@midnight
| @midnight with Chris Hardwick | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | @midnight |
| Genre | Improv comedy |
| Created by |
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| Written by |
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| Directed by |
Ron de Moraes (2013) Michael Dimich (2013–present) |
| Presented by | Chris Hardwick |
| Starring | Various comedians |
| Theme music composer | Mike Farrell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 401 (as of May 6, 2016)[1] (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Editor(s) |
Clark Burnett Asaf Eisenberg |
| Location(s) | Hollywood Center Studios |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Release | |
| Original network | Comedy Central |
| Picture format | 1080i (16:9 HDTV) |
| Original release | October 21, 2013 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
@midnight with Chris Hardwick (shortened to and formerly exclusively titled @midnight) is an American late night Internet-based combination scripted, rehearsed and improv panel game show hosted by Chris Hardwick,[2] that airs Monday through Thursday nights on Comedy Central. The show is syndicated internationally in Australia on SBS2 and The Comedy Channel and Canada on MuchMusic. @midnight with Chris Hardwick premiered on October 21, 2013, before being renewed for a 40-week second season on November 14, 2013. It returned on January 6, 2014.[3][4] It 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 7, 2015, it was announced that it has been renewed throughout 2016.[7]
Format
Each episode features three comedians competing against one another in a series of Internet-inspired improv games, which vary from episode to episode.
Host Chris Hardwick begins each game by introducing some Internet meme trending that day, and asks the panel of comedians to craft a funny response or choose the correct answer among multiple choices. Contestants are awarded points by Hardwick (who loudly announces "Points!") for each funny or correct answer.
This continues through about five segments, after which the third-place contestant is usually eliminated from the game and is doused in red light. Hardwick then introduces the final game – "FTW" (For The Win) – and tosses to a commercial break, during which the remaining two contestants craft their responses.
After returning from commercial, Hardwick "wipes" the remaining comedians' scores and reads each of their (anonymous) answers in turn. The comedian whose response generates the most laughter/applause from the studio audience "wins the Internet".
Daily games
- 11:59 and 59 Seconds: A non-scoring round serving as the cold open. Usually focused on one particular item, like a viral video or news article/story trending that day.
- Rapid Refresh: The first point-scoring game each episode, which features multiple choice questions about the day's trending headlines. On Thursdays during the run-up to the 2016 primaries, this round was alternately referred to as Panderdome, and devoted to public/social media gaffes among presidential candidates,
- Hashtag Wars: A sixty-second game in which panelists buzz in with a phrase based on the given hashtag theme. This extends into Twitter where the home audience is encouraged to make their own phrase as a tweet and win a chance to have it featured on-air the next episode.
- Live Challenges: Each episode features a challenge that has the panelists writing written answers during the commercial break.
- FTW (For The Win): The final round that is formatted like the live challenges; however, the identities of the respondents are not known when read out loud. The winner is determined by the audience's reaction.
Recurring games
- Confession Bear: Chris gives the panel partial confessions from Reddit that use the Confession Bear meme, and the comedians 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.
- eBay The 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 someone else on the internet.
- Sweet Emoji: The panelists translate emoji sentences (Chris Hardwick's favorite).
- Texts from Last Night: The panelists respond to embarrassing drunk text messages.
- Thug Life or Hug Life: The panelist 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.
- Defriend Me: The panelists create Facebook statuses that would lead to Chris removing them as friends.
- Yahoo Answers: Chris asks the panelists to come up with funnier responses than the ones on Yahoo! Answers.
Production
The show is shot on Stage 2 of the Hollywood Center Studios, where the CBS series I Love Lucy was originally shot.[8]
The show is not entirely improvisational. When a comedian comes in, they will meet with the writers so they can talk about some of the smart answers to questions that the writers create. Once the comedian gains this information, they can come up with some of their own material. They write down the usable material, and keep it by the buzzer on the lectern. This can be associated as to why some comedians are looking down before answering. Sometimes, a comedian may throw in an extra joke before moving on, and this is the improvisational piece.
Statistics
The @midnight website provides a full and complete list of all of the guests that have appeared on the show to date with an adjustable leaderboard to see more detail into the statistics. This article includes only a condensed list of guests who have been on the show.[9]
Note: Minimum of 3 wins or 5 appearances, updated on May 6, 2016
| Most wins | Most appearances |
|---|---|
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Reception
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.[10] It also had the youngest audience of any late-night television show.[11]
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.[12]
Awards
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Creative Arts Emmy Award | Outstanding Interactive Program | Comedy Central, Funny or Die, Serious Business, Aloha Productions, Nerdist Industries | Nominated | |
| 2015 Creative Arts Emmy Award | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Social TV Experience | Chris Hardwick, Jack Martin, Joe Farrell, Jason U. Nadler, Myke Furhman | Won | | |
References
- ↑ @midnight at epguides
- ↑ Ryan, Patrick (October 20, 2013). "Late-night newcomers hope to enliven the midnight shift". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
- ↑ Date of Jan 6th was announced by Chris Hardwick the same time of the announcement of the renewal.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (November 14, 2013). "Comedy Central’s ‘@Midnight’ Gets 40-Week Pickup". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
- ↑ "Nominees/Winners; Television Academy". Emmy Awards. 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
- ↑ "Nominees/Winners; Television Academy". Emmy Awards. 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ↑ Bibel, Sara (July 7, 2015). "'@midnight with Chris Hardwick' Renewed for Season 3 by Comedy Central". Zap2it. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ↑ "@midnight Shoots @Hollywood Center Studios". Creative Cow. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ↑ "@midnight Guests". Comedy Central. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- ↑ Rose, Lacey (November 15, 2013). "Chris Hardwick's '@midnight' Renewed at Comedy Central". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (20 December 2013). "Comedy Central's Newest Late-Night Hit '@Midnight' Returns Monday January 6". TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (24 February 2014). "@Midnight’s Quiet Rise As Late-Night Talker Posts Highs Against Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- 1 2 3 "@midnight With Chris Hardwick". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
External links
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