After Midnight Has Gotten Weird in the Best Way

As someone who grew up watching late-night TV during my golden years, I must admit that I find myself pleasantly surprised by the unique and intriguing segments featured on “After Midnight.” The show seems to have found a perfect balance between structure and spontaneity, which is quite refreshing in today’s overly scripted world.

As a devoted movie enthusiast, I’d rephrase the text like this:

Over time, instances where the format deviates have become more frequent on the series, which recently kicked off its second season. Although each episode may not always yield equal success from segments involving contestants standing behind podiums to deliver pre-written jokes, as well as a fair amount of product promotion for CBS and Paramount+, the show has also embraced disorder by inviting eccentric personalities and rebels onto the stage and creating games and segments that give comedians more room to express themselves. This results in a program that manages to avoid the main flaws of its @midnight predecessor and often lives up to Higley’s claim: It’s as unusual as a show can be on network television. Here are ten instances since the show’s debut that demonstrate why, if you appreciate off-beat late-night TV, After Midnight is worth your focus.

Pete Holmes Sells Some Tickets (February 9)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=JjZJUaTW6Ao

In most late-night shows, host plugs are a common practice to promote upcoming events or appearances, but these are usually addressed swiftly and subtly to maintain a non-commercial feel. However, in this episode of ‘After Midnight’ with comedians Pete Holmes, Billy Eichner, and Nico Santos, they decided to approach it differently: They repeatedly mentioned that Holmes was performing a Valentine’s Day show in Oxnard, California, in various conspicuous ways. For instance, during a game where the contestants had to imitate Cher, Eichner interjected with an impression of Cher, saying “Hey, Pete Holmes, I’m coming to see you in Oxnard!” Later, a clip on the ‘After Midnight’ YouTube channel showed Holmes asking his audience in Oxnard how many of them had bought tickets because they saw him on ‘After Midnight’. His response was, “So like eight of you? There you go, Taylor. That’s the ‘After Midnight’ effect right there.

Adam Pally Can’t Get Past the Show’s Logo (March 7)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=U5lO7gQtq5w

Adam Pally demonstrates his knack for playing mischievous characters in the series “After Midnight.” In one of the episodes, he injected his antics into the show by focusing on a humorous recurring theme involving the misplaced “@” symbol in the show’s logo. Upon being introduced, he expressed confusion about the change, saying, “The show is called After Midnight and the old show was @midnight, but the logo looks similar. I guess I’m just puzzled. What’s going on here? Where are we?

Rob Haze Petitions to Be the Paramount+ Thumbnail (March 12)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=KI684VlgjU0

“Rob Haze mentions that since his mom is asleep, he wants to be the attention-grabbing image (thumbnail) on Paramount+ during this show. He then proceeds to pose dramatically throughout the episode, which catches everyone’s attention. During a game where contestants give guided meditations about unusual topics like microwaves and NFTs, Rob puts on an especially exaggerated performance, causing the audience to cheer “Thumbnail!” Some people might think making jokes about streaming services for late-night viewing is too niche, but not ‘After Midnight’. And it definitely paid off.

Morgan Murphy Hawks a Desk (April 17)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=KrNHhnqzS2s

The chat segment during “After Midnight” is consistently entertaining, as it offers a flexible format that allows comedians to engage in lively banter, even when the questions and answers appear pre-planned. In this instance, Morgan Murphy bypassed the usual talk-show question and instead attempted to sell an old desk she owned to someone in the audience. Confused, Marcella Arguello questioned the show’s transformation, but Murphy defended her actions: “What other opportunity would I have to ask 100 people if they need a desk?

Drew Carey Does Stand-up About Phish (April 24)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=KOo_qtKWdnM

In a captivating segment on the talk show, host Drew Carey is posed a question about what he would say if not being filmed. He abandons his podium and delivers a humorous, detailed stand-up act describing his Phish concert experience at The Sphere. “It was like enduring four days of intense edging,” he jokes. “Just before the mind-blowing finale on the fourth day, an angel – Gabriel – injects you with heroin and says, ‘Good luck now, asshole!’ He departs, and then you have a 15-minute orgasm while your eyes pop out.” Fellow contestant Thomas Lennon interjects as Tomlinson attempts to steer the show forward, stating, “I don’t think there’s any universe where we’re still doing bits after that.

A Trio of High-Octane TikTok Duets (May 10)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=WyhqHUMfuOg

Occasionally, the selection of guests on “After Midnight” seems haphazard, but at other times, the show’s talent booker carefully chooses comedians with established connections or compatible styles to create a dynamic performance. The May 10 episode, featuring comedians Eddie Pepitone, Steph Tolev, and Jessica Kirson, is an illustration of this intentional casting. These comics, each recognized for their energetic stage personalities, take the TikTok duet game very seriously, delivering their usual exaggerated performances. However, Tolev takes it a step further by fully embracing her character as a possessed gremlin, leading her TikTok partner through a haunted house. By the end of the scene, she’s mocking Kirson, saying, “I’m sorry I picked you to be my next victim!

Just Some Great Bit Milking (May 24)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=EuwkgSfSI6U

Whenever “After Midnight” discards caution and fails to establish any meaningful link to the internet trend it claims to explore, it often indicates that the ensuing segment will be wildly out of bounds. In this instance, Tomlinson invites comedians Arguello, Lennon, and Sarah Tiana to wear blindfolds and identify containers of milk and water solely by touch. Lennon quickly transforms the game into a suggestive endeavor; Tiana becomes distressed by her loss of sight, causing the other comics to play pranks on her; and Arguello emulates Conan O’Brien on “Hot Ones,” smearing the liquids across her chest and stomach. This scenario might leave your elderly relative bewildered if they happened to be watching CBS at 1 a.m.

Colton Dunn and the Sklar Brothers Demand Context (July 10)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=dR5W2HajsfQ

During the regular flow of After Midnight, the performance may at times seem overly structured. For instance, the pre-prepared jokes that Tomlinson delivers to introduce each segment can come off as obligatory. In this particular clip, the host and contestants Randy Sklar, Jason Sklar, and Colton Dunn take a playful jab at this by inserting comments between the setup and punchline of one such joke. The host starts with, “I often say that people are like vintage lamps,” leading into a rather tenuous comparison. She repeats her claim emphatically, to which the contestants in unison reply, “You always say that!” Randy then asks for an explanation, and Dunn adds that there’s no context to it. By the time Tomlinson delivers the punchline, the joke has lost its impact. However, she manages to elicit bigger laughs by prefacing it with, “Because you asked …

Chris Fleming Debuts His New Script (July 18)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=t18YmxLq13I

Engaging Chris Fleming for a show means you’re prepared to devote a substantial chunk of time to his unconventional humor from the get-go. In this instance, Fleming seized control over After Midnight for three minutes, persuading co-participants Gillian Jacobs and Alaska 5000 to read an eccentric script he penned, drawing inspiration from the film Glengarry Glen Ross. Notably, Fleming isn’t featured on any other late-night shows, making After Midnight stand out (though I apologize for using this term) by showcasing him twice.

Comedians Work Through Some Knots (July 26)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=-vJU356XVv0

In a twist on late-night television, imagine a game titled “Untangle This” being played, where comedians instead of movie stars, are challenged to untangle tangled electronics cords in a time limit. The unique aspect is that as they work, they must deliver uninterrupted responses to complex questions such as “How can you love others if you don’t love yourself?,” “Is it possible to live an ethical life in capitalist America?,” and “Can you have empathy for your parents while acknowledging their shortcomings?

2024-09-06 20:54