Growing up, one of the channels on our cable TV would supply us clips and segments of the British version of Who’s Line Is It Anyway? as sort of filler between television programs. They never did broadcast the entire show but just clips. Still, these tiny segments of Whose Line Is It Anyway? slowly became the reason why I would stay glued to the channel. This is how I discovered my love for improv comedy. I’m not quick witted enough to do what they did but I can certainly appreciate the art form.

So, when YouTube recommended that I go watch the CBS program After Midnight, or @fter Midnight as the logo suggests, and I went ahead and watch several of the clips, you can bet I got hooked on the program. It immediately became one of my mainstays of my YouTube playlist and I actually smashed that Subscribe button and turned on notifications so I don’t miss an episode. Yes, I actually did that exact thing that nobody actually does on YouTube! That’s how much I like After Midnight!

But what is After Midnight? Well, it’s actually either the reboot or the spiritual successor of @midnight. In After Midnight, hosted by comedian Taylor Tomlinson, leads a panel of “contestants,” usually other stand up comedians and actors, to try to win points based on their answers to some rather silly questions, mostly viral stuff from the Internet. The “winner” will receive some weird prize, like a loose bag of ranch dressing, the name “Jennifer,” a coupon for massage from Taylor Tomlinson’s ex, and, of course, a haunted doll.

Now, the entire game show bit is just a ruse so the prize doesn’t really matter. It’s just an excuse to gather several comedians in one place and allow them to try to be as funny as they can. Like with the original @midnight and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, the panelists don’t really know what the questions are going to be so they have to think quickly as to what would be the funniest response and that’s basically it. It’s improv comedy and I love it!

I’m also glad Taylor Tomlinson is the host as, not only is she a very funny person in her own right, she does have a tendency to crack up throughout the show, which elevates the good vibes of After Midnight. When the host herself is having a good time, it sort of invites the viewer to have a good time as well.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the panelists can be gut busting funny most of the time. Sure, there will be a “contestant” here and there who you won’t find funny and I will say there were some shows where I just didn’t click with any of the jokes that day. But those misses are few and far between. Most of the time, I will find that one joke where I would actually spit from laughing so hard. That’s kind of rare for me nowadays and I can really appreciate how After Midnight can still surprise me enough to make me howl with laughter and not just snicker silently.

Like with some of the guests, there are also some segments that I find work really well and some that don’t. For the latter, segments like “Is It Milk?” where the contestants would have to guess if the contents of the glass was milk or not by various methods but drinking the substance. The concept is funny but there’s only so much you can do with it. I do think Thomas Lennon salvaged it but I’m not surprised it hasn’t returned. Thankfully, there are surefire hits like the ever reliable Hashtag Wars where the contestants have a minute to buzz in with as many hashtag comments they can based on a single topic. This is always gold.

Speaking of Hashtag Wars, I am disappointed how it’s not a regular segment anymore. I can only assume After Midnight was a hit for CBS as, in the middle of the first season, they renewed it for a second. We’re in the middle of the second season and, with that, some changes were made. Some for the better and some for the worse.

For the bad changes, removing Hashtag Wars as the final game before picking the final two contestants to make it to the final game seems wrong. Like I said, Hashtag Wars was one of the best recurring segments of the show and I am disappointed that it’s not in every single show anymore. It does make it feel a little more special when they do have a Hashtag Wars but I just want it back as a regular part of the show.

Speaking of picking the final two contestants, they don’t do that anymore as well. Instead, all three panelists make it to the very end and the one with the most points wins whatever bogus prize afterwards. While I can kind of get behind this as it allows all three guests to participate throughout the entire length of the show, this inadvertently removed the “concession speech” after the last game where the “loser” would have to leave and give some sort of speech. This also removed the final game, which admittedly can be hit or miss. But I do like how the final game was all about the live audience picking a winner.

I do like, however, that Taylor is actually given a monologue starting in the second season. While I do appreciate her as the host of the show, it also felt like a weird waste of her talent as she is genuinely a funny person. So, adding a portion where she can do a bit of stand up, which is how I knew her from anyway, was strongly appreciated.

But going back to things I dislike with the changes starting with the second season, I strongly dislike the change to the Talk Show Portion. Originally, the Talk Show Portion was just a gag as After Midnight was not a talk show, which is a staple of late time television. The show was poking fun at the fact that it wasn’t your standard late night programming. Taylor would even put out a little, tiny couch and put it on her podium because all talk shows had a couch, right? Well, with the advent of the second season, the Talk Show Portion became just that: a talk show portion. Complete with couch where the guest would sit on! They did pull back on it as Taylor would now ask one serious question before proceeding to another game. I still wish it was just silly segment poking fun at your standard expectations of what a late night show on network television is supposed to be like.

Even with the changes, I am super happy CBS did take a risk with After Midnight as it is totally different from standard late night television and is basically just a silly show with comedians trying to top each other with improv jokes. I’m also elated CBS didn’t do the douche-y thing and region block the show for other regions outside the United States and Canada. I still get to watch the entire show, albeit piece by piece, on YouTube even today and I couldn’t be happier. This does mean, if you love improv comedy, you have no excuse to not watch After Midnight.

Have you seen After Midnight? What do you think of the show? Let me know in the comments section below!