality time with the good people of Mayberry.--Paul GaitaSeason FiveWhen did Mayberry turn into Potterville? InThe Andy Griffith Show's  fifth season, Opie (Ronny Howard) buys silk stockings for an older  woman, and publishes all of Mayberry's gossip in a scandal sheet.  Sheriff Andy Taylor (Griffith) is accused of gross malfeasance. A former  beau of Aunt Bee's tries to shake Andy down for $400. Bee herself  (Frances Bavier) is a victim of a carny purse-snatching ring. And  recidivists Otis (Hal Smith) and Ernest T. (Howard Morris) continue  their drinking and rock-throwing unabated. As Bee wails in  "Banjo-Playing Deputy," "What's this world coming to?" Not to worry.  This is, after all, Mayberry, and Andy still has the patience,  understanding and country smarts to restore calm and order. In "TV or  Not TV," he sees through bank robbers (led by Gavin MacLeod) posing as a  Hollywood film crew. In "Opie and the Carnival," he takes aim at two  crooked barkers who have rigged a sharpshooting game. As the sheriff of  Mayberry, much of his time is spent bailing out his hapless deputy,  Barney Fife (Don Knotts). In "Barney's Uniform," Andy recruits a judo  instructor to stand in when Barney is threatened by a disgruntled  citizen.Season 5 marked two notable lasts for this beloved series,  which never fell below the Top Seven in the ratings. This was the last  season in black and white. More devastating, it was multi-Emmy-winner  Knotts' last season as Barney Fife. By the penultimate episode, "Opie  and the Carnival," he is just gone, an unceremonious departure for an  iconic character so integral to the show's success. That "Banjo-Playing  Deputy" in the season finale is Jerry Van Dyke, who might have been a  worthy replacement for Knotts. Instead, he reportedly turned down the  role to star in his own sitcom,My Mother, the Car. The rest is TV infamy. By this time, though,The Andy Griffith Show's  best years were behind it. But this season contains at least two  classics, "Goodbye Sheriff Taylor," in which Barney is sheriff for a day  while Andy interviews for a job in Raleigh, and "The Case of the Punch  in the Nose," in which Barney reopens an unresolved 1946 case involving  Floyd the Barber and Charley Foley. And with episodes featuring the late  Howard Morris' Ernest T. ("The Education of Ernest T."), the Darling  family ("The Darling Baby"), Mt. Pilot "fun girls" Skippy and Daphne  ("The Arrest of the Fun Girls"), and a guest star turn by Don Rickles  ("The Luck of Newton Monroe"),Andy Griffith Showdevotees are advised to take theFifth.--Donald LiebensonSeason SixAsk a certain portion of diehardAndy Griffith Showfans why   the series' sixth season (1965-66) is less well-loved than others from   its eight-year run, and the answer boils down to four words: "Warren   Ferguson" and "color episodes."  Played by veteran comedian and writer   Jack Burns, Warren was the replacement for Don Knotts' Barney Fife as   Andy's sheriff, and lasted for just eleven of the season's 30 episodes   before vanishing without a trace. The brickbats heaved at Warren are   undeserved, though; replacing the multi-Emmy-winning Knotts was a task   that few performers would have relished facing (and indeed, Knotts   earned another Emmy for his return to the series in two episodes, "The   Return of Barney Fife" and "The Legend of Barney Fife"), and Burns   certainly gives his all (including his signature, rapid-fire   "huh-huh-huh" gag line) to the character. He's no Barney Fife, and who   could be, aside from Knotts? As for the color issue, the debate seems   to be centered entirely around preference, although it's true that in   syndication, viewer response has been traditionally stronger to the   black-and-white broadcasts of seasons 1-5.Aside from the  Barney/Warren and color controversies, the sixth season  is notable for  the final appearances of supporting characters Malcolm  Merriweather  (Bernard Fox) and Ernest T. Bass (the great Howard Morris)  in "Malcolm  at the Crossroads" (in which the pair tangle over a  crosswalk), as well  as such fun episodes as "The Taylors in Hollywood"  (Andy, Opie, and  Aunt Bee react to a movie being made about them, withThe Love Boat's  Gavin McLeod as the movie Andy); "Andy's Rival"  (Charles Aidman guest  stars as a new teacher whose working relationship  with Helen Crump  makes Andy nervous); and "Otis the Artist" (an amusing  Warren episode,  in which he suggests painting to Otis as a substitute  for drinking).Andy Griffithcompletists will also note the  presence of Jack Dodson in the episode  "Lost and Found"; Dodson would  later join the series as Deputy Howard  Sprague and transition with most  of the supporting cast toMayberry R.F.D.As with previous  Griffith boxed sets, this five-disc set features no extras.--Paul  GaitaSeason SevenThe Andy Griffith Show's seventh season (1966-67) was the  beginning of the end for the venerable family comedy (Griffith brought  it to a close with the next season), but the gentle humor and likable  characters that helped make it one of the most popular series on  television are still in fine form.  Chief among the season's plusses is a  two-episode return visit from Don Knotts as Barney Fife--in "A Visit to  Barney Fife," Andy helps his former deputy find his footing at his new  precinct in Raleigh, North Carolina, while in "Barney Comes to  Mayberry," Barney reunites with his old flame, Irene Flogg, now a  glamorous movie star. The latter episode, among the most popular of the  series, won Knotts his fifth Emmy for portraying Barney. Otherwise, it's  business as usual in Mayberry, with series regulars Frances Bavier  (Aunt Bee), George Lindsey (Goober), Hal Smith (Otis), and a very  grown-up Ron Howard (Opie) delivering their usual warm and funny  performances. The show's new face, Jack Dodson (later Mickey Malph onHappy Days)  fares considerably better as a Barney substitute than the ill-fated  Jack Burns; as mother-dominated town clerk Howard Sprague, Dodson gets  some very funny moments, especially in "Howard the Comedian," where he  embarrasses the citizens of Mayberry with his TV standup debut. Also on  hand: Aneta Corsaut as Helen Crump, Denver Pyle and the Dillards as the  hillbilly collective known as the Darling Family, and an ailing Howard  McNear as Floyd the barber; McNear had suffered a stroke and lost much  of his mobility, but Griffith made arrangements that allowed him to  continue on the show in a more relaxed capacity. Though perhaps not up  to par with its earlier, black-and-white episodes, the seventh season ofThe Andy Griffith Showstill has plenty of what made the show an  enduring classic: low-key charm and homespun humor. The five-disc set  has no supplemental features.--Paul GaitaSeason EightAll good things must come to an end--even a classic TV series likeThe Andy Griffith Show--but  most would hope to close out their network run like the venerable rural  comedy series did, with its popularity intact (Griffith brought the  show to a close with its ratings at #1) and its episodes still featuring  the gentle, observant humor that marked every visit to Mayberry since  its debut in 1960. Few changes can be seen in the 30 episodes compiled  here, save for the color broadcast (which came to pass during the  '65-'66 season) and the arrival of Sam Jones (the likable Ken Berry),  another amiable widower who became the focus of the spin-off series,Mayberry R.F.D.Otherwise, it's business as usual in Mayberry, which includes a welcome  return visit from Don Knotts' Barney Fife (in "Barney Hosts a Summit  Meeting," where he convinces Andy to let the U.S. and Soviet governments  host a summit in his home), a turn in the role of deputy for Goober  (George Lindsay) in "Suppose Andy Gets Sick," a great deal of tomfoolery  by newer characters Howard Sprague (Jack Dodson) and Emmett Clark (Paul  Hartman), and guest appearances by Jack Nicholson ("Aunt Bee the  Juror"), Allan (The Brady Bunch) Melvin ("Howard's Main Event")  and Morgan Brittany as "Opie's First Love." Fans may debate on the  quality of the final season in comparison to those that preceded it (and  to be fair, there are a handful of less-than-stellar episodes, most  notably "Opie's Group," which finds Andy's son joining a rock band), but  the comfortable performances by the cast help to smooth over any rough  patches. As with all previousGriffithboxed sets, no extras are featured here.-- Paul Gaita