WWE Friday Night SmackDown is a professional wrestling television program for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Currently it is the only television broadcast for the SmackDown Brand. Generally after its launch in 1999, SmackDown was shown on Thursday nights, but as of September 9, 2005, the show moved to Friday nights. The SmackDown Brand is currently one of WWE's three brands, the other two being Raw and ECW.

It was possible that WWE "lame duck" status with Viacom on Spike TV is what prompted its moving SmackDown to the Friday night death slot for fall 2005 season. Yet, SmackDown worked out for both parties those who are involved, as the show did its better in ratings than it had on Thursdays. UPN received much better ratings on Fridays than it did before, with its movie night. In addition, UPN had been able to hold on to the ratings from Thursday nights, most notably with comedian Chris Rock's Wonder Years-like sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. CW Network announced that UPN had renewed SmackDown for two more years in January 2006.

In the United Kingdom and Australia, their stations Sky Sports and FOX8 air SmackDown on Fridays before the United States due to the time difference. WWE promoted this move with the tagline "TV that's changing Friday nights." Friday Night SmackDown made its season premiere on September 9, 2005. The program still aired on Thursdays in Canada on the Score. This is the first time a major weekly WWE show airs internationally before it hits screens in the U.S.