Don Knotts returns to bolster the 1971 pilot episode of The New Andy Griffith Show

The sideburns are growing: Don Knotts returns in his famous salt and pepper suit to bolster “My Friend, the Mayor,” the pilot episode of “The New Andy Griffith Show.” Airing on January 8, 1971, a mere three weeks after Griffith’s post-”TAGS” series “Headmaster” was axed by CBS after 13 episodes, Barney Fife’s name is oddly never explicitly mentioned although it’s obvious that’s who the character is. #DonKnotts, #BarneyFife, #AndySawyer, #NewAndyGriffithShow, #1971, #AndyandDon, #MyFriendtheMayor