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@midnight
Also known as@midnight with Chris Hardwick
GenreImprovisational comedy
Created by
Directed by
Presented byChris Hardwick
Theme music composerMike Farrell
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4 + 1 pilot season
No. of episodes600[1]
Production
Executive producers
Production locationsHollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, California
Editors
  • Clark Burnett
  • Asaf Eisenberg
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkComedy Central
ReleaseOctober 21, 2013 (2013-10-21) –
August 4, 2017 (2017-08-04)
Related
After Midnight (TV series)

@midnight with Chris Hardwick (shortened to and formerly exclusively titled @midnight) is an American late night Internet-themed panel game show, hosted by Chris Hardwick,[2] that aired Monday through Thursday nights between October 21, 2013, and August 4, 2017, on Comedy Central.[3][4] It was syndicated internationally in Australia on SBS Viceland and The Comedy Channel, in the United Kingdom on Comedy Central Extra, and in Canada formerly on MuchMusic and later on The Comedy Network.

@midnight received a nomination for Outstanding Interactive Program at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards.[5] It received a nomination and win for Outstanding Social TV Experience at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards.[6]

On July 18, 2017, Comedy Central, Chris Hardwick, and Funny or Die mutually agreed to end @midnight with Chris Hardwick.[7] The final episode, the 600th, aired on August 4, 2017.[8] In February 2023, it was reported that Comedy Central's current sister broadcast network CBS was considering a revival of @midnight to serve as a replacement for The Late Late Show after the end of James Corden's tenure. On November 1, 2023, executive producer Stephen Colbert announced Taylor Tomlinson will be the host of the rebooted panel talk show, rebranded as After Midnight, accounting for the 12:30am timeslot.

Format

[edit]

Three guests compete in a series of Internet-themed improv games. "Rapid Refresh" is a game where contestants craft a funny response or choose an answer based on an Internet meme or trending news headline. On Thursdays during the run-up to the 2016 presidential primaries, this round was alternately referred to as "Panderdome" and focused on the candidates' gaffes and antics.[9] Other games run daily include "Hashtag Wars" in which contestants buzz in with a phrase based on the given hashtag theme, and where fans can submit their own tweets which may show up in the game,[10] and "Live Challenges" where the contestants write their answers over the commercial break. Hardwick would shout "Points!" and give the contestants arbitrary amounts.[10]

Towards the end of the game, the third-place contestant is eliminated (with some rare exceptions), the scores are erased with a gesture, and the remaining two contestants play the final round called "FTW (For the Win)"[11] Hardwick would read a question and the contestants would write down a response. The responses would then be read back anonymously, and the winner would be decided by one whose response generates the most laughter/applause from the studio audience. The winner "wins the Internet for the next 23.5 hours".[11]

Recurring games

[edit]
  • Audio Quiz: The panelists must identify the source of a sound from a list of possibilities.
  • Confession Bear: Chris gives the panel partial confessions from Reddit that use the Confession Bear meme, and the panelists must complete them.
  • Cringe-Worthy: Based on the popular Reddit forum of the same name, the panelists come up with three-word phrases to make Chris cringe.
  • Defriend Me: The panelists create Facebook statuses that would lead to Chris removing them as friends.
  • eBay Price Is Right: The panelists attempt to guess the "buy it now" price of strange items for sale on eBay The Price Is Right style.
  • Etsy Pitchmen: The panelists write taglines to boost the appeal of bizarre Etsy products.
  • Free on Craigslist: A sixty-second game where the panelists list things they would give away for free.
  • Goth Confessions: The panelists must guess which admissions goth kids made in their YouTube videos.
  • Iron Sheik: Real or Jabroni: Chris reads a topic that The Iron Sheik has tweeted about, and the contestants must decide if the wrestler loves or hates the subject. The tweet is read after the contestant is told they are right or wrong.
  • JuggalOK Cupid: The panelists must figure out which bizarre OkCupid dating profile description of a Juggalo is real.
  • Linked Out: The panelists come up with ridiculous job titles that one might find on LinkedIn.
  • Name That Vine: The panelists name the shown Vine video.
  • Photobomb: The panelists decide if an edited out photobomb is creepy or cute.
  • Rich Cat or Poor Cat: The panelists decide if it is a cash cat or a cat being humiliated by someone else on the internet.
  • Sweet Emoji: The panelists translate emoji sentences.
  • Texts from Last Night: The panelists respond to embarrassing drunk text messages.
  • Thug Life or Hug Life: The panelists are shown the image of a child from a YouTube video and have to guess whether the video content would be thug or cute hug worthy.
  • TumblReality: The panelists must figure out which bizarre Tumblr blog title is real.
  • Tumblr? I Hardly Know Her: The panelists think up new Tumblr blogs that are just strange enough to be real.
  • Yahoo Answers: Chris asks the panelists to come up with funnier responses than the ones on Yahoo! Answers.

Other gimmicks

[edit]

The @midnight website provided a complete list of guests who have appeared on the show to date with a leaderboard that indicated who appeared the most and who had the most wins.[12][13]

Production

[edit]

The initial pilot for the show was called "Tweeter Dome" and was hosted by Thomas Lennon. It was revamped with Chris Hardwick as host, and trialed in the summer before airing at The Meltdown Comics store backroom. Lennon remained as co-executive producer throughout the run.[1]

The show was shot on Stage 2 of the Hollywood Center Studios, where the CBS series I Love Lucy was originally shot.[14]

Revival

[edit]
Main article: After Midnight (TV series)

In February 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported that CBS (which, following the re-merger of CBS Corporation with Viacom, had once again became a sister to Comedy Central) was considering a revival of the series to replace The Late Late Show, after James Corden concluded his tenure on the program later in the year. The network had explored replacing the Late Late Show franchise with other, more cost-effective concepts besides a traditional late-night talk show. The report indicated that Stephen Colbert (who hosts its lead-in The Late Show, and formerly hosted Comedy Central's The Colbert Report) would serve as executive producer, and that Hardwick would not be involved.[15] Pre-production of the series was halted due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.[16]

In a June 2023 panel hosted by Deadline, CBS CEO George Cheeks stated that the network wanted to "experiment and try new things" in the post-Late Show timeslot, and explained of Colbert's involvement that "in a world when you're trying so hard to sort of drive awareness of the show's launch, to have Colbert, the number one late-night show, as executive producer and the integrated support he's going to have, because he's actually invested in the success of the show."[16] On November 1, 2023, CBS announced the revival under the title After Midnight for a premiere on January 16, 2024, with Jack Martin retained as showrunner alongside Eric Pierce.[17] On that night's episode of The Late Show, Colbert subsequently revealed stand-up comedian Taylor Tomlinson as the show's new host.[18]

Reception

[edit]

During its initial 2013 run, the series averaged 453,000 viewers in the 18–49 ratings demographic, putting it above Bravo's Watch What Happens Live, E!'s Chelsea Lately, and TBS's The Pete Holmes Show.[19] It also had the youngest audience of any late-night television show.[20]

The week of February 17, 2014, was reported to be the show's highest rated to date; the show had 731,000 total viewers, and it tied The Daily Show as the most-watched late-night program on cable in the 18–34 demographic.[21]

Awards

[edit]
Award Category Result Ref.
2014 Creative Arts Emmy Award Outstanding Interactive Program Nominated
[22]
2015 Creative Arts Emmy Award Outstanding Interactive Program Nominated
[22]
Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Social TV Experience Won
[22]
2016 Creative Arts Emmy Award Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Social TV Experience Won
[22]

Episodes

[edit]
Year Episodes Season Premiere Season Finale Notes
2013 16 October 21, 2013 (2013-10-21) November 14, 2013 (2013-11-14) Pilot season
2014 160 January 6, 2014 (2014-01-06) December 18, 2014 (2014-12-18)
2015 161 January 5, 2015 (2015-01-05) December 17, 2015 (2015-12-17)
2016 161 January 4, 2016 (2016-01-04) December 15, 2016 (2016-12-15)
2017 102 January 3, 2017 (2017-01-03) August 4, 2017 (2017-08-04) Final year
2013–2017 600 October 21, 2013 (2013-10-21) August 4, 2017 (2017-08-04) Totals

See also

[edit]
  • Failosophy, an MTV game show with a panel of comedian competitors
  • Dropout's Um, Actually

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

@midnight

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
@midnight with Chris Hardwick is an American late-night panel game show that aired on Comedy Central from October 21, 2013, to August 4, 2017, spanning four seasons and 600 episodes. Hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick, the series featured rotating panels of three celebrity comedians competing in a series of improvised games inspired by the day's top social media trends, viral internet content, and pop culture stories, often centered on Twitter (now X) hashtags and memes. The show aired Monday through Thursday at midnight ET/PT, immediately following The Colbert Report in its early years, and emphasized audience interaction through real-time social media participation. The format of '@midnight' revolved around competitive comedy challenges where panelists earned points for the funniest responses to prompts drawn from online sources, with games such as creating humorous hashtags or interpreting bizarre web images. This structure highlighted the absurdity of internet culture while showcasing the improvisational talents of guests like Ron Funches, Nikki Glaser, and Kumail Nanjiani. The program's innovative blend of live comedy and digital engagement earned it critical acclaim, including two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Social TV Experience, in 2015 and 2016. '@midnight' concluded its run in 2017 as Hardwick continued with other projects, such as hosting The Wall on NBC, but its legacy influenced late-night television's approach to social media. In 2024, CBS revived the concept with After Midnight, hosted by Taylor Tomlinson, which adapted the original's panel format for a new era of internet trends but was canceled after two seasons in June 2025.

Premise and Format

Original Premise and Core Elements

@midnight was an American late-night internet-themed panel game show hosted by Chris Hardwick that premiered on Comedy Central on October 21, 2013, airing Monday through Thursday at midnight ET/PT following The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. The original premise centered on a blend of comedy panel discussion and competitive game show elements, where three rotating comedians vied to deliver the funniest takes on daily social media trends, web curiosities, and pop culture phenomena, guided by Twitter-inspired conventions to foster rapid-fire improvisation. Hardwick, a self-proclaimed "citizen of the internet" and founder of the Nerdist network, balanced the format at approximately 30% structured game show mechanics and 70% unstructured comedic riffing to maximize laughs and viewer engagement. Core elements included 30-minute episodes featuring the host introducing prompts derived from real-time internet content, such as Twitter trends and viral web searches, with contestants buzzing in to offer humorous responses or select from multiple-choice options. Points were awarded arbitrarily by Hardwick based on the wit and hilarity of the answers, accumulating throughout the show to determine the winner based on humor and ego-driven competition. The studio setup evoked a digital social media interface, immersing participants and viewers in an online-inspired environment that encouraged interactive participation, including viewer-submitted content via Twitter for potential on-air features. The concept evolved from a 2012 pilot titled "Tweeterdome," produced by comedians Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant in association with Funny or Die, which focused narrowly on Twitter content but was expanded under Hardwick's vision to encompass broader internet media for the full series launch. This foundational structure emphasized communal fun and authenticity, positioning @midnight as a unique hybrid that blurred the lines between television and social media interactivity. The original run concluded in 2017, paving the way for a 2024 revival on CBS rebranded as After Midnight.

Recurring Games and Gimmicks

The recurring games on @midnight centered on internet-themed improv challenges that encouraged quick-witted humor drawn from social media trends, viral content, and pop culture, allowing three comedian guests to compete for points in a fast-paced format. These segments emphasized interactivity, often incorporating real-time elements from platforms like Twitter to blend on-air competition with viewer participation. One of the show's signature games, Hashtag Wars, involved guests creating humorous phrases or puns based on a pre-announced Twitter hashtag theme, such as #CheeseSongs yielding responses like "Let It Brie" or "Havarti in the U.S.A." The hashtag was revealed 30 minutes before airtime to spur viewer submissions, with top fan entries retweeted during the segment and one highlighted on the following episode. This game, which ran in nearly every episode across over 600 installments, became a staple for its ability to generate timely, crowd-sourced comedy akin to classic late-night bits like David Letterman's Top 10 lists. Rapid Refresh required contestants to select or improvise funny answers to multiple-choice prompts tied to trending internet memes, news headlines, or absurd queries, testing their ability to riff on current online buzz in seconds. Other daily games included Etsy Pitchmen, where panelists devised catchy taglines to promote bizarre, real products from the Etsy marketplace, such as pitching odd handmade items with exaggerated sales pitches to score laughs and points. These challenges, alongside features like Buzzspeed and Panderdome, kept the gameplay varied while maintaining a focus on satirical takes on digital culture. Stylistic gimmicks enhanced the social media immersion, including live Twitter integration for audience voting via initiatives like #PointsMe, where viewers tagged jokes for a chance to join as a contestant. The show's website featured a guest leaderboard tracking appearances, wins, and total points for all comedians, providing a persistent record of the competition's hierarchy. Sound design incorporated notification-like buzzers to mimic app alerts, reinforcing the theme of constant online connectivity during gameplay.

Format Changes in Revival

The revival of the series as After Midnight, hosted by comedian Taylor Tomlinson, introduced several structural adaptations to the original panel game format while preserving its comedic essence. Premiering on CBS in January 2024, the show rebranded from the Twitter-centric focus of its predecessor to encompass a wider array of internet and pop culture phenomena, incorporating trends from platforms like TikTok and Instagram to reflect contemporary digital humor. Episodes were expanded to a 40-minute runtime, allowing for more extended gameplay and interactions compared to the original's shorter structure. Key additions included a stand-up monologue delivered by Tomlinson at the start of episodes beginning in May 2024, providing a traditional late-night comedy opener that sets the tone for the ensuing games. This was complemented by the "Talk Show Portion," a humorous interlude where panelists engage in lighthearted interviews with the host on a dedicated couch segment; in season 2, this evolved with the introduction of a full-sized couch to enhance the conversational flow. Core games from the original series, such as "Hashtag Wars"—where contestants craft funny phrases incorporating a given hashtag—and the final round "For the Win," were retained to maintain continuity. In season 2, the concluding game was rebranded as "The Ultimate Challenge," featuring varied and elements between the top two scorers to determine the winner. Winners received gag prizes like novelty items, while losers faced comedic punishments, adding a layer of to the . The format also supported special themed episodes, including a football-oriented installment aired immediately following CBS's broadcast of on February 11, 2024, which tied into the event's pop culture buzz. These changes balanced innovation with familiarity, positioning After Midnight as a modern evolution suited to evolving online trends.

Production History

Development and Original Production

The development of @midnight began in early 2013 when Comedy Central greenlit a pilot for a late-night panel game show hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick, building on his prior experience with internet culture through the Nerdist podcast network. The concept, which centered on comedians competing with jokes tied to daily social media trends, was co-produced by Funny or Die and quickly advanced to production following the pilot's approval in April. Executive producers included Hardwick himself, alongside Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, who also served as showrunners and brought their comedic background from projects like Reno 911! to shape the fast-paced, digital-first format. Filming took place at Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles, utilizing a multi-camera setup on Stage 2 to capture the energetic interplay before a live studio audience, which contributed to the show's improvisational feel. Episodes were typically taped in the afternoon—often around 4:30 p.m.—to allow for editing and airing the same evening at midnight Eastern Time, enabling the content to reflect the most current online buzz. This tight turnaround was essential for the premise, as the production team prioritized real-time relevance in social media-driven segments. Over its original run, the series produced 600 episodes across four full seasons, following an initial limited trial of 16 episodes from October 21 to November 14, 2013, that tested and refined the format before full commitment. Operationally, the writers' room played a crucial role in curating material by monitoring social media platforms like Twitter in real time, tracking trending hashtags and viral topics to inform each episode's prompts and games. This process involved a dedicated wall in the writers' space displaying past and emerging hashtags, ensuring the show remained tied to authentic online conversations rather than scripted filler. The budget allocated significant resources to digital integration tools and software for seamless social media aggregation, allowing for on-the-fly incorporation of audience tweets and web clips during tapings, which heightened the interactive element without relying on pre-recorded elements.

Cancellation and Hiatus

On July 18, 2017, Comedy Central, along with host Chris Hardwick and production company Funny or Die, announced the end of @midnight after four seasons and 600 episodes. The decision was described as mutual, with Hardwick stating that the show had "run its course" and that the team had largely exhausted creative ideas for its core games, such as hashtag-based challenges. The series finale aired on August 4, 2017, featuring an expanded format with 30 comedians as guests, including "Weird Al" Yankovic, Paul Scheer, Hannah Hart, Paul F. Tompkins, Thomas Lennon, and Rob Huebel, who participated in a celebratory round of games to bid farewell to the program. Following the conclusion of its original run, @midnight entered an extended hiatus with no new episodes produced from 2017 to 2023. During this period, Hardwick faced personal and professional challenges that further delayed any potential return for the series. In June 2018, Hardwick's ex-girlfriend, actress Chloe Dykstra, published an essay alleging emotional manipulation and sexual misconduct during their relationship from 2012 to 2015; Hardwick denied the claims, asserting they were false and that the relationship had ended amicably. In response, AMC suspended production of Hardwick's aftershow Talking Dead and removed his name from the Nerdist website, which he had founded. AMC conducted an internal investigation into the allegations, during which Dykstra declined to participate; the network ultimately found insufficient evidence to corroborate the claims and reinstated Hardwick as host of Talking Dead effective August 12, 2018. Throughout the hiatus, @midnight maintained a cultural footprint through reruns on Comedy Central and the ongoing popularity of its digital clips. Comedy Central's official YouTube channel hosted numerous episode highlights and game segments, many of which amassed hundreds of thousands of views, sustaining the show's appeal among fans of internet humor and improv comedy. No official discussions of reviving the series emerged until early 2023, leaving the program dormant for nearly six years amid shifts in late-night programming landscapes.

Revival Development and Production

In February 2023, CBS announced plans to revive the @midnight format as a replacement for The Late Late Show with James Corden, which was concluding after eight seasons, with the reboot executive produced by Stephen Colbert through his Spartina Productions alongside Funny or Die. The project aimed to adapt the original Comedy Central series' internet-themed panel game structure for broadcast television, initially retaining the @midnight title without a host specified at the time. By November 2023, the revival was rebranded as After Midnight, with comedian Taylor Tomlinson selected as host, marking a departure from original host Chris Hardwick, who did not return for the reboot. The production team included co-showrunners and executive producers Jack Martin, who had overseen all four seasons of the original @midnight, and Eric Pierce, known for his work on Raid the Cage, with Jo Firestone serving as head writer and co-executive producer. Additional executive producers encompassed Colbert, Carrie Byalick from Spartina, and Funny or Die's Mike Farah, Joe Farrell, Whitney Hodack, and Henry R. Muñoz III. Filming took place at Stage 30 on the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, California, with episodes taped in the afternoons—typically Monday through Wednesday and Sundays at 3:15 p.m.—to accommodate the late-night broadcast schedule. The series produced 199 episodes across two seasons, from its January 2024 premiere through its conclusion in June 2025. The series was quietly renewed for a third season but the decision was reversed when Tomlinson chose to focus on her stand-up touring career, leading to its conclusion after two seasons. Production emphasized innovative set design incorporating LED video walls and dynamic digital elements to enhance the comedic games, alongside a rotation of celebrity panelists drawn from comedy, television, and social media.

Broadcast Details

Original Run and Episode Count

@midnight premiered on Comedy Central on October 21, 2013, airing new episodes Monday through Thursday at 12:00 a.m. ET/PT following The Colbert Report. The late-night panel show maintained this schedule throughout its original run, delivering timely comedy based on current internet trends and social media. Over four seasons, the series produced a total of 600 episodes, concluding with a special finale on August 4, 2017. The season structure aligned roughly with the broadcast calendar, with Season 1 spanning late 2013 into 2014, followed by subsequent seasons through mid-2017. Episodes were produced in batches, with filming occurring several times a week in Los Angeles to keep content fresh. This consistent volume contributed to the show's reputation for high episode count in late-night programming. Initially broadcast exclusively on cable via Comedy Central, episodes became available for streaming on platforms like Amazon Prime Video after the original run. Internationally, the series aired on networks including MuchMusic in Canada and Comedy Central channels in various regions.

Revival Run and Scheduling

The revival of @midnight, rebranded as After Midnight and hosted by Taylor Tomlinson, premiered on CBS on January 16, 2024, airing at 12:37 a.m. ET immediately following The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The series adopted a Monday-through-Thursday broadcast schedule during its initial run, with episodes also available for next-day streaming on Paramount+. Season 1 spanned from the January premiere through late May 2024, after which the show entered a summer hiatus typical of late-night programming. Season 2 resumed on September 3, 2024, and continued the weekly format, ultimately concluding the series on June 12, 2025, after 199 episodes across both seasons. In June 2024, CBS renewed After Midnight for a second season extending into 2025, followed by an initial Season 3 renewal that was reversed in March 2025 when Tomlinson announced her departure to prioritize stand-up touring. The network cited the host's exit as a key factor in ending original production, initially opting to leave the 12:37 a.m. slot without new original content for the 2025-2026 season. Following the June 2025 finale, CBS filled the time slot with reruns of After Midnight through mid-September, after which it introduced Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen starting September 22, 2025. As of November 2025, Comics Unleashed continues to air Monday through Friday in the slot. All episodes of the revival remain available for streaming on Paramount+.

Reception and Impact

Critical Reception

The original run of @midnight received acclaim for its innovative fusion of social media satire and late-night comedy, often described as a fresh departure from traditional talk show formats. Critics praised the show's fast-paced panel games, which drew on internet trends, hashtags, and viral content to generate quick-witted humor, making it a "new take on a TV staple" that integrated social media organically into television. Host Chris Hardwick was lauded for his energetic and agile performance, described as "fast on his feet" while moderating comedians and rolling out diverse topics, contributing to the show's kinetic laughs-per-minute style. However, some reviews noted criticisms of repetitiveness, particularly in the barrage of sexual references and suggestive content that dominated games, potentially limiting its appeal beyond adult audiences. The revival, rebranded as After Midnight and hosted by Taylor Tomlinson, garnered positive feedback for updating the format with modern digital sensibilities and Tomlinson's sharp, relatable wit, introducing a welcome female perspective to late-night television. Reviewers highlighted her hosting as the "secret juice" that infused the show with energy from its debut, allowing humor to resonate across a broad audience through clever panel interactions on pop culture and online absurdities. The series was celebrated for escaping some pitfalls of the original, delivering "funny, weird, delightful" content that felt as eccentric as network TV could permit, with games emphasizing contemporary internet chaos. Mixed reactions emerged regarding the addition of a monologue segment, which elicited initial confusion among viewers expecting a purer game-show focus, though overall critic consensus positioned it as a resonant evolution. Aggregated reviews averaged around 52% on Rotten Tomatoes for its first season, reflecting solid but not unanimous approval. In comparative terms, @midnight left a lasting legacy by pioneering internet-centric comedy in late-night programming, influencing subsequent shows to prioritize digital trends and panel-driven satire over monologues, as seen in its direct revival and broader shifts toward cost-effective, youth-skewing formats. Debates among observers often centered on Hardwick's high-energy nerd-culture appeal versus Tomlinson's more introspective, Gen-Z-aligned style, underscoring the show's adaptability across eras while maintaining its core gimmick of mining online silliness for laughs.

Viewership and Awards

The original run of @midnight averaged 453,000 total viewers during its 2013 debut season, outperforming competitors like Bravo's Watch What Happens Live in the adults 18-49 demographic. By early 2014, the series reached its peak viewership, drawing 731,000 total viewers during the week of February 17, marking its highest-rated period to date and tying with The Daily Show as Comedy Central's top late-night performer that week. Although the show maintained relatively consistent audiences of 400,000 to 490,000 total viewers across its four seasons, a broader decline in late-night cable viewership contributed to its mutual cancellation decision in 2017 after 600 episodes. The revival, titled After Midnight and hosted by Taylor Tomlinson on CBS, benefited from a strong lead-in from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which typically drew over 2 million viewers and helped boost the new series' initial performance. Season 1 in 2024 averaged approximately 479,000 total viewers per episode based on live-plus-same-day metrics, with the premiere week reaching 819,000 including playback. Viewership dropped in season 2 during 2025, averaging around 591,000 in the second quarter per live-plus-seven data, amid ongoing industry-wide declines in linear late-night audiences; the series was canceled in March 2025, with its final episode airing in June. @midnight earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Interactive Program in 2014, recognizing its innovative blend of live TV and social media engagement. The series won Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Social TV Experience in both 2015 and 2016, honoring its pioneering use of real-time online interaction to drive audience participation. The revival After Midnight received its first Emmy nomination in 2025 for technical achievements in directing and camera work, reflecting continued acclaim for the format's evolution.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3279494/
  2. https://deadline.com/2017/07/midnight-canceled-end-run-comedy-central-600-episodes-four-seasons-1202130613/
  3. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/at_midnight
  4. https://www.tvinsider.com/show/midnight/
  5. https://deadline.com/2013/10/comedy-centrals-chris-hardwick-late-night-show-gets-premiere-date-607031/
  6. https://www.primevideo.com/detail/midnight-with-Chris-Hardwick/0M294ZN0UVFNBR1AWWOTW21A9T
  7. https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/midnight-chris-hardwick
  8. https://deadline.com/2023/11/taylor-tomlinson-after-midnight-1235590385/
  9. https://deadline.com/2025/03/after-midnight-canceled-cbs-taylor-tomlinson-1236351453/
  10. https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Comedy-Central-to-Premiere-New-Late-Night-Series-MIDNIGHT-1021-20131020
  11. https://www.thewrap.com/pub-chris-hardwicks-midnight-turned-trend-late-night-tv/
  12. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-midnight-comedy-central-20131108-story.html
  13. https://www.tvguide.com/news/chris-hardwick-at-midnight-1089282/
  14. https://www.npr.org/2015/07/09/421442689/theres-still-appointment-television-but-the-appointment-is-midnight
  15. https://www.vulture.com/2017/08/saying-goodbye-to-midnight-with-co-creator-alex-blagg.html
  16. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/chris-hardwicks-midnight-renewed-second-season-724796/
  17. https://www.thewrap.com/midnight-with-chris-hardwick-lands-season-4-order-at-comedy-central/
  18. https://thecomicscomic.com/2014/10/21/fake-points-real-leaderboard-to-track-all-of-midnights-comedians/
  19. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/taylor-tomlinson-cbs-late-night-series-after-midnight-premiere-1235874856/
  20. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/07/magazine/taylor-tomlinson-after-midnight.html
  21. https://thetvdb.com/series/after-midnight
  22. https://latenighter.com/news/after-midnight-tinkers-with-format-adds-monologue/
  23. https://latenighter.com/news/after-midnight-changes-things-up-for-season-2/
  24. https://deadline.com/2024/01/after-midnight-premiere-who-won-cbs-1235794941/
  25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv19Vad24cQ
  26. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/super-bowl-late-night-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-after-midnight-1235886818/
  27. https://deadline.com/2013/04/comedy-central-chris-hardwick-late-night-show-tomas-lennon-robert-ben-garant-funny-or-die-486696/
  28. https://www.shootonline.com/spw/midnight-shoots-hollywood-center-studios/
  29. https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/midnight-comedy-central-chris-hardwick-1202499611/
  30. https://deadline.com/2017/08/midnight-with-chris-hardwick-finale-supersized-guests-1202143094/
  31. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/chris-hardwicks-midnight-bids-farewell-star-studded-finale-1027080/
  32. https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/17/entertainment/chris-hardwick-chloe-dykstra-allegations
  33. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/chris-hardwicks-name-returns-nerdist-website-amc-investigation-1133891/
  34. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2018/07/25/chris-hardwick-cleared-return-amcs-talking-dead-aug-12/837143002/
  35. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl0NNFfhAoo
  36. https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/cbs-eyes-reboot-midnight-to-replace-late-late-show-with-james-corden-1235516359/
  37. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/stephen-colbert-atmidnight-replace-james-corden-late-late-show-cbs-1235320206/
  38. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-02-08/cbs-late-late-show-replacement-midnight-gameshow-reboot
  39. https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/taylor-tomlinson-host-cbs-after-midnight-stephen-colbert-1235776942/
  40. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/cbs-at-midnight-reboot-showrunners-head-writer-1235634557/
  41. https://deadline.com/2023/11/after-midnight-cbs-showrunners-1235589897/
  42. https://www.thewrap.com/cbs-after-midnight-jack-martin-eric-pierce-jo-firestone-alexx-wells/
  43. https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/after-midnight-cbs-late-night-stephen-colbert-funny-die-1235776470/
  44. https://www.newscaststudio.com/setstudio/after-midnight/
  45. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26672652/locations/
  46. https://www.tvinsider.com/show/after-midnight/
  47. https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/after-midnight-late-night-series-cancelled-cbs-abandoning-time-slot/
  48. https://www.newscaststudio.com/2024/02/19/after-midnight-set-design/
  49. https://www.vulture.com/article/after-midnight-clips-tribute.html
  50. https://deadline.com/2024/01/after-midnight-taylor-tomlinson-premiere-date-cbs-1235695146/
  51. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/after-midnight-launch-cbs-january-16-1235861614/
  52. https://latenighter.com/news/colbert-fallon-meyers-after-midnight-will-go-dark-next-week/
  53. https://latenighter.com/news/taylor-tomlinson-after-midnight-season-2-premiere-date/
  54. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/after-midnight-ending-after-2-seasons-cbs-1236173309/
  55. https://www.thewrap.com/cbs-comics-unleashed-with-byron-allen-replaces-after-midnight/
  56. https://deadline.com/2025/07/comics-unleashed-with-byron-allen-season-20-cbs-1236466150/
  57. https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/chris-hardwick-midnight-late-night-tv-1201602122/
  58. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/midnight
  59. https://decider.com/2024/01/17/taylor-tomlinson-after-midnight-debut-review/
  60. https://www.vulture.com/article/after-midnight-is-funny-weird-delightful-late-night-tv.html
  61. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/after_midnight_with_taylor_tomlinson/s01
  62. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-02-12/after-midnight-taylor-tomlinson-jon-stewart-daily-show-late-night
  63. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/chris-hardwicks-midnight-renewed-at-656335/
  64. https://deadline.com/2014/02/midnight-quiets-rise-as-late-night-talker-posts-highs-against-jimmy-fallon-jay-leno-688623/
  65. https://ustvdb.com/networks/cbs/shows/after-midnight/
  66. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/after-midnight-premiere-week-ratings-cbs-1235806088/
  67. https://latenighter.com/news/ratings/late-night-tv-ratings-q2-2025/
  68. https://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/nominees-winners/2014/outstanding-interactive-program
  69. https://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/nominees-winners/2015/outstanding-creative-achievement-in-interactive-media-social-tv-experience
  70. https://latenighter.com/news/after-midnight-goes-out-on-a-high-note-with-first-emmy-nomination/
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