Night Flight—fuzzily remembered by ’80s punk rockers who tuned in after stumbling home from the bar, or, if you’re a little bit younger and had no boundaries, watched all night long at a Saturday night sleepover—represents the golden age of basic cable television. The variety program ran overnight on Fridays and Saturdays on the USA Network, and featured music videos, short films, documentaries, and animation like Bambi Meets Godzilla and Mr. Bill. And with MTV still in its infancy, Night Flight was the place to catch all the coolest punk and New Wave music videos. It was intended as “a beacon of fresh cutting-edge entertainment that was just not available anywhere on TV,” according to show creator Stuart S. Shapiro.
The Night Flight brand started making its way back into the zeitgeist when its retro video blog launched last May; the website provides daily bits of nostalgic counter-pop-culture (some of which The A.V. Club has raided for Great Job, Internet!). Now the brand is expanding with its own specialty streaming service, Night Flight PLUS. The service will feature full episodes of Night Flight transferred from the original USA Network masters, as well as the 1983 New Year’s Eve Special in its entirety and the Best Of New Wave Theatre.
“Our goal with Night Flight PLUS is to resurrect the editorial spirit of Night Flight with the same original curatorial edge we had in the ’80s for a new digital generation,” adds Shapiro. “This time around Night Flight’s special brew will be available anytime, anywhere,” not just 3 A.M. in 1984. Night Flight PLUS is now streaming via its premium subscription service, currently available on Roku and Chromecast devices. (The service will be available on Apple TV and Amazon Fire in the near future.) A subscription to Night Flight PLUS runs $2.99 a month or $29.99 for the year.