It now appears that everyone knows and agrees: the show wasn't the same after Barney left and after it transitioned to color.

I tell ya, there’s just somethin’ about the town of Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show that makes folks wanna slow down a bit ...

Andy Griffith, Don Knotts and Ron Howard circa 1965 ... although I do say that I don't think the color episodes are all that good. There's some good ones, but the thrill is gone, to paraphrase ...

"In fact, 'being in color' became shorthand for knowing that ... since the book was published has reaffirmed that notion. The Andy Griffith Show remained a solid, well-made program, but it had ...