On what date did “Danny Meets Andy Griffith” air?

“Danny Meets Andy Griffith” aired on February 15, 1960. The episode was a backdoor pilot embedded in The Danny Thomas Show, introducing Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor of the fictional North Carolina town of Mayberry.

In the story, Danny Williams, played by Danny Thomas, is stopped by Andy for running a stop sign. The premise gave viewers a quick introduction to Andy’s calm, homespun approach to law enforcement and established that he was also Mayberry’s justice of the peace and newspaper editor.

Several future Andy Griffith Show performers appeared in the pilot. Frances Bavier played Henrietta Perkins, while Ron Howard appeared as Opie Taylor. The success of the episode helped General Foods, sponsor of The Danny Thomas Show, commit to the spin-off.

A common mix-up is confusing this pilot’s date with the series premiere. The Andy Griffith Show itself debuted later, on October 3, 1960.