The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / CBS abandons 12:30

**Posted by Hansa** March 27, 2025 2:18 pm

CBS' After Midnight has been cancelled after two seasons. The late night comedy game show had been renewed earlier this month for a third season but was cancelled after host Taylor Tomlinson decided not to renew her contract in order to focus on her burgeoning stand up career. CBS has decided not to replace her or the show.

This follows late night cutbacks last year at NBC with Late Night with Seth Meyers laying off its band due to cuts and a decision to cut the Tonight Show to four new shows a week instead of five, opting to air repeats on Friday nights. (Interestingly when Carson cut his schedule down to 4 and the 3 nights a week, it was the Monday and Tuesday night shows that were effected. Of course that wasn't done due to network cuts but because of Carson's demands for a reduced workload.

Jimmy Fallon has predicted that none of the networks will have late night shows in a decade.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/business/media/taylor-tomlinson-after-midnight-canceled.html

**Posted by RadioActive** March 27, 2025 3:16 pm

Why Taylor Tomlinson and Other Young Late-Night Hosts Choose Creator Economy Over TV

**Posted by DX** March 27, 2025 7:31 pm

Seems strange. Colbert says they wanted a third season. So why not just find another host for the third season? (Many of the After Midnight guests could fit the bill). CBS had to drop James Corden because the production cost of his show was way over the revenue it brought in. The cheap-as-chips game show format of After Midnight solved that. They could also bring back the one-guest interview format like the old Tom Snyder shows, with a new host, on a minimal budget. Something doesn't add up here.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 27, 2025 8:36 pm

I loved the Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder. He was almost as interesting to watch as his guests. The one I remember best is when he interviewed notorious killer Charles Manson in a jail in California. He kept pulling him back to reality, as the murderer went off on flights of insanity.

I also remember it because I really wanted to see it, and for some reason Channel 2 wasn't showing Tomorrow. But luckily, WICU Channel 12 from Erie was coming in that night, so I got to watch it after all. Never forgot it because it was deeply creepy.

**Posted by mace** March 28, 2025 6:48 am

Hansa wrote:
CBS' After Midnight has been cancelled after two seasons. The late night comedy game show had been renewed earlier this month for a third season but was cancelled after host Taylor Tomlinson decided not to renew her contract in order to focus on her burgeoning stand up career. CBS has decided not to replace her or the show.

This follows late night cutbacks last year at NBC with Late Night with Seth Meyers laying off its band due to cuts and a decision to cut the Tonight Show to four new shows a week instead of five, opting to air repeats on Friday nights. (Interestingly when Carson cut his schedule down to 4 and the 3 nights a week, it was the Monday and Tuesday night shows that were effected. Of course that wasn't done due to network cuts but because of Carson's demands for a reduced workload.

Jimmy Fallon has predicted that none of the networks will have late night shows in a decade.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/business/media/taylor-tomlinson-after-midnight-canceled.html

Couldn't read the article. Subscribers only I guess.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 28, 2025 6:59 am

mace wrote:
Hansa wrote:
CBS' After Midnight has been cancelled after two seasons. The late night comedy game show had been renewed earlier this month for a third season but was cancelled after host Taylor Tomlinson decided not to renew her contract in order to focus on her burgeoning stand up career. CBS has decided not to replace her or the show.

This follows late night cutbacks last year at NBC with Late Night with Seth Meyers laying off its band due to cuts and a decision to cut the Tonight Show to four new shows a week instead of five, opting to air repeats on Friday nights. (Interestingly when Carson cut his schedule down to 4 and the 3 nights a week, it was the Monday and Tuesday night shows that were effected. Of course that wasn't done due to network cuts but because of Carson's demands for a reduced workload.

Jimmy Fallon has predicted that none of the networks will have late night shows in a decade.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/business/media/taylor-tomlinson-after-midnight-canceled.html
Couldn't read the article. Subscribers only I guess.

Try this version.

**Posted by mace** March 28, 2025 7:00 am

Another late night show that I loved, but rarely saw because WGRZ wouldn't air it was Later With Bob Costas. Under tropo conditions I would watch on the Rochester or Erie NBC affilliates.

**Posted by mace** March 28, 2025 7:51 am

RadioActive wrote:
mace wrote:
Hansa wrote:
CBS' After Midnight has been cancelled after two seasons. The late night comedy game show had been renewed earlier this month for a third season but was cancelled after host Taylor Tomlinson decided not to renew her contract in order to focus on her burgeoning stand up career. CBS has decided not to replace her or the show.

This follows late night cutbacks last year at NBC with Late Night with Seth Meyers laying off its band due to cuts and a decision to cut the Tonight Show to four new shows a week instead of five, opting to air repeats on Friday nights. (Interestingly when Carson cut his schedule down to 4 and the 3 nights a week, it was the Monday and Tuesday night shows that were effected. Of course that wasn't done due to network cuts but because of Carson's demands for a reduced workload.

Jimmy Fallon has predicted that none of the networks will have late night shows in a decade.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/business/media/taylor-tomlinson-after-midnight-canceled.html
Couldn't read the article. Subscribers only I guess.
Try this version.

Thank you. That worked.

**Posted by Retaw** March 28, 2025 9:37 pm

No where in that article does it acknowledge that Tomlinson wanting to do standup results in dozens of people losing their jobs at a precarious time in media production.

It's almost as if this show wasn't actually picked up for a third season (otherwise, why not find a new host?) and this is instead a cover to save face.

**Posted by Mavridis** March 29, 2025 5:37 pm

Tomlinson makes more doing standup and TikTok videos. Plus, the show that was re-upped for a third season expressly included her. So, it would be easier for CBS to "cancel" and launch something new than work within the constraints of that contract agreement. (BTW...the staff is mostly contract so technically no one "lost their job"). Also, CBS is in the process of changing hands and the last thing the new owners want is for the old bosses to determine the next 3 years of programming.

Oh, and anyone who thinks network TV with a union staff and Hollywood studio rent can be ''cheap as chips' needs to have actually spent at least a minute budgeting a network show in the 2020s, when it's hard enough finding advertisers for primetime.