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Anyone who's battled insomnia lately knows that navigating the overnight TV lineup would be a test even if you weren't weary from sleep deprivation.
But if you're up all night, for any reason, don't hesitate to turn on the TV.
Here, our quick guide to the good stuff on the networks and basic cable.
The Late Night Talk
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC and the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS top the talk show ratings, but the host most worth checking out right now is ABC's Jimmy Kimmel.
In January, the network shifted Jimmy Kimmel Live from midnight to 11:30 p.m. to widen his appeal and compete with the kingpins. Kimmel, 45, grew up idolizing Letterman, but he may remind 50-plus viewers more of Letterman's mentor, Johnny Carson. He has Carson's easy way with Hollywood's elite, many of whom he counts as friends. Fresh funny bits like his man-on-the-street "Lie Witness News" segments make Letterman's Top Ten List look ready for retirement. Kimmel was recently named to the 2013 Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.
The only other late night host to join Kimmel in the artists category was NBC's Jimmy Fallon, whose Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airs at 12:35 a.m. Fallon, 38 and a former Saturday Night Live cast member, will move to Leno's desk next year. NBC has high hopes for Fallon's success there.
Of course, the network once hoped Conan O'Brien, 50, now doing his own thing on TNT at 11 p.m., would smoothly replace Leno, and that lasted just eight tumultuous months.
Also at 12:35, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS competes with Fallon.
News and Views
Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart will keep you informed, and laughing.
Charles Sykes/AP Images
All-news networks such as CNN and MSNBC make it easy for insomniacs to stay abreast of the headlines by re-broadcasting most of their prime-time programming during the overnight hours.
Only Fox News Channel airs an original show between midnight and 5 a.m.: Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld, an offbeat hour of political and pop culture punditry hosted by political blogger Gutfeld. It airs at 3 a.m. ET Tuesday through Saturday.
But there's much to see elsewhere.
The cable channel Comedy Central repeats its smart and sassy news and views programs, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert at 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. ET.
And at 2:05 a.m. ET, NBC re-broadcasts the feature-y fourth hour of the previous day's Today, with popular cohosts Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford.
