CBS cancels "After Midnight" as host Taylor Tomlinson returns to stand-up comedy

After James Corden left "The Late Late Show," CBS decided to pivot. Instead of doing the usual talk show, they just took the format of Comedy Central's "@midnight" and said, "Check it out, a lady is hosting! And she's young too!" Tomlinson, still only in her early thirties, was a burgeoning standup star who signed on for a regular TV gig. It is a fundamentally different job from standup, though, and perhaps it didn't work for her.

Also? "After Midnight" wasn't good. Sweaty, not funny, a worse version of "@midnight" which was culturally notable but spotty comedically as well. Of course, that has been the reality of late-night for decades as is, with shows reliant on guests and whatever is going on in the news to generate entertainment. The likes of Jay Leno, Craig Ferguson, and Seth Meyers have managed to keep standup careers going while hosting late-night shows, but obviously their shows impeded the degree to which they could do it. If Tomlinson didn't enjoy hosting "After Midnight," and odds are she didn't given how quickly she bailed, fair enough.

This does speak to the notion late-night television is dying, though. There's a good chance CBS turns to reruns in the 12:30 a.m. ET hour going forward. So, we guess get ready to watch some "NCIS" reruns in the middle of the night or something?

(h/t The New York Times)