The Andy Griffith Show originally aired on CBS.
The sitcom premiered on October 3, 1960, and remained a CBS program throughout its original run, which ended on April 1, 1968. It starred Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor, the calm lawman of fictional Mayberry, North Carolina, alongside Don Knotts, Ron Howard, and Frances Bavier.
The series grew out of an episode of The Danny Thomas Show called “Danny Meets Andy Griffith,” which aired in February 1960. CBS and sponsor General Foods quickly committed to the spin-off. Although the show later became a staple of rerun and syndication schedules, those later broadcasts do not change its original network.
A common mix-up is confusing the original series with its related programs. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was a CBS spin-off, while Mayberry R.F.D. continued the Mayberry setting after The Andy Griffith Show ended. CBS also broadcast daytime repeats under the title Andy of Mayberry during the original series’ run.