
The rules for After Midnight With Taylor Tomlinson might seem simple, but at least one person finds the irreverent late-night game show’s point system confusing—that person being Gayle King.
Taylor Tomlinson herself provided some clarity while appearing on CBS Mornings Wednesday, after anchor King confessed to being a little thrown by the concept.
“I don’t understand the scoring system,” King told Tomlinson.
“And you shouldn’t,” Tomlinson replied.
“It’s absolute nonsense,” she went on to explain. “I’m giving away the points. And if the points meant anything, they wouldn’t trust me with them.”
“It’s just me with a button,” Tomlinson added.
Indeed, the premise of After Midnight is that comedians are given a number of points for their comedic riffs on trending topics. The point values can be random, and the scoring is entirely subjective. While the game involves a winner and eliminated players, the show focuses on comedy over competition.
“So that’s part of the bit.” King confirmed, finally getting it.
The competition aspect of After Midnight’s has even been moved a little closer to the backburner as of late. Last Spring, the show added an opening monologue for Tomlinson, and it kicked off its second season last month with the introduction of a (full-size) couch for a (somewhat) more traditional talk show segment.
After Midnight just celebrated its 100th episode. Produced at a fraction of the cost of its predecessor, The Late Late Show with James Corden, the show has been competitive in its timeslot, where it attracts a younger, more advertiser-friendly audience, a rarity these days on broadcast television.
In addition to her After Midnight duties, Tomlinson has been hitting the road weekends with her “Save Me” comedy tour.