@midnight
By Emily Ashby,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Hilarious late-night fare has copious sex talk, language.
Add rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
@midnight
Community Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
Better Than it Looks
Report this 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?
@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
- Premiere date: October 21, 2013
- Cast: Chris Hardwick
- Network: Comedy Central
- Genre: Comedy
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: March 2, 2022
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.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
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