aAfter years of shrinkage and stagnation in the late-night TV business, the end of Samantha Bee's Full Frontal and James Corden's The Late Late Show, Trevor Noah's exit from The Daily Show, and the Jimmy's and its communal déjà vu. Trump is now a candidate for the third time, and a new twist has finally been added to the lineup.
Taylor Tomlinson, a 30-year-old stand-up comedian, announced on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning ET to be exact) that he will appear on his new late-night show, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' in the slot vacated by Corden after The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “After Midnight” was broadcast for the first time. This makes Tomlinson the only woman to host a regular late-night show (Peacock's “The Amber Ruffin Show” technically still exists, but has been reduced to only specials). Ziwe” was discontinued), making him the youngest to date.
As such, After Midnight, and by extension Tomlinson, became an experiment in a solid television format that had long been in decline.Late at night Leakage of viewers and advertising dollars For many years. Trump-era high-profile assignments (Colbert, The Daily Show), obsession with former presidents (Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers), and pivot to YouTube-ready celebrity games (Jimmy Fallon) lead to creative dead ends and has struggled to achieve that goal. Attract young viewers. After Midnight is committed to focusing on the day's memes, not the news. “We take the internet and try very hard to make it fun,” Tomlinson said in her premiere episode – Test whether late-night formats appeal to young people.
CBS replaces 'The Late Late Show' with James Corden, a host who is familiar to celebrities but not particularly beloved (outside of his online segment on Carpool Karaoke) By doing so, he's betting on Tomlinson, who is by no means famous but is a successful stand-up comedian. Two months ago, she conducted a sponcon on Instagram for her more than 1 million followers. Tomlinson has been responsible for several national comedy tours and her two Netflix specials (her third, Have It All, premiered in February), making sure she knows how to treat audiences. I know. She can handle things neatly. Raised in a strict religious family in Temecula, California, Tomlinson began her stand-up career in a Christian church during her teenage years, also processing the death of her mother at the age of eight. . And she can play according to her own age group. Her adult work covers the standard worries of her 20s and 30s: sex, dating, career, existential crises, Teflon-coated self-confidence, and deep self-loathing. She jokes surprisingly candidly about her own experiences with therapy, her use of anti-anxiety medications, and her recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder. She is fluent in her TikTok language and has over 2 million followers.
“After Midnight” puts those skills to use more as a game show host than as Colbert's successor (executive producer). Confusingly, this show is not a traditional late-night show with monologues and guest interviews, but rather a take on the panel game show @midnight, which was hosted by Chris Hardwick on Comedy Central from 2013 to 2017. It's a reboot. In the new version, three comedians compete for pointless points on internet topics, cracking jokes like “Whose line is that?” and “Father's approval is the grand prize,” premiering now. Tomlinson joked. . “It's rare, but it's possible to win…at least that's what I hear.” Or, as Tomlinson said while promoting Colbert's show, “Comedians have a lot of influence over everything from internet trends to pop culture.” They compete to come up with funny answers to silly questions about everything.”
The first episode introduces games directly into group chats and more, with Tomlinson using a viral tweet drawn on a giant phone-shaped screen to show off the original contestants Kurt Braunohler, Aparna Nancherla, and Whitney Cummings. prompted a joke. (Also, current events in the form of the Emmy Awards.) When asked about the Emmy nomination category for “After Midnight,” Braunohler replied, “The only female late-night host,” and Nancherla said, “This is what we're trying to do.” There's a segment called “To Smash or Not to Smash,” which is a reenactment of Mark Zuckerberg's Face Smash, but without the actual person (Mario vs. Luigi, Patrick Star vs. Sandy Cheeks, Gritty vs. Quaker Oats mascots, etc.). Is it still cool? ” and added some jokes at CBS's expense.
In other words, it's a refreshing dish that taps into the charisma of stand-up comics and the general weirdness of online life. It's long, but it's easy to watch for about 30 minutes. Whether it works in the long run with linear viewership, memes, viral bits on TikTok, Tomlinson's hosting promotions, etc. will probably depend as much on the show's promotion as the actual production. Meanwhile, Tomlinson dismissed questions about resistance to format change, especially for female hosts. “I happen to be the only one in this moment right now, but there are a lot of women who are successful in the late-night industry. For me, that's great because I have people to look up to,” she said. said. CBS News Ahead of the premiere of After Midnight. “I think the idea that comedy is a boys' club, that late night is a boys' club, is going to disappear. I really think so.” We'll see.
