As with the original series, each episode features a panel of three celebrity guests as contestants, usually stand-up comedians or comedy podcast hosts and sometimes comedic actors. The contestants participate in topical segments related to popular culture and
social media to earn points from the host for responses and
punch lines. In addition to new games, the series retains some of the core segments from
@midnight, including the opening segment, formerly titled "Group Chat" ("Rapid Refresh" on
@midnight), a segment discussing recent news headlines and
viral videos; "Hashtag Wars", in which the contestants come up with answers for a fictional hashtag as a parody of a currently trending topic (now done as an elimination game); and "For the Win" (rebranded "The Ultimate Challenge" in season 2), a final challenge played between the top two scorers. Celebrities who competed include
Ilana Glazer,
Jessica Williams,
Patton Oswalt,
Pete Holmes,
Bob the Drag Queen,
Anna Farris,
Melanie Lynskey,
Sherry Cola, and
Robby Hoffman. A new recurring segment, "The
Talk Show Portion", was later added, as a satire and commentary upon viewers who thought that
After Midnight would be a traditional late-night talk show. Beginning May 20, 2024, the show opened with Tomlinson delivering a
monologue similar to those of other network late night shows. Occasionally, a fourth guest appears, but does not compete, including:
Survivor host
Jeff Probst, social media influencer
Drew Afualo, reality-star
Boston Rob, actresses
Tatyana Ali,
June Squibb, and
Rebecca Romijn (notably joining an episode in which her husband
Jerry O'Connell participated), Olympic gymnast
Fred Richard, and
Tracker star
Justin Hartley.
Prizes and punishments Unlike
@midnight, where contestants played to "win the Internet", the winner typically receives a gag prize, which may be tangible or imaginary (early episodes featured old ketchup packets from Tomlinson's refrigerator, a damaged office chair, Tomlinson's father's approval, and an extra year of life). Some later prizes were more valuable, such as a pair of boxer shorts signed by
Tom Brady, $65 in cash, and a pair of night vision goggles; other episodes have awarded desirable food items such as a cooked rotisserie chicken or a basket of doughnuts and beer. On the final episode, winner
Marcella Arguello was declared the "winner" of
After Midnight. In most episodes, the player in last place is subjected to a humorous punishment such as being forced to give an apology speech or being sent to "horny jail". As a prank on
April Fools' Day 2024, the highest scoring contestant was actually eliminated.
The haunted dolls One prize, an allegedly
haunted doll, was originally a gift to Tomlinson from her brother; Tomlinson says the doll is supposed to be
Frank Morgan's version of the
title character from
The Wizard of Oz but looks more like author
Mark Twain. The doll has become a
running gag, appearing multiple times due to winners returning it. While the original doll was given to
Marcella Arguello as a consolation prize, a fan later sent in an identical doll, claiming it was the first one's twin brother. Arguello brought the doll with her on a subsequent appearance, where fellow contestant Sarah Tiana said it looked more like former president
John Adams. In the final episode, Arguello re-gifted the doll to Tomlinson, who subsequently gave it to finalist Paul F. Tompkins. ==International version==