“After Midnight” host Taylor Tomlinson and EP Stephen Colbert on creating something new in late night

"I remember thinking, 'Who is this special woman?'" the executive producer says of first seeing the comedian on social media.

Forget prime time, one of the funniest shows on TV right now airs long after the clock strikes 12. Taylor Tomlinson hosts CBS's After Midnight, an irreverent comedy series that's part game show, part talk show, and 100 percent ridiculous.

A reboot of the Chris Hardwick–hosted Comedy Central show, After Midnight unites a panel of comedians who compete in games and crack jokes about internet esoterica. (Past winners have earned prizes such as a catalytic converter, an "I Voted" sticker, and a lock of Tomlinson's hair.)

Executive producer Stephen Colbert says he’s long been a fan of Tomlinson and was thrilled when she agreed to host.

"When she was just starting out, the algorithm started feeding her to me years ago," Colbert explains. "I remember thinking, 'Who is this special woman?'"

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Tomlinson, 30, built her career as a stand-up comedian, winning fans with frank, confessional Netflix specials including this year’s Have It All and 2020's Quarter-Life Crisis. But she's since embraced the joys of staying up After Midnight.

"I think hosting is an entirely different skill than stand-up, which is why I decided to take the job," she explains. "I wanted to try something new."

Related: Stephen Colbert's rise to the top: The Late Show host reflects on almost a decade in his dream job

Though that something new was a little scary at first.

"I remember being incredibly nervous and feeling excited but also pretty overwhelmed," Tomlinson says of her first days filming. "I don't think I could have or would have taken a show like this without someone like Stephen producing it. He’s been super generous with his time and advice. I can't imagine tackling something like this entirely on my own."

After Midnight airs at 12:37 a.m. Tuesdays through Fridays (or overnight Monday through Thursday, depending how you look at it) on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.