In the 1960s, Andy Griffith secured his spot in Hollywood with the wholesome series The Andy Griffith Show. However, it did come with some drawbacks, as Griffith was typecast as the level-headed sheriff and single father Andy Taylor. After the show ended in 1968, it continued to grow in popularity with reruns, and a reunion film called Return to Mayberry aired in 1986. Just a year later, Griffith returned as the star of a new show called Matlock.
In Matlock, Griffith played a very different character than Andy Taylor as Ben Matlock, a cantankerous yet very experienced and smart attorney. It reestablished Griffith as a star, and the show was quickly a hit, bringing in new and old fans.
Everett Collection
Even so, some people couldn’t forget Griffith as Taylor. In an old interview, Griffith said, “Some people come up and say ‘I really like the Matlock show.’ Some people come up to me and say, ‘I really used to like you.’ And they’re referring to Andy Taylor. So … I think Andy Taylor’s still with me.”
Everett Collection
Although some fans couldn’t forget his more comforting character, he said that Matlock did bring in some new fans. He added, “The thing that I’m pleased about our show, is that … I live here in a little community called Toluca Lake, and I was going to a few stores a few Saturdays ago, and quite a number of couples, people who are in their 30s, in their 40s, in their 20s, intelligent-looking people said, ‘Gee, we really like that show!’ And so I’m pleased and proud that we are doing, as far as we can, an intelligent show on television, and adding as much humor as we can to it.”
