@midnight Review

At midnight (I’m not starting off a paragraph with a “@” sign) is a curious show. The greatest service the show provides the viewing public is a chance to see comedians who get little mainstream exposure and to observe how well their personal style can adapt to a rapid pace riffing on something environment.  At its highest form, @midnight can become a Johnny Carson for the modern world by showcasing and emphasizing little known or niche comics to a larger audience.  Johnny Carson was the king of introducing new talent and voices to a mainstream audience.  When he invited a comedian to come over and chat that was the universal sign for you’re gonna make it after all (throw hat into the air).  Today the late night comedy talk show circuit is not used as a launching pad for young comedians mainly due to the fragmentation of the late night comedy world and the hyper focus on the host.  Whereas everybody was watching Carson from the 60’s to the early 90’s, today we have a myriad of options to turn to watch a funny person interview a celebrity/not funny person.  Making a good impression on one show means that you’ve reached an audience of a million as opposed to the giant audiences Carson used to accrue (the benefits of competing against 2 channels).  The only late night show I can think of that has launched major talent has been The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.  Otherwise, the focus is mainly on the person in the show’s title.

Chris Hardwick’s show can serve as a stepping stone for young or just unseen comics to get mainstream exposure.  The focus of the show should be on the comedians getting their riffs in and not a strict adherence to the quasi-game show formula.  The funniest @midnight episodes have had the guests derail the show to embark on strange tangents.  Also, the best @midnights feature Chris Hardwick disappearing into the role of just another commentator rather than driving force and chief funny man.  My preference would be for Chris Hardwick to follow the model Bill Maher has set during his panel discussions on Real Time.  When Maher has a lively panel, he sits in the background and seamlessly transitions into just another voice on the show, albeit one who shifts the topics and provides a timely joke.  When the panel is faltering or just not that good, Bill Maher takes the lead and drives the conversation.  Chris Hardwick should strive for this model as he sometimes will dominate episodes that need no dominating.  He should step into the background for shows where the comedians are really clicking.  That would be greatly appreciated.  Conversely when the show is stalling by all means I implore him to take over the show for it is his show and he is a funny host.  On a whole, the comedians should drive the tone of the show and Hardwick should adapt to where the show is going and not ground it in a quasi-game show format.  Free form is what I’m asking and I hope he delivers.

Another great aspect of the show is the episodes with a theme cast.  Having a group of people familiar with each other sets the proceedings with an unparalleled level of comic camaraderie and chemistry and subsequently invites the strange and fun occurrence of seeing familiar people in different places and in different roles.  A theme cast episode once a week is something the show should keep.  The main advantage I would give @midnight over other talk shows is that it is ultimately four funny people making jokes for a half an hour.  Most late night talk shows feature a decent to funny monologue with a decent to funny second bit and then it’s time to turn the channel when the first guest comes out.  Unless the guest is somebody I enjoy, the interview segments are usually weak unless the interviewer is Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, David Letterman (still does a classic interview), or Craig Ferguson (he makes anyone and anything hilarious).  To me watching a skilled comedian interview a reality star is a waste of the skilled comedian’s time and talent.  @midnight never has this problem.  If a joke fails, fuck it because another one liner is seconds away.  A show with a rapid pace will always have at least a few good jokes per segment, it’s simply science people.   

So that’s why I prefer @midnight to the normal stuff that occupies the 12 o’clock spot.  The show has great promise and has delivered so far.  I’ve seen comics I’ve never heard of and realized that nearly every comedian is part of a podcast (who knew) and that Chris Hardwick produces about 75% of them.  The show has some faults and uses a lot of subtle product placement (starting off a segment about how cool this blank product is) but overall it’s a hell of a lot better than watching the back half of most talk shows.  So I say live long and prosper @midnight and I will watch your show if nothing more compelling is on at midnight (ha) or if the on demand channels are playing nothing but crap.