What reunion telemovie followed The Andy Griffith Show in 1986?

The 1986 reunion telemovie that followed The Andy Griffith Show was Return to Mayberry.

Broadcast on NBC on April 13, 1986, Return to Mayberry brought many of the original cast members back to the fictional North Carolina community. Andy Griffith returned as Sheriff Andy Taylor, while Ron Howard, Don Knotts, Howard Morris, Jim Nabors, George Lindsey, Aneta Corsaut, Betty Lynn, and others reprised their roles.

The film functioned as a belated continuation and practical finale for the Mayberry story. It revisited characters’ lives after the original series and explained Aunt Bee’s absence by showing that she had died; Frances Bavier was in poor health and did not participate. The movie’s success made additional Mayberry projects seem possible, but Griffith was committed to Matlock.

A common mix-up is Back to Mayberry. That phrase was used for a 2003 reunion special and for a 2004 rebroadcast title, while the 1986 NBC film’s canonical title is Return to Mayberry.