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Fridays was the name of ABC's weekly late-night live comedy show, which aired on Friday nights from April 11, 1980 to April 23, 1982. The program was ABC's attempt to duplicate the success of NBC's Saturday Night Live. When Saturday Night Live's sixth season (1980-1981) was met with negative reviews and low ratings over the new cast and writers, critics who once panned Fridays for being "too over the top" praised it as being sharper, edgier, and funnier than Saturday Night Live at the time.
From its inception, Fridays embraced the emerging new wave rock music scene and its associated culture to a greater extent than Saturday Night Live did at the time, widely incorporating it into their selection of musical guests, hosts and sketches. West Coast culture of the era was highlighted in their presentation and its origins from Los Angeles mentioned.
SNL executive producer Dick Ebersol gave all Fridays cast members an offer to join Saturday Night Live in 1982, but they all turned him down.
Some episodes are up on Hulu Plus.
I previously only knew the show from the popular Andy Kaufman sketch (YouTube link). I've never seen a full episode until today; VERY impressed. Way ahead of its time. Laughed at it more than any recent episode of SNL.