On Wednesday, the North Carolina House of Representatives voted 96-14 to pass HB 557, The Andy Griffith Show as the State TV Show, which honors Andy Griffith, a native son of North Carolina. The bill’s sponsors are Reps. Neal Jackson, R-Moore, Brian Biggs, R-Randolph, Sarah Stevens, R-Surry, and Kyle Hall, R-Stokes.
Fifteen House lawmakers, all Democrats, voted against the bill.
“His voice, his values, and his humor belong to all of North Carolina and our great nation,” said Jackson on the House floor. “This bill is not just about a television show, it’s about a legacy; it’s about the values of decency, humility, kindness, and common sense that the Andy Griffith show brought into millions of homes all across America. It’s about remembering a time when the strength of a small town and the strength of a people was measured not by the power of wealth but by neighborliness, by respect, and by doing what was right even when it was hard. Andy Griffith brought North Carolina to the world not with spectacle or self-importance but with a humor and a quiet wisdom.”
Andy Samuel Griffith, the male lead and the person for whom the show is named, is a North Carolina native, having been born in Mount Airy in Surry County in 1926. Mount Airy is also the city after which the iconic ‘Mayberry,’ the small southern town where the show takes place, is modeled. Griffith also graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill), earning a music BA.
“Through Sheriff Andy Taylor, the fictional town of Mayberry became a real place in the hearts of generations,” continued Jackson. “For many of us, it’s hilarious that this show didn’t just entertain us, it educated us, it reminded us to treat one another as we would want to be treated, how to laugh at yourselves, how to raise children with integrity, discipline, and purpose. It gave us lessons about honesty, kindness, and grace.”
“The positive character values and awareness of North Carolina make ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ must-see TV for anyone who loves North Carolina,” reads HB 557.
Stevens, who represents Surry County, where the show is based, spoke about how Mayberry and Mount Pilot are based on the real locations of Mount Airy and Pilot Mountain in Surry County. Not only that, but iconic places that fans of the show will remember, including Floyd’s Barber Shop and Snappy’s Lunch, are real places, and Griffith even got his haircut at the barber shop when he was a young boy. Stevens also spoke about “Mayberry Days,” celebrated in Surry County annually during the third week of September.
Rep. Amos Quick, D-Guilford, spoke against the bill saying that even though he loves the show and watches it as often as he can, he feels that there is a generational divide and that the show does not represent younger constituents who did not live in that time, have any knowledge of the time, and have no interest in the show. Quick also asserts that there are many other shows, filmed in or focusing on North Carolina, that could be considered for the state TV show.
“It put North Carolina on the map,” Hall pointed out. Stating that while the show was not filmed in North Carolina, it highlights real places in the state.
In 2023, the Andy Griffith Show was named the No. 1 TV show set in North Carolina.
“There’s a deeper thread running through the show, a moral backbone that speaks to who we are as North Carolinians, and that is what we honor today,” said Jackson.
