YMMV / Petticoat Junction

• Closer to Earth / Women Are Wiser: Kate can occasionally be high-strung and the girls are often very flighty, but they are more sensible by leaps and bounds than Uncle Joe, Charley, or Floyd. A sometimes exception to this is Sam Drucker, who is often the Only Sane Man but can be lunk-headed if the script requires it. A more definite exception is Steve, who is rarely portrayed as more than a little unreasonable.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: One episode features a singer named "King Ring-A-Ding" (who even dresses up in a ridiculous king costume) who is insanely popular with the teenage set. Now, who on earth would buy into a pop star who dresses in outrageous costumes, and goes under a stage name that consists of a royal title and a nonsense phrase?...Hey, wait a minute!
• Retroactive Recognition: The episode "Bobbie Jo and the Beatnik" had a guest appearance by Dennis Hopper.
• Seasonal Rot: Many people seem to agree that the show didn't hold up too well after Kate was written out early in Season 6. Others say this started after Season 4 with the introduction of Steve, with the plot centering around his relationship with Betty Jo, and the show starting to have the Bradleys (and Steve) do a musical number Once an Episode.
• Squick: In the show's opening credits, the three girls are skinny dipping in the town's water supply. Quite possibly the town's drinking water. Later seasons show the three girls skinny dipping in the water tower with a dog.
  • It's a common misconception, but the water tower is actually for the Cannonball - a steam locomotive needs water to operate.
• Values Dissonance: Look for any episode in which a woman is shown to have (or want) authority over men to eventually show the woman reversing herself and accepting she only wanted to be submissive all along. This is rather strange in a series centered around Kate running a business independently and spending her days mostly bossing Uncle Joe around. Steve initially appears to appreciate Betty Jo's passion for sports and mechanics, but once they are married he makes it clear he doesn't want to see his wife doing that kind of thing (even if it helps out around the house!), and gradually we see her give up that part of her life. Anytime someone counterculture appears, they are viewed with extreme suspicion by the adult characters, and are always proven to be shallow cowards by the end of the episode.

---