The Andy Griffith Show is an American situation comedy television series, that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color.The series never placed lower than seventh in the Nielsen ratings, ending its final season at number one. The only other shows to end their runs at the top of the ratings are I Love Lucy and Seinfeld.On separate occasions, it has been ranked by TV Guide as the ninth best and thirteenth best series in American television history.Though neither Griffith nor the show won awards during its 8-season run, co-stars Knotts and Bavier accumulated a combined total of six Emmy Awards. The series spawned its own spin-off, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. , and a reunion telemovie, Return to Mayberry.The complete series is available on DVD and is intermittently available on such streaming video services as Amazon Prime. The Andy Griffith Show was a top ten hit through its entire run, never ranking lower than seventh place in the yearly ratings.A Nielsen study conducted during the show's final season indicated the show ranked number one among blue collar workers followed by The Lucy Show and Gunsmoke. Among white collar workers, the show ranked number three following Saturday Movies and The Dean Martin Show.The Andy Griffith Show is one of only three shows to have its final season be the number one ranked show on television, the other two being I Love Lucy and Seinfeld. In 1998, more than five million people a day watched the show's reruns on 120 stations.