17 Things Producers of ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Hid from Fans

8. The fictional town was based on a real town

While the town of Mayberry, North Carolina was supposed to be an entirely fictional one, it was actually based on the real life town of Mount Airy. One can wonder if any of the characters were inspired by real life as well.

9. Barney left because of contractual reasons

It can be complicated writing characters out of shows, especially when it’s just over a contractual disagreement. Ultimately Don Knotts could not agree to the terms of obligations involved with re-signing, so he ended up resigning from the show, even though he had won five Emmy award for the iconic role of Barney Fife.

10. But then he tried to come back

At one point Don offered to come back to the show, but only under the circumstances that he could have an ownership stake in the production. Andy and his manager were the only ones who did have ownership at the time, so the answer was a solid no. Can’t blame a guy for trying.