Television
January 31, 2001
Legendary Actor Andy Griffith Returns To North Carolina To Guest Star On “Dawson’s Creek”
(January 31, 2001 – Burbank, CA) – Andy Griffith, one of the most beloved actors in the history of television, returns to his North Carolina roots for a special appearance in a life-changing episode of “DAWSON’S CREEK” airing Wednesday, February 7 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) on The WB.
In the episode entitled “A Winter’s Tale,” Dawson (James Van Der Beek) is faced with the decision of whether to take his mentor, Mr. Brooks (Harve Presnell), off life-support after the older man falls into a coma. Dawson seeks guidance from Mr. Brooks’ oldest friend (Griffith) who comes to the hospital to say his farewell and leaves Dawson with some enlightening advice.
Like “DAWSON’S CREEK,” Griffith’s popular and long-running comedy series “The Andy Griffith Show” was also set in North Carolina, in the fictional town of Mayberry. Griffith’s role as small town sheriff who brought gentle humor and heartfelt wisdom to his job made him an instant favorite of television audiences. His second hit series was the drama “Matlock,” in which he played a criminal defense attorney who always got his man. The show ran for nine years, and in 1987 Griffith received a People’s Choice Award for his role as Ben Matlock. Griffith also received a 1955 Tony nomination for his breakout role in the Broadway play “No Time For Sergeants” and an Emmy nomination in 1981 for his portrayal of Ash Robinson in “Murder in Texas.”
In it’s most recent airing on January 24, a repeat episode of “DAWSON’S CREEK” still achieved strong gains versus an original airing a year ago across the 18-34 demos as well as male demos across the board. The coming-of-age drama notched impressive increases versus year-ago delivers in women 18-34 (+23%) and men 18-49 (+20%). “DAWSON’S CREEK” defeated the CBS comedies, which included a special Wednesday night airing of “King of Queens,” in every 18-34 and 12-34 demographic.
Filmed on location in Wilmington, N.C., “DAWSON’S CREEK” is executive produced by Paul Stupin, Greg Berlanti and Greg Prange for Columbia TriStar Television. # # #