1 9 8 0 – 1 9 8 2 (USA)
ABC’s answer to Saturday Night Live was broadcast from April 1980 to October 1982.
Regular cast members included Mark Blankfield, Maryedith Burrell, Melanie Chartoff, Larry David, Darrow Igus, Brandis Kemp, Bruce Mahler, Rich Hall, Michael Richards (later to find fame as Kramer on Seinfeld) and John Roarke.
The show featured great musical guests, including the Boomtown Rats, Devo, J Geils Band, John Cougar, The Plasmatics, The B-52’s, AC/DC and The Pretenders.
Andy Kaufman famously attracted the ire of one studio audience by holding up a music performance by The Pretenders while he nervously delivered an anti-drugs rant. Kaufman barely concealed his glee at the boos he received from the assembled crowd.
Kaufman also broke character during a sketch and got into a shoving match with Michael Richards which degenerated into an on-camera brawl. It was later revealed that this was a set-up and Kaufman and some of the brawl participants and the cast were in on the gag, but most of the crew were caught completely off-guard.
