The Hour

The Hour generally opened with Stroumboloupoulos standing just outside the studio, where he addressed the camera, giving the audience hints about each of the upcoming guests. Then, he sometimes made a mention of Sloan (the band who performs the theme song) and proceeded to "Start the Show." While the title flash was shown, George would walk into the studio, past some audience members, and sit down in his red armchair. He then would introduce himself to the audience and the viewers by saying, "Welcome to the show, I'm your boyfriend, George Stroumboloupoulos". He then provided an introduction to each of the guests, briefly describing what they will talk about.

Before each guest entered, Stroumboulopoulos would say a few words about them, then the show would cut to "The Bio." The Bio, a short description, consisted of a series of pictures and video clips, with a voiceover directed at George. During this time, the guest would enter the studio, and take their place in the second red armchair.

Show segments (written by Stroumboulopoulos along with various comedy writers) on The Hour included:

• "Mile a Minute" touching on current events around the world, with video or images accompanied by Stroumboulopoulos' commentary.
• "The News" a satiric look at the world of entertainment.
• "The List", a primarily satirical Top 5 list concerning a current news event.
• "Best Story Ever", a segment where a celebrity briefly relates one of their best personal "stories" to the camera. The stories are usually rewritten and feature guest comedians.
• On some programs, Stroumboulopoulos read aloud viewer correspondence, in a segment called "George Reads the Mail."

In earlier seasons, segments on The Hour had included:

• "Canada," a segment similar to Mile a Minute, but limited to current events in Canada. This segment aired only during Seasons One and Two.
• "Time Capsule," showing CBC footage from past events related to current events, sometimes with video and audio. At other times George comments on the video footage.
• "The Newsstand," a one-on-one interview between Stroumboulopoulos and a guest, taking place at a newsstand, discussing issues related to various magazine articles.

The final segment of the show was called "The Closer," and consisted of a monologue by Stroumboulopoulos about a particular current event. Since January 2007, this segment has been replaced by "The List." On some programs, the show ends immediately after the final guest, without "The Closer" or "The List."

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight

Stroumboulopoulos starts with some introductory notes about himself and the content, then usually presents items in The Debrief giving his own opinion about them. Then sometimes a brief interview, followed by an in-depth interview with a major guest beginning with a biography segment in similar format to The Hour. Starting in September 2011, there are two interviews with major guests.

Full guest interviews were posted on YouTube and CBC's website the following day.