America
Even though critics warned viewers about the show, it looked like all of their warnings went unnoticed. In fact, some of the numbers were staggering! Between 1962 and 1964, the show was averaging 57 million viewers. This number is huge, even for a show today! Back then, there were about 190 million people living in the United States, which means a huge chunk of the population was sharing their love for the hillbillies together. No other show has proven the critics this wrong.
Haters Gonna Hate
New Roles
After the show ended, only a few of the actors actually went on to play in significant roles elsewhere. Buddy Ebsen was one of those people. He landed a role as a father figure named Barnaby Jones in a detective show, and thankfully the show did quite well. In 1993, when an adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies aired, Buddy did a cameo as Barnaby Jones. Some people recognized him and some didn’t, but it was as though the show had finally come full circle for him.
Breakfast of Champions
