When it comes to new late-night comedy programming during the week, we Americans have been forced to choose between a handful of variety/talk show hosts. Whether you’re a fan of Letterman, Fallon, Kimmel, or Ferguson, picking your nightly poison has most likely become a stapled routine.

We live in age with over 13 options to get our daily fill of late-night satire, but recently, a new fighter has entered the ring: “@Midnight.” If you’ve never experienced the show, or have been too afraid to veer from your favorite talk-show host, I will give you five reasons to keep your sets locked (or your Hulu Plus queue full) on this show, every night on Comedy Central.

Best of Both Worlds

We watch our Lettermans and our Fallons for the sake of finding humor in a day’s or week’s events — perhaps to hear an anecdote to share at the water cooler, or even just to stay in the “know.” Well surprisingly, you can find just as many spoofs and satires on @Midnight, with the added bonus of a comical and interactive game show. Sure, it’s not for everyone, especially if you aren’t a social media junkie. However, if you have a Twitter feed and have never seen @Midnight, I’m sure you’ve seen one of their #HashtagWar hashtags pop on your feed.

Chris Hardwick

Wait, that guy who hosted “Singled Out” in 90’s? When it comes to being a genuinely charismatic television host, Hardwick is no rookie. Not only has he hosted other notable shows like “Shipmates” and “Web Soup,” Chris Hardwick was an early pioneer of podcasting. For years he’s been honing his chops on his widely popular “Nerdist” podcast – a show that has seen the likes of Harrison Ford, “Breaking Bad’s” Vince Gilligan, and Tom Hanks. Best of all, like his contestants, Hardwick is also a comedian and knows how to not interfere with contestant’s bit, and, how to transition out of a routine that isn’t landing.

Comedy Central finally brings back “Comedy”

Long gone are the tragically stale days of the “Jeff Dunham Show” and “Mind of Mencia.” For the first time in a very long while, Comedy Central is putting comedy back in the hands of today’s brightest and most talented comedians.

Since “@Midnight” is a game show, three comedians come on every night to duke it out over who is the funniest through a series of challenges. But, you’ve probably never heard of most of them, which is a good thing. You see, many of these guests hail from LA’s “alt-comic” scene – a scene where the best and brightest comedians lay very low under the radar until they are discovered – and when they are they explode into stardom. It was this very scene where comedians like Zach Galifianakis, Thomas Lennon (“Reno 911” and executive producer of “@Midnight”), and Amy Poehler were discovered.

Sure, you’ll still find some big name comic appearances from time to time, but you can’t help but to credit these fresh faces in comedy for the success of the show.

Social Media Explosion

The core of “@Midnight’s” show comes from using various social media outlets as part of the game. I guarantee you, every night on Twitter, something from the show will be trending. The writers of the show prowl the net each day to bring us the funniest content for comedians to pick apart on the show – but it’s never in a distasteful manner. With cyber bullying on the rise, and the fact our lives live on the web, the show does a great job in not pushing things too far.

One of my favorite aspects of the show is how viewers can get involved. Have a funnier hashtag than what comedians had on the show? Tweet it to “@Midnight” and it could be featured in front of millions of viewers. Also, every Thursday the show picks three Twitter followers for the comedians to play for. It’s a unique way of combining social media and television, never seen before – and quite possibly – a harbinger of how shows will operate in the future.

A great place to find more

Undoubtedly, the main reasons comedians come on “@Midnight” to compete is for a chance to “plug” something. Let’s say you tune in and find a particular comedian that tickles your funny bone. Well, luckily for you, “@Midnight” is a gateway to more of that comedians content. At the beginning of each show you get a brief “plug” of what each contestant is up to; whether it be a show in your local town, a weekly podcast, or even a new television show they appear on. I would have never watched “Broad City” if their stars hadn’t left me in stitches on “@Midnight.”

What do you think of Comedy Central’s new hit “@Midnight?” Let me know below, and be sure to follow me on Twitter for more TV news.