After Midnight
It’s been a long time since I have reviewed something through the means of TEXT. And I figure, a good one to talk about is After Midnight.
It's not a game show, it's not a talk show, it's a unique thing. And unfortunately, comedy is very subjective. What might be funny for me might not for someone else and vice versa.
TL;DR - It’s better than a talk show. I'm glad CBS tried to bring back a panel game show, even if the game itself is hit and miss.
WHAT IS AFTER MIDNIGHT?
It’s a game show., but not really. It looks like a game show, sounds like a game show, and sometimes even has games that make it feel like a game show, but it's a written comedy show where three comedians have to use their improv skills, the cue cards from their writer, and the ability to have intuition with the crowd and Taylor to win the game and it's prize - a prop.
Panel shows are very difficult in America, as we aren't really accustomed to them, compared to, say, the United Kingdom where Taskmaster and Would I Lie to You and Mock the Week would be all over the place. However, unlike those shows, this show is DAILY. Every night after midnight, Taylor looks at the trends of the Internet and comes up with material about it.
While other shows would have to wait until Saturday to make a joke about the Dune Popcorn Bucket looking like a sex toy, After Midnight already ran laps with it on a Tuesday.
The original version was called “@midnight” and was half an hour and aired after The Daily Show and The Colbert Report…. So uh, hey. 11pm you can watch Jon, then at 11:35 you get Colbert and then at 12:37 you can watch the after midnight show like nothing ever changed. Other than when it was in it's hayday, you were probably in college, and now you're late 30s, early 40s…
Welcome to CBS! Be sure to watch Tracker and So Help Me Todd!
SO COMEDIANS, GIVE A ONCE SENTENCE SUMMARY OF AFTER MIDNIGHT
(buzz) Why your mom shouldn't use TikTok.
(buzz) A journey of self discovery, and cat videos.
(buzz) The Internet, but through the safe filter of a CBS Censor.
WHO IS TAYLOR TOMLINSON?
She’s a comedian, duh. And plays the role of game show host, and judge. She's self deprecating, observational, and very quick witted, and it makes her the perfect host for this reboot. She's also probably trademarked “webcomic pose” where she is standing three-quarter turn, facing the podiums of the contestants, yet looking right into the autocue to read the next segment.
If @midnight was Hardwick continuing his “nerdist” persona, that he had hosting Attack of the Show and Web Soup. Tomlinson throws that out in favor of what can best be described as “your cousin with a web addiction” and instead of setting up the Internet like a wasteland of weirdos to make-fun of, this version already paints social media as this toxic sludge wasteland. And Taylor serving as a studio tour guide reminding you to keep your hands inside the vehicle at all time, and the people who are hurt have recovered and they got permission to make fun of them.
Plus, my regency bias considering she's a SoCal girl who started out here at all my favorite comedy clubs.
Hardwick era points at the Internet as “why would somebody make star wars soap on Etsy?”
Tomlinson era, celebrates that star wars soap, but then looks at the review section for it's material.
Plus, this is CBS. Most likely a writers room asked “what do kids today sound like and are interested in”
And obviously, Taylor is young enough to appeal to Gen Z and Millennials to say
no cap bussin' frrrrrrrrrrrrrr
HEY COMEDIANS, WHAT TWO WORDS BEST DESCRIBE THE HOST, TAYLOR TOMLINSON?
(buzz) Lemon and Lime
(buzz) Stylish and Sarcastic
(buzz) Home Renter
WHAT IS THE SHOW ABOUT?
So, here's where the show hits and misses from time to time. In many ways, it's Jackbox Style Caption Games, something akin to quiplash and survive the Internet, other games, feel like they are actual game show games (who's your zaddy is about finding “attractive male figures” with clues, as well as A/B quizzes about if something is a real movie or not or what celebrity tweeted something.)
Others, which I feel are the weak points, take memes from the Internet and just turn that into a game itself. (From TikTok’s, “I'm a X, of course I Y…” to Reddit 's “Explain like I'm Five” to Twitter’s “Roman Empire”) to other things like the shoulder girlfriend meme, to “am I the asshole?” to “Girl Dinner” and “Horny Jail”, which is just towing the line of relevancy and cringe if this ends up in repeats in a year from now.
The point structure is 100 points in act 1 and hashtag wars (and it will fluctuate, because editing) hashtag wars is essentially wordplay, so “Ice Cream a Movie” could be “Rocky…Road” and “Ben & Jerry Maguire” and this elicits you at home to play along.
200 points in round 2, with one game being more “trivia” based. But more importantly A TALK SHOW PORTION OF THE SHOW. Originally, I think this was meant to parody the “get to know the contestants” part of Jeopardy and Wheel, and lightly plug more projects, but has become more outlandish and Comedy Bang Bang with it's questions to know the players.
300 points in round 3, with a more experimental game, and a callback from the start of the show with videos from TikTok or YouTube.
Then a game where everybody plays together away from the podium for points or for improv scenes, who knows!
Then an elimination game, where the lowest score not only gets red light, but also have to do an improv scene where they have to rage quit or explain why they lost or pretend they won an award. Etc.
Then a for the win, winner takes all caption challenge at the end to determine the winner of the show. And that's it
HEY PLAYERS, WHAT IS ONE THING THAT MIGHT SURPRISE VIEWERS OF AFTER MIDNIGHT?
(buzz) The tablet on the podium is just watching Seth Meyers.
(buzz) The sound effects are done by a 60 piece orchestra.
(buzz) The Craft Services Table has a chocolate fountain.
WHAT IS THE GOOD?
The Set is gorgeous. From it's hashtag design podiums to it's oversized smartphone that bleeds into the floor to offer some minor set dressing, to it's ribbon led lights and color scheme that plays into purple, pink and orange to feel vaporwave, but also modern.
Additionally, the games themselves feel like they had their own segment producer to figure out the hook. Is this a “caption this photo” is it a “come up with a slogan” or an open-ended question like “what would you do to get out of this date?” Or, is this one with actual answers “true or false?” “Which of the comedians wrote this?” “What does this guy do?”
While it does sometimes bleed over with a “come up with” or a “what is one thing” in it's questions, at times, the comedic games that are played are more silly and intentionally meant to break for comedic purposes.
HEY PLAYERS, IF AFTER MIDNIGHT WASN’T THE NAME OF THIS SHOW, WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD ALTERNATE NAME?
(buzz) Yuckin’ Round The World Wide Web with Cowgirl Taylor and the Jugtime Band
(buzz) Around the Web with 80 Gays.
(buzz) The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 2.
WHAT IS THE BAD?
The gags are sometimes obvious, when one person lands a joke, expect that joke to be a call-back for the entirety of the episode, while the show is good at highlighting comedians, you can kind of tell who will be coasting along a gag. (See - Pete Holmes with Oxnard)
Also, expect somebody saying something to intentionally get bleeped by the censors. PUSSYEATING, COCKSUCKING, FUCK STICK, SHITSTIRRER, etc. I get it, comedians go blue, it's very funny, most of the time “bastard” gets blurred, so does bitch and asshole, so a comedian just going all out, sometimes it gets bleeped and intends to make the comedian look outlandish, but most of the time, it just gets removed, and they have to expand upon a dry banter segment instead.
Comedy is always subjective, so sometimes the comedian just isn't a good fit. When you know somebody has probably a joke written down for them to try and give the cadence for the game, but instead they decide “maybe I'll try it on my own” and it's funny, but, most of the time, somebody at home could have thought of that joke. It just becomes sad.
The best jokes on After Midnight, are the ones you feel nobody thought of, or goes into a different direction. If somebody wipes out jet skiing, a good joke is pointing out the pontoon in the background, or the outfit the guy was wearing, but, you know somebody is going to do that “THAT'S GOING TO LEAVE A MARK” line. And it's worth points, it's a joke. But it goes into the Workaholics Whiteboard of Shame territory.
HEY PLAYERS, WHAT’S ONE WAY TO IMPROVE AFTER MIDNIGHT?
(buzz) An actual cocaine bear live on set.
(buzz) somebody here is leaving with a brand new car!
(buzz) pay raise for the staff
WHO IS THIS FOR?
This is where my big challenge is - After Midnight is a show about the internet, but while it’s aiming for Gen Z and Millennial, it’s CBS, so a good chunk of the age group is simply put, confused. @midnight was on when The Daily Show and Colbert Report were at their boom period for college age kids. So I’m guessing late 30s early 40s burnouts?
As late night television is mostly going for “VIRAL ABILITY” like Jimmy Fallon Games or Jimmy Kimmel mean tweets, here is a show that is nothing but those Internet Games, but it makes me wonder how many people will go out of their way to watch it ON CBS AT 12:37 or as is how I typically watch the show - Ad Free on Paramount Plus.
It's not “nerd comedian” anymore like Hardwick era (which is a good thing, comedians pretty much all have podcasts now) but it's also trying to walk through grown ups who might not know what “Catfishing” is or what “ShitFoodPorn” is on Reddit.
Obviously, there is a need for a set up to get to the punchline by the contestants. But it feels like a show that also requires the viewers to be also highly online to know what “alpha/beta/omega” or “-pilled” or “based” means.
Which, I wonder is the same audience of that who watches Stephen Colbert interview a U.S. Senator, and an Author of a book about Economics.
COMEDIANS, WHATS ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE WE SHOULD TRY AND SECURE? WHOEVER HAS THE LOWEST SCORE AFTER THIS ROUND IS ELIMINATED….
(buzz) The Catholic Church
(buzz) Reddit moderators
(buzz) Target Team Members
(buzz) NEW YORK CITY BEST CITY IN THE WORLD
(buzz) People who take too much edibles.
(buzz) Bronies.
FINAL THOUGHTS?
THE REAL HEROES OF THIS SHOW ARE THE WRITERS AND THE PRODUCTION HOUSE.
Taylor and the Cast are only given what is written, and sometimes that’s very tough for somebody to “get their voice”. Taylor is really easy… The Manager of a Chuck E Cheese, but doesn’t have any children! A Valley Girl who is also into negging others? Somebody’s niece that is only at the family gathering to raid the alcohol cabinet and watch Bluey.
BUT for the three contestants? That’s the difficult job. Writing a zinger for Doug Benson (probably something with weed) is different than Paul F. Thompkins (a very optimistic look at a very dire situation) that’s different than Maria Bamford. And I think that really deserves a round of applause. While the intention of the show is to make it appear everything is “off the top of their head” (and, in many regards it is, but mostly ad-libs and sides), to get four different voices AND clearance of videos AND be able to coordinate an hours worth of games (including lines and jokes that either didn’t land, or won’t make it to air) is a daunting challenge, and something that is incredible.
The mileage will vary on these contestants, because while they are funny either in stand-up, or in improv circles, or in podcasting, they also have to somewhat play a “character” of themselves, and juggle between being a co-star to the episode AND earnestly trying to play a broken scored game show.
SO FOR THE WIN, PLAYERS, WRITE UP A REVIEW OF AFTER MIDNIGHT, AS A LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST, AND WHOEVER DOES THE BEST, WINS… THIS PROP
Prompt One
After Midnight is such a clever show, but can Taylor change her name to Jimmy? - Seth M.
Prompt Two
It makes me want my old show back - J. Corden
And that's about it. I like the show a lot, but I'm not “in love” I think the best way to watch it is most likely the way most people will - through clips on YouTube.
However, I always worry about that, because that might not necessarily mean viewership when it comes to watching through the network, or through Paramount Plus.
I am glad it gives other types of comedy people a chance to be on television that's not just a tight five at the end of a late night show, however. I wonder if this will help catapult future stars, and what this means for when Taylor goes on a comedy tour.
Watch it, but only up to a point you feel comfortable with. Because otherwise, if you watch it enough as I did - you can see the faults and comedy crutches and it just ruins the fun.
HAVE FUN
