Mayberry R.F.D. was a spinoff from The Andy Griffith Show. When Andy Griffith decided to leave his show, many of the characters were imported into the new show. It first aired in on the CBS network 1968 and lasted until 1971.

The head of programming at CBS wished to profit from the enormous popularity of The Andy Griffith Show, which ended a long run in 1968. The solution the programmers devised was to keep core character Aunt Bee (played by Frances Bavier) in the small town of Mayberry, serving yet another widower. As Andy Griffith's character Andy Taylor left, after marrying schoolteacher Helen Crump, Aunt Bee became housekeeper to Sam Jones (played by Ken Berry), a farmer who recently moved to Mayberry. Sam soon found himself elected to the Town Council, and many of the dilemmas which presented themselves were fodder for story each week. In 1970, Aunt Alice (Alice Ghostley) took Aunt Bee's place.

The show was very popular, having reached the top four in its first two years. In 1971, CBS wished to change its image, and subsequently canceled any rural-themed programming.