After Midnight canceled; CBS leaves 12:30am slot

[Horizon 269]

According to Deadline, CBS has abandoned the 12:30am slot.

 

The news comes after “After Midnight” host Taylor Tomlinson decided to end her time hosting the program and move on to other comedic projects, resulting in the show's cancellation.

 

That means NBC is the only network with two late-night programs. Not that ABC ever had a second late-night program, but this is notable in terms of the late-night landscape's direction.

 

It's not dying yet, but it is bleeding a bit more.

Edited March 26 by Horizon

[tyrannical bastard 3955]

19 minutes ago, Horizon said:

According to Deadline, CBS has abandoned the 12:30am slot.

 

The news comes after “After Midnight” host Taylor Tomlinson decided to end her time hosting the program and move on to other comedic projects, resulting in the show's cancellation.

 

That means NBC is the only network with two late-night programs. Not that ABC ever had a second late-night program, but this is notable in terms of the late-night landscape's direction.

 

It's not dying yet, but it is bleeding a bit more.

No big loss.  It seemed like a placeholder program that was on the level of the Byron Allen repeats that filled the time before it right after The Late Late Show ended.

 

I doubt that CBS News would try and rebroadcast their Evening News during that time, or that affiliates would use it to rebroadcast their 11/10pm shows.  NBC getting the 1:37/12:27 slot for that seems ideal after Later ended.

[NYAZSporty 129]

3 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

No big loss.  It seemed like a placeholder program that was on the level of the Byron Allen repeats that filled the time before it right after The Late Late Show ended.

 

I doubt that CBS News would try and rebroadcast their Evening News during that time, or that affiliates would use it to rebroadcast their 11/10pm shows.  NBC getting the 1:37/12:27 slot for that seems ideal after Later ended.

Here in Phoenix, KPHO airs following After Midnight a rebroadcast of Arizona's Family Extra Point which is a nightly sports show that airs on sister indy station KTVK & Arizona's Family Sports at 10:30. 

[TheRolyPoly 2449]

Not a big loss IMO. I wish CBS dropped 12:30pm too but they're still hanging to their soaps.

 

It just shows that NBC is still king after 12:30am but also... not much people watch after that time anyways (except for maybe Nightline, EDIT: I think it will go back to 11:35pm when Jimmy Kimmel decides to hang it up).

Edited March 26 by TheRolyPoly

[nathannah 2442]

This is really the year CBS is being starved; we're getting yet another Yellowstone spin-off too and they already cut 2/3rds of the FBI's to allow another one to start up.

 

But this is on Paramount for instead of contracting with someone you know will stay in Hollywood for several seasons, hiring a comedian at the height of her career who makes much more in touring host the show. I can't blame her for walking away when it seems like the format and limitations of broadcast TV just never worked for a show that started on cable, a very hands-on management trying to file every edge of their network down to satisfy the FCC to get the Skydance merger closed, and a certain heiress that needs to have her nose in everything who just needs to be given FU money and told to go away already. I already sense that Taylor and the writing team was getting network-noted to death to not comment about current political events (which they sadly won't do for Colbert, who I've just stopped watching because it's NOTHING but that) and just had no further appetite for the show.

 

As for the timeslot and local stations, it'll either be sitcoms, tabloid news shows, CBS's cheapo syndicated game shows, or infomercials. Nothing new or creative is going there.

[ABC 7 Denver 1717]

1 hour ago, nathannah said:

This is really the year CBS is being starved; we're getting yet another Yellowstone spin-off too and they already cut 2/3rds of the FBI's to allow another one to start up.

 

But this is on Paramount for instead of contracting with someone you know will stay in Hollywood for several seasons, hiring a comedian at the height of her career who makes much more in touring host the show. I can't blame her for walking away when it seems like the format and limitations of broadcast TV just never worked for a show that started on cable, a very hands-on management trying to file every edge of their network down to satisfy the FCC to get the Skydance merger closed, and a certain heiress that needs to have her nose in everything who just needs to be given FU money and told to go away already. I already sense that Taylor and the writing team was getting network-noted to death to not comment about current political events (which they sadly won't do for Colbert, who I've just stopped watching because it's NOTHING but that) and just had no further appetite for the show.

 

As for the timeslot and local stations, it'll either be sitcoms, tabloid news shows, CBS's cheapo syndicated game shows, or infomercials. Nothing new or creative is going there.

 

I'm looking forward to a time when the national anthem plays and broadcasts end for the day because it's too expensive to run anything anymore. Remember, RFK is implementing a rule which wouldn't allow big pharma to advertise. This is a what I primarily see as the advert stream for evening newscasts. So the era of network evening newscasts may just end.

Edited March 26 by ABC 7 Denver

[TVNewsLover 782]

3 hours ago, Horizon said:

According to Deadline, CBS has abandoned the 12:30am slot.

 

The news comes after “After Midnight” host Taylor Tomlinson decided to end her time hosting the program and move on to other comedic projects, resulting in the show's cancellation.

 

That means NBC is the only network with two late-night programs. Not that ABC ever had a second late-night program, but this is notable in terms of the late-night landscape's direction.

 

It's not dying yet, but it is bleeding a bit more.

Technically, ABC does have two late night programs, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE and NIGHTLINE, although one is a talk show and the other is a news program.

[l_miro 6]

2 hours ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

I'm looking forward to a time when the national anthem plays and broadcasts end for the day because it's too expensive to run anything anymore. Remember, RFK is implementing a rule which wouldn't allow big pharma to advertise. This is a what I primarily see as the advert stream for evening newscasts. So the era of network evening newscasts may just end.

Europe does not allow big pharma ads on TV, granted their tax payers foot the bill for a lot of TV production, but it hasn't collapsed their market. In the US the cost of sports, and bleeding affiliates for retrans fees is leaving them scrounging up for cash to invest in something watchable

[tyrannical bastard 3955]

I don't recall a network that has been pushed to the brink like this.  The closest may be either the Fred Silverman or Jeff Zucker eras at NBC or Laurence Tisch's reign at CBS in the 80s.... 

[nathannah 2442]

3 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

I don't recall a network that has been pushed to the brink like this.  The closest may be either the Fred Silverman or Jeff Zucker eras at NBC or Laurence Tisch's reign at CBS in the 80s.... 

It's the Paramount way to create an MVP; a 'minimally viable product'. They've already cut MTV and Nickelodeon and their other channels down to a bare existence of certain shows, and are now just doing the same with CBS. No more Grammys, Blue Bloods minus the weight of Tom Selleck's contract, international imports from Ten and Five, soaps from Atlanta, and now CBS Mornings in the equivalent of an average Nexstar studio space with network and stations using the same themes and design language. We are seeing in real time how much they can cut from CBS before they get comparisons to CW/Fox.

[nomadcowatbk 149]

Will CBS lose the NFL or try to lowball it like they did in 93? Would NBC, ABC/ESPN, or even CW want the AFC package?

[HanSolo 162]

5 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

I don't recall a network that has been pushed to the brink like this.  The closest may be either the Fred Silverman or Jeff Zucker eras at NBC or Laurence Tisch's reign at CBS in the 80s.... 

CBS has its challenges as do all of the networks, but cutting loose a show at 12:30 am isn't exactly the sign of the apocalypse. 

[GodfreyGR 652]

1 hour ago, HanSolo said:

CBS has its challenges as do all of the networks, but cutting loose a show at 12:30 am isn't exactly the sign of the apocalypse. 

I agree with this, but @nathannahdoes make a valid point previously that suggests this cut, plus all the other cutbacks at CBS, equals one heck of a sad equation. 

[Hometown News 54]

19 hours ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

I'm looking forward to a time when the national anthem plays and broadcasts end for the day because it's too expensive to run anything anymore.

 

That's a bit extreme, but I could see the networks' late-night lineups gravitating towards a mix of dirt-cheap experimental programming, movies, and imported shows, somewhat like ITV regions in the UK when they made their first attempts at late-night programming in the '80s and '90s. I don't see the classic late-night talk shows lasting much longer, that's for sure. There's really nothing they still offer that podcasts don't.

[tyrannical bastard 3955]

1 hour ago, HanSolo said:

CBS has its challenges as do all of the networks, but cutting loose a show at 12:30 am isn't exactly the sign of the apocalypse. 

What @nathannah said.  It's not because of this move but all of the other bloodletting Paramount is doing in recent months.  Almost like when the 1980 Summer Olympics was cancelled in the US, NBC's future as a network was put into question because they were already in deep trouble back then.  And then the genius Jeff Zucker thinking out loud that NBC could never be "on top" again with all of his idiot moves.

 

Paramount is in it for the money right now.  If an affiliate balks, they'll go to the next willing station, or cut them loose when the time comes.

The O&Os are a boring mess, CBS News is irreparably damaged from all of the changes, and any goodwill it has left has been stripped away with every cut they've made.  The most stinging was the end of the Christmas specials they've run for DECADES.  If Stephen Colbert goes away, CBS is done for, IMHO.

 

And on the streaming side, there's little reason for me to ever get Paramount+.  The only way is to give it to me for free from one of my other services.

They've gotten Warner Brothers stupid and started cutting classic Nickelodeon content you can't get anywhere else.

Edited March 27 by tyrannical bastard

[Hometown News 54]

17 hours ago, l_miro said:

Europe does not allow big pharma ads on TV, granted their tax payers foot the bill for a lot of TV production, but it hasn't collapsed their market.

 

At the risk of getting off-topic, if I recall correctly, New Zealand is the only other country in the world that does allow pharma ads on TV. It's at least the only other developed country. And even there, it was only legally formalized in 2023, and a lot of people (including doctors) want it banned.

 

The market in Europe is a bit more complex than you're making it out to be. Ad revenue is falling and there's still plenty of angst about streaming replacing linear TV someday. It's also not unheard of for networks in Europe, like Channel 4 in the UK, to make cutbacks as severe as what CBS is currently doing. Channel 4 just went through a few years of greenlighting significantly less programming than usual and cancelling series they had greenlit during production because the money wasn't there to support it.

 

I have a theory about why it still doesn't seem quite as dire for traditional TV over there. European countries were always much better at making TV feel like an event consistently. Just look at all the extra effort they've always put into presentation - the idents, live announcers introducing the shows, etc. It sounds silly, but psychologically, I do think it matters to viewers on a subconscious level. Outside of the local news (which itself is becoming increasingly centralized), American TV has always lacked that personal touch. Linear TV in America and in countries with a more Americanized style of television seem much more vulnerable to streaming because there's so little to differentiate it besides the negative aspects: more ads and less choice.

Edited March 27 by Hometown News

[GodfreyGR 652]

1 hour ago, tyrannical bastard said:

If Stephen Colbert goes away, CBS is done for, IMHO.

I'd add Drew Carey and Wayne Brady to the list... CBS still leads in daytime, correct?

[tyrannical bastard 3955]

1 hour ago, GodfreyGR said:

I'd add Drew Carey and Wayne Brady to the list... CBS still leads in daytime, correct?

I believe so.  But network TV has fallen so hard that game shows like these are all over prime time of virtually all of the major networks.

[TVLurker 198]

14 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

I believe so.  But network TV has fallen so hard that game shows like these are all over prime time of virtually all of the major networks.

I would buy Nexstar and take over The CW but you know... I don't have money.

 

I don't know if anybody else has money either... *shrug*.

[tyrannical bastard 3955]

Which begs the question why companies are unloading THEIR content on THEIR streaming services.  They can't afford to pay royalties/residuals on it?

Streaming is only as good as the content that's available to anyone.  It's not like buying a box set and owning it perpetually until the medium degrades to being unwatchable....

[TVLurker 198]

10 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Which begs the question why companies are unloading THEIR content on THEIR streaming services.  They can't afford to pay royalties/residuals on it?

Streaming is only as good as the content that's available to anyone.  It's not like buying a box set and owning it perpetually until the medium degrades to being unwatchable....

They have ulterior motives that are more than just money. WB especially.

[mre29 1537]

4 hours ago, Hometown News said:

European countries were always much better at making TV feel like an event consistently. Just look at all the extra effort they've always put into presentation - the idents, live announcers introducing the shows, etc.

 

Oh, how I wish channels here would do that. I could watch British idents for hours.

 

4 hours ago, Hometown News said:

Linear TV in America and in countries with a more Americanized style of television seem much more vulnerable to streaming because there's so little to differentiate it besides the negative aspects: more ads and less choice.

 

Bingo.

 

[MediaZone4K 2189]

On 3/26/2025 at 6:19 PM, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

I'm looking forward to a time when the national anthem plays and broadcasts end for the day because it's too expensive to run anything anymore. 

In the era of streaming, do television networks still need to air 24 hours of programming? Does overnight paid programming, sitcom reruns, local newscast rebroadcasts, or network news overnight shows, make a substantial profit?

On 3/26/2025 at 4:09 PM, tyrannical bastard said:

No big loss.  It seemed like a placeholder program that was on the level of the Byron Allen repeats that filled the time before it right after The Late Late Show ended.

agreed. I miss James Corden, too bad it came out that his show was more expensive to produce than the profit it turned.

Edited March 28 by MediaZone4K

[obxwatcher 1]

2 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

In the era of streaming, do television networks still need to air 24 hours of programming? Does overnight paid programming, sitcom reruns, local newscast rebroadcasts, or network news overnight shows, make a substantial profit?

 

What confuses me in the last few years is more ABC affiliates (especially the O&Os) dropping World News Now in favor of daytime reruns. There is an alternative to ABC News Live but at some point is it just better financially to rerun WNT and local news 11pm re-broadcast or does WNN still get good numbers streaming? They have solid likable anchors right now but some years WNN has anchors who have no chemistry and just do it for the network experience. 

 

[Jase 1054]

15 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

If Stephen Colbert goes away, CBS is done for, IMHO.

 

And on the streaming side, there's little reason for me to ever get Paramount+.  The only way is to give it to me for free from one of my other services. They've gotten Warner Brothers stupid and started cutting classic Nickelodeon content you can't get anywhere else.

If they were to drop Colbert, they could bring back a new version of ‘Crimetime After Primetime’. I think there could be an audience for that.

 

When it comes to streaming, they lack a real vision on how to make it work and be successful. It shouldn’t take a year (or more) for new seasons of shows (or new shows in general) that air on MTV, Comedy Central, etc.. to make their way to Paramount+. 

Plus, having to pay out residuals/royalties should not be a deterrent from making entire libraries/seasons, etc… readily accessible.