If you were a teen in the 80s like me then you probably remember the short-lived sketch comedy series, Fridays, on ABC. Although it only lasted two seasons, it left an indelible impression on my young brain.
Sadly, a DVD release of those two seasons is reportedly held up by Michael Richards. Luckily, YouTube has most of their great sketches including the ones I’ve included below the fold:
I had completely forgotten about The Rasta Gourmet but as soon as he asked “Watching TV? No no no no!” in the video below, I totally remembered it:
Considerably less difficult to remember was “Battle Boy” with Michael Richards:
And who can forget the crazed pharmacist and “just take a pill”?
I enjoyed the comedy but the real reason I watched Fridays was for the music. After I saw the following performance, I purchased every single Stray Cats record I could get my hands on, including British imports.
Although my pursuit of Stray Cats albums eventually led me down the punk path, I totally hated these guys when I saw them on Fridays – my first exposure to them. Eventually, I would realize they had just made one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll albums of all time.
I specifically remember turning to my friend, Dave, and commenting on how bad they were. His reply was, “it’s like they’re each playing their own song.” I have no doubt my favorite band at the moment was Queen and my second favorite was The Beatles. There was not yet room in my world for The Clash.
I don’t remember seeing this sketch but evidently Melanie Chartoff got a chipped tooth from the first punch:
This video definitely illustrates the stylistic differences with Saturday Night Live.
I’ll close with what has been described as the greatest sketch in Fridays history. It was subsequently banned and edited from rebroadcasts: