I've never liked them much. I bought the DVD box set for the first 5 seasons but wasn't interested in the last 3.
Don Knotts and Jim Nabors was gone, the new characters like Warren, Emmet and Howard just weren't funny to me, poor Floyd had had the stroke, and Andy seem irritated by everyone. There wasn't the fun picking on Barney, and the true friendship between those two with any other characters. This is nothing new to many TAGS fans.
Today, TV Land got to the end of season 5 and started showing the first episodes of Season 6. They've done this before but usually revert back to the first season pretty soon.
However, I'm enjoying watching the color episodes, noticing the scenery better, and Mayberry seems closer than the earlier episodes. Bringing a touch of nostalgia a little closer to me.
Do you like the color episodes? Do you still watch them?
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My theory is that the color episodes were just as good and I enjoy them just as much, but there were not as many memorable episodes because 150 plus stories had already been done. Love Dinner at Eight, Otis and Howard at the Carson shack, the Lodge etc.
I don't buy that Andy was grouchier, I think that we just see it more vividly on his face in color. Hew was grouchy with Gomer as a houseguest, grouchy with Goober takes a car apart, grouchy with Barney in the Gold truck and other times. aunt Bee with the freezer, Opie when he was with Steve Quincy.
So in summary more duds in color like Helen the Authoress, but some true classics as well
I enjoy most of the color episodes, especially the ones that feature Goober and Floyd. And of course, when Don Knotts makes a guest appearance, it's like a breath of fresh air. One of my favorite episodes is a color one, "Dinner at Eight." I think a lot of TAGS fans are missing out on some great episodes by boycotting the color years.
I do not enjoy the color episodes as much. Although I do like Emmet. The chemistry is not the same. Andy seemed angry and not the same Southern gentlemen that we all grew to love. I can understand that he wasn't as happy but he seemed to perk right up again for the Barney returns episodes. You could see he missed him and his character. I still watch them if they are on Sundance. I stopped watching on TVLand due to the butchering and editing and lack of epilogues that sum up the entire storyline. All so they can get more commercial air time to sell us more Medicare.
I can relate to Emmett! I like to try fixing these cheap appliances that are sold these days, and sometimes I can! I am a tinkerer and I think I would love running a "Fix It" shop, if such a thing were profitable in this current time. Emmett was a great addition to the show. Not Floyd by any means, but great in his own way.
Yeah it was a bit odd how they made Andy into such an angry character in the color episodes.
The black and white episodes are my favorites, but if I'm in the right mood, the color episodes are sometimes "real nice" and are comforting in a slower-paced kind of way. But it's not the same without Barney and Thelma Lou.
I have resisted the color episodes over the years but I find myself watching one every now and then. Sometimes I just cover my eyes and choose a show without even knowing what season or episode I'll be seeing. The color ones will never have the same magic but they're not so bad if you get used to em.
That could be a new party game. Have all the episodes on a corkboard. Then a blindfolded person "Pins the tail on the TAGS episode".
I grew up watching the color episodes first run, so that makes them somewhat special. It is a different show though I must admit. But still, it is better than most other sitcoms, color and all. Here are my favorites:
Season 6 - Andy's Rival, A Man's Best Friend, Otis the Artist, The Return of Barney Fife, Wyatt Earp Rides Again, The Gypsies
Season 7 - Aunt Bee's Crowning Glory, Mind Over Matter, Big Fish in a Small Town, Goober Makes History (One of my favorites), Dinner at Eight, Barney Comes to Mayberry, Helen the Authoress, Big Brother,
Season 8 - Howard the Bowler, Howard's Main Event, Aunt Bee the Juror, Suppose Andy Gets Sick, Howard's New Life, Emmett's Brother in Law, The Wedding
As you can see, I have a lot of favorites in Season 7.
I like the color episodes. Grew-up with a b/w TV. So I saw the shows in b/w and didn't know they were in color. The only thing I don't like about the color episodes is the green paint on the walls of the court house.
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