Parents' Guide to

@midnight

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Hilarious late-night fare has copious sex talk, language.

TV Comedy Central Comedy 2013
@midnight Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

See all
age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

xaltrockgirlx
xaltrockgirlx Adult
February 6, 2015
age 16+

Better Than it Looks

For the longest time, I wouldn't watch this show. Don't know why, but something about it turned me off. So I watched my Daily Show, Colbert Report, then immediately turned the TV off and went to bed. But I didn't turn the TV off one night, and as I went to get a glass of water, I found myself caught up in it and watched the whole half hour. It made me snort-laugh a couple times. While it can be really funny, the Common Sense review is right on the nose here. Personally, the swearing isn't the biggest problem, because a lot of it is bleeped, but if you're sensitive to that kind of thing, there are a fair amount of bleeps. There are mentions of drugs too (both legal and illicit), including a particular comedian who looks high every time he's on the show. Even that doesn't bother me. The references to sex though... whoo boy. This show's purpose is to laugh those kind of laughs that you have to otherwise you'd blush so hard you'd burn up. I love that kind of humor (sex-positive feminist here, I believe comedy is way of breaking taboos)... but a I know a lot of parents do not (including my own, which is why I usually watch the show by myself in the basement). However, there is the occasional good message, at least according to my ideals. Hardwick's #FreeTheNipple rant was spot-on (like I said, sex-positive feminist), you can check out just the speech segment on Comedy Central's website. Speaking of feminist-y things, female representation here has vastly improved compared to most of Comedy Central's line-up (I think I can count the number of comediennes I've seen with their own headliners on one hand, and there's only two shows I can think of on the channel that are female-centered). The number of male and female comedians over the course of the whole show seem to be about 50/50 (some nights are all male, but some are all female, and then there's the nights with 2-1 for each). And they've recently talked explicitly about female representation (for Frozen and the new Ghostbusters movie). The host, Chris Hardwick, is charming in a "Hollywood Nerd"-type way. You know, geeky but still approachable. Overall, it's not exactly as much of an intellectual discourse like the shows that precede it, but a great way to unwind after the political churnings.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

@MIDNIGHT is an improv-inspired late night show in which guest comedians face off in a series of games inspired by Internet memes and videos or pictures that are trending. Each episode features three guests who must craft captions for funny photos and witty responses to questions. Recurring games ask them to translate emoji sentences, create phony Facebook statuses, and market unique craft products on Etsy. Host Chris Hardwick allots points based on the guests' responses, declaring a winner at the show's end.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

@midnight is a hilarious improv series that blends two things teens and young adults love: comedy and the Internet. It mines popular sites and social media such as YouTube, Vine, and Tinder for inspiration for the games, recapping bizarre news stories or playing comically bad videos to generate laughs from the audience and quips from the guests. And, with a new panel of players and different content on each episode, the show always feels fresh and unique. Add to that the interactive component that allows viewers to submit their own content on Twitter, and it's clear why this series would be popular with social media-savvy teens.

What won't be popular with parents is @midnight's liberal attitude toward language and suggestive content, which is so ribald it's almost shocking at times. It's certainly not the stuff you'd want your younger teens to be hearing, much less repeating, and the barrage of sexual references is sure to inspire Internet searches. Even though the censored TV version exercises some selective editing the online one does not, there's still a lot here that's questionable for teens. The bottom line? There's a reason @midnight airs after midnight, so keep it on your adults-only watch list.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the show's edgy humor. Would it be as comical without the racy content and excessive cursing? Why do we find these qualities funny?

  • Are you ever surprised by the kinds of things people post online? What do you think they hope to gain by doing so? How far can Internet fame take someone these days?

  • What is the value of social media? How has it changed the nature of personal relationships? Is "friending" someone the same as being friends with him or her? Why, or why not?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate