Richards appeared on the CBS sitcoms, "Pete and Gladys" and in 1963 as Dean Hollister in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis", starring Dwayne Hickman. He was cast as Frank Newton on an episode of "Petticoat Junction" in October 1963. He was cast twice in 1964 on CBS's "The Beverly Hillbillies", with Buddy Ebsen. His last television role was as Colonel Saunders in the 1964 episode "The Permanent Recruit" of ABC's "No Time for Sergeants", loosely based on the Andy Griffith film of the same name.