Fernwood 2 Night(1977)

Fernwood 2 Night is a comedic talk show parody that aired from July to September 1977. Created by Norman Lear and produced by Alan Thicke, it served as a summer replacement for Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Host Barth Gimble and announcer Jerry Hubbard preside over a fictional late-night program in the small Ohio town of Fernwood, complete with the stage band Happy Kyne and His Mirthmakers. Barth is the twin brother of a character from the parent series. The show satirizes both mainstream talk shows and the quirky local television programming of small-town America. Celebrity guests typically appeared as fictional characters, though the show's format required creative contrivances to justify their appearances. After one season, producers revamped the series as America 2-Night, relocating Barth and Jerry to California and reimagining their show as a nationally broadcast program on the fictional UBS network, allowing celebrities to appear as themselves.