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‘The Andy Griffith Show’: How One Episode Reused Pilot’s Storyline

One of the more impressive things about The Andy Griffith Show was how quickly it caught on. It seemed that right from the pilot episode, “The New Housekeeper,” the show was destined for greatness.

More than fifty years later, the iconic television series remains relevant. It just goes to show how well every episode was put together. Since the series first aired in 1960, there wasn’t a foot placed incorrectly. For eight seasons, fans were captivated by Sheriff Taylor and the town of Mayberry.

When The Andy Griffith Show got into its second, it was a well-oiled machine. Almost every joke landed as it was intended. More importantly, the episodes were original and creative. However, one of the episodes in Season Two didn’t fit that mold.

“Andy and the Woman Speeder” was the third episode in the season. But, there was one thing that was off about it. The reason that the episode was different is simple. Essentially, it reuses the plot that a different series used as its pilot.

During The Andy Griffith Show episode, Opie and Aunt Bee are not seen very much. Floyd, however, gets a lot of the sidekick duties. Additionally, Barney Fife wears his fishing gear for roughly half of the episode and sings a Frank Sinatra song to close it out.

More importantly, Andy seems unlike his typical self, more serious than usual. On top of it all, the plot focuses around the “Woman Speeder,” who ends up in the Mayberry Jail. Elizabeth Crowley plays the charming woman during the episode.

The Third Episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” Reused the Plot From Another Show

In 1960, Sheriff Taylor made his debut on another show, The Danny Thomas Show. That episode was called “Danny Meets Andy Griffith.”

This episode was the introduction people had to the sheriff on The Andy Griffith Show. In this show, Danny drives through Mayberry in his car, but he soon finds himself in jail.

Danny is quite peeved about the fine that is levied against him. He believes that it is an example of a small town taking advantage of him. Consequently, he demands to see the town’s Justice of the Peace. Of course, Andy Taylor lets him do this. But, the sheriff of Mayberry is also the town’s Justice of Peace.

In “The Woman Speeder,” The Andy Griffith Show uses almost the exact same storyline as The Danny Thomas Show. During this episode, Elizabeth Crowley is given a ticket when she drives through Mayberry. She complains about the speed trap being rigged.

More importantly, just like the other show, she demands to see the town’s Justice of the Peace. And again, the Justice of the Peace is Andy Griffith. There are many more similarities throughout the rest of the episode.

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