Full-time university students, the unemployed and philosophy majors have a certain insight into the hidden wonders of television. The absence of a 9 to 5 working schedule allows a select group of our population to reap the bounty that is late night television.

What was once the graveyard for infomercials and repeats has now become the source of quite possibly the most interesting entertainment on free to air TV. We have drunk copious and possibly dangerous amounts of coffee to compile for you a comprehensive list of the treasures of late night television currently on air.

Everything on this list is worthy of your time but we do warn you that they are meant to be watched in a state of sleepy consciousness. As with many pleasures in life, sunlight might not be too kind on this treasure trove of entertainment.

Louis Theroux and... (Channel 7 Monday 11:00 PM)

This BBC documentary series pits host Louis Theroux against an array of interesting characters. Last week we saw Louis visiting America’s oldest and most dangerous Neo-Nazi, which is both hilarious and insanely cringe worthy at the same time. Theroux’s interviewing style is fascinating as he makes full use of silences and seems to thrive in awkward situations. The best one so far is titled The Most Hated Family in America. Here’s a sample:





Shameless (SBS Monday 10:00 PM)

This series has a massive cult following and is truly one of the funniest shows on TV. The Gallagher family take a little getting used to but once you get over the strong language and graphic images you will be hooked.





Hot Docs (SBS Tuesday 10:00PM)

SBS has consistently shown excellent documentaries, in some strange cases before they get a cinematic release in Australia. Last week they showed Don’t Look Back, which is personally one of the greatest rock documentaries of all time. People don’t get much cooler than Bob Dylan in 1965.





Newstopia (SBS Wednesday 10:00PM)

Australia’s answer to The Daily Show is a strange hybrid between Colbert and Stewart. The show is hilarious in spurts thanks to Shaun Micallef doing his usual shtick.





Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (9HD Thursday 10:30 PM)

A distant relative to 30 Rock with an almost identical setup based around a behind the scenes look at a sketch comedy show. The series, from West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, has a decent cast including Mathew Perry, Bradley Whitford and Amanda Peet. Incredibly well written and with less slapstick than 30 Rock it’s an interesting take on the familiar premise.





The Graham Norton Show (ABC2 Thursday 10:00PM)

This weekly chat show is like Rove on speed and with a spine. The irreverence that he shows to his guests and the audience is hilarious as they are usually at the mercy of his pranks. Here he is in fine form with Ricky Gervais. Highly recommended.





Eureka (10HD Thursday 10:30 PM)

X-Files meets Northern Exposure in this excellent series about a small town filled with eccentric super geniuses and their crazy inventions. Although nowhere near as good as those series, it’s still fun enough for those longing for the TV classics of yesteryear.




- Story by Sebastian Cordoba