 Knotts, meanwhile, played an unnamed character who was identical in mannerisms to Barney Fife of "The Andy Griffith Show".All three characters were "old friends" of the character Andy Sawyer; they dropped by his new house, ostensibly to welcome him to town, but actually to seek political favors.These Mayberry characters treated Andy Sawyer exactly as if he were Andy Taylor, and the two characters had similar backstories