A spin-off of The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D. became successful in its own right. The show aired from 1969 through 1971 and was consistently in the top 15 of the Nielsen ratings. Its demise was caused by the sudden elimination of rural-oriented series by CBS in 1971 in order to make room for more ""realistic"" fare. The show's popularity owed much to the casting; George Lindsey (playing Goober Pyle), Jack Dodson (Howard Sprague), Paul Hartman (Emmett Clark), Ken Berry (Sam Jones), and others who moved seamlessly from The Andy Griffith Show to the new series. Episode-by-episode, this is the definitive reference to Mayberry R.F.D. Each entry provides episode title, writer, director, regular and guest cast, and numerous other facts about it. Capsule biographies of guest stars are given within the entry for the initial episode in which they worked, while more detailed biographies of the writers, directors, and major stars follow the episode guide.