After Midnight

The original.@midnight (2013-2017) was a brilliant experiment that combined up-to-the-second pop culture ephemera, stand-up comedy & improv. Host Chris Hardwick made it seem effortless. With this reboot, aptly named @fter midnight (begins at 12:30pm in many markets), new host Taylor Tomlinson tries her best to recapture the magic. In the premier episode, she seemed a bit too eager to respond with a loud chuckle to anything the three contestants said, but she did keep things moving and tossed in enough self-deprecating humor to smooth over some rough patches. Given time, I believe she can make the show her own. She also needs a better buzzer. The production has a snappy set, with a smartphone-like screen displaying videos, images and themed graphics. The production team also wisely chose to get the comic contestants out from behind their podiums for one segment. Breaking up the standard game show format is key to a project that proports to not be your average game show. As with its host, the show will need time to shake out some bugs. Here's hoping CBS is willing to invest that time.

This is the worst show ever. It has no value excitement or flair. I've watched it several times, not to mention the host is super boring.

I can't find any reason to watch this show. I don't understand it at all. However she would probably be better in another show, the does nothing for her.

Upon reading the reviews everyone feels similar. The scripted show is not a hit. What are the producers thinking? It is not funny. Why does CBS always resurrect the dead? Are the writers still on strike? After midnight is a lose lose. It is really a dead show. No enthusiasm whatsoever. This show is a bust.

I loved this show. I stopped watching Seth Meyers, who is fantastic and has great guests, to watch @midnight every night. But after the show came back from it's summer break with a format change, I'm wandering back to Seth. It's not a good format. It totally takes away from the spontaneity of the guests. The guests and the show are funniest at their podiums, not sitting on a couch asking questions or standing in front of a door guessing which other guest is knocking on it in the other side. I think the show will lose viewers with the new format. You're losing me. Please go back!!! I would have given nine stars for the old format. I think seven stars is being generous for the new format.

Most of these reviews are from the first week of shows, which isn't quite fair. As with almost all TV shows, After Midnight has improved as they find their rhythm.

Some of the initial complaints still hold; while Taylor has less forced laughter, she is too bound to the prompter. The show probably would pace better at 30 minutes.

However, depending on the guests, the show can be quite funny. I've seen several episodes now that have derailed in a fun way because the guests bounced off each other and went off script, making Taylor genuinely laugh and banter back.

Hopefully, like @Midnight, the guests best suited to the format will come back regularly and level up episodes overall. And as the producers watch the reactions to their tweaks, I'm confident the show will improve.

@ftermidnight is a reboot of @midnight. This takes a show that was 30 mins (really 20 mins) to being 60 (really 40 mins). The game show goes on too long. From forced laughter to exhaustion of every answer in the first 20 minutes gets points, there's a reason even non-comedy game shows limit it to 30 mins.

Taylor is a great comedian. With 40 minutes, there's time for a monologue + game show. Understand CBS went to this game show to cut costs vs James Corden's show, but it's only but so long before an hour long game show alone will lack the ratings to justify even drug or political ads. They cast a phenomenal host and the game show can work as part of the show. It needs a monologue upfront and the game show can replace the guest interviews other shows do.