“The Andy Griffith Show” was one of television’s most popular shows. It aired on CBS from 1960 to 1968 with 249 episodes filmed, according to NCpedia. Andy Griffith played widower Sheriff Andy Taylor of the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina, which featured that small-town charm where the characters had a penchant for gossip but always took care of each other. During its first season, the series was the No. 1 situation comedy on television, and by its final season, “The Andy Griffith Show” was No. 1 overall.

The success of the program was driven by its writing and actors, which were top-notch. In addition, the show painted a picture of an idyllic Southern environment, which was the opposite of the climate of the ’60s. It featured themes such as justice and humanity, an escape from the issues that viewers were facing on a day-to-day basis in real life, including racism and the Vietnam War. Many episodes ended with Andy peacefully solving some sort of problem. The series also launched a spin-off, “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”

“The Beverly Hillbillies,” also a sitcom on CBS, centered on the Clampett family, which relocated to Los Angeles after discovering oil on their property and making a whole lot of money. The show’s characters included Jed, Granny, Jethro, and Elly May, who amused viewers with their zany antics. The program aired from 1962 to 1971 and was so popular that it led to merchandising deals, spin-offs, and a 1993 movie starring Diedrich Bader, Cloris Leachman, Erika Eleniak, and Jim Varney. According to MeTV, the TV series was massively successful because it was just so stinking funny.

Just six weeks after it first aired, the show was No. 1. It averaged 57 million viewers between 1962 and 1964 and included some of the most-watched episodes of the decade. One episode in particular, “The Giant Jackrabbit,” remains one of television’s most-viewed half-hour episodes of all time. At one point, 44 percent of American viewers were watching the show. While critics didn’t like it very much, the general public certainly did. However, series with rural themes such as “The Beverly Hillbillies” were given the heave-ho in the early ’70s as viewers turned to different types of programming such as “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

“Gilligan’s Island” aired from 1964 to 1967 and centered on seven men and women who were forced to survive on an island after their ship wrecks. TV critics derided the first season for its ridiculous storylines, but the series remained in syndication for decades and is beloved by many fans, according to Encyclopedia.com. Created by Sherwood Schwartz, the same man who delivered “The Brady Bunch,” the program finished first in its time slot during its entire three-season run. CBS eventually pulled the series to make room for “Gunsmoke.”

The show featured the Skipper, his sidekick Gilligan, the Professor, rich couple Mr. and Mrs. Howell, country girl Mary Ann, and movie star Ginger. Nearly each episode centered on the castaways’ plans or desire to get off the island. Yet, they failed often, largely due to Gilligan’s crazy antics. 1978’s “Rescue from Gilligan’s Island” became one of television history’s highest-rated made-for-TV films, and the castaways finally went home. However, they were not happy with their newfound freedom, and they ended up back on the island, where they presumably lived happily ever after. 

“Wagon Train” aired on NBC from 1957 until 1965 and was the network’s way of breaking into the western genre. The show featured a slew of guest stars, often plucked from film, who appeared alongside series regulars such as Ward Bond and Robert Horton, according to the Television Academy Foundation. Executives allowed spending of $100,000 per episode, which was significantly more than its competition, which spent about $70,000 per episode on their western series. The show was a success due to its excellent scripts and direction. The producers believed the program was just as good as what audiences watched in movie theaters, and those audiences ate it up.

The show centered on people traveling from St. Joseph, Missouri, to California on a wagon train caravan. Every week, viewers got a view of the American West and its variety of characters. “Wagon Train” aired for eight seasons and was even moved from NBC to ABC, which, interestingly, didn’t effect its popularity. There was also a variety of cast member changes, and only Frank McGrath, who played the cook Charlie Wooster, and assistant wagon master Bill Hawks, played by Terry Wilson, stayed on for the entire series. The show’s closest rival was “Gunsmoke,” but “Wagon Train” hit the top spot in the ratings in 1960 and held onto that spot in the 1961-62 season.

Hindsight is 20/20, and “Star Trek: The Original Series,” which is considered one of television’s most influential shows, only lasted three seasons on NBC from 1966 to 1969. The show featured incredible special effects and combined science fiction with powerful messages about humanity, yet it simply didn’t perform particularly well in the ratings during its initial run. By the third season, it was pushed to a 10 p.m. Friday time slot, which was a death knell, according to CBR.com.

The program was put into syndication the same year it was canceled, and it actually performed much better than when it aired new episodes. It became so popular that it spawned an animated spin-off, fan conventions, and a film franchise, growing a huge fanbase despite its difficulty attracting an audience during its first run on network television. The program proved that a cancellation caused by budget cuts and a bad time slot doesn’t necessary equal failure. Through reinvention, “Star Trek: the Original Series” defied expectations and became one of television’s most groundbreaking shows.