Comics Unleashed is a half-hour comedy talk show produced by the Entertainment Studios production company and hosted by Byron Allen, with John Cramer as announcer and DJ Cobra or sometimes DJ A1 providing music support. It originally ran from 2006 to 2014 in syndication, and also ran on CBS from mid-September 2023 to mid-January 2024 to fill the former time slot of The Late Late Show with James Corden.
| Comics Unleashed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen |
| Created by | Byron Allen |
| Presented by | Byron Allen |
| Narrated by | John Cramer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Byron Allen Carolyn Folks |
| Camera setup | Videotape; Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Entertainment Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | September 2006 – 2014 |
Format
editEach episode begins with Allen delivering a short, usually topical monologue, after which he introduces the night's DJ and the panel of four comedians. Allen sets each comedian up with a prescribed, usually generic premise, at which point the comedian delivers a monologue from their stand-up routine. The monologues by different comedians seldom tie into each other, but the structure of the show puts the monologues in the loose framework of a panel discussion talk show.
Several episodes of the series in first-run featured an all-Black panel under the title Comics Unleashed: Hot Chocolate, though they were eventually presented as regular episodes in subsequent airings.
Broadcast history
editFirst-run weekly episodes were originally produced from 2006–07, with repeats still airing in some markets, generally in the very late-night to overnight hours under bulk barter arrangements made for the various series of Entertainment Studios, with some notable carriers having included CBS Television Stations (which scheduled it as a lead-out for The Late Late Show on CBS owned-and-operated stations).[1] Back-to-back episodes also aired in prime time on MyNetworkTV before it became a programming service.[2] The program did not produce any new episodes beyond its original 2006–07 run until 2014.[3][4]
In September 2023, CBS announced that it would air back-to-back episodes of Comics Unleashed on its late-night lineup beginning September 18, following The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The program served as a stop-gap replacement for The Late Late Show (which had been discontinued following the series finale of The Late Late Show with James Corden) until the premiere of its replacement—After Midnight—in 2024, as it had been delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Roughly half of the run featured unaired first-run episodes.[5][6][7]
References
edit- ^ Block, Alex Ben (2013-03-13). "'Comics Unleashed' Renewed on CBS Stations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
- ^ 'Comics Unleashed' lands on MyNetworkTV, The Hollywood Reporter, April 1, 2009. Archived April 19, 2013, at archive.today
- ^ "Comics Unleashed renewed for two "seasons" despite no new episodes since 2007?". The Comic's Comic. 2011-08-05. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
- ^ "Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen taped new episodes for Fall 2014!". The Comic's Comic. 2014-08-25. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ Knolle, Sharon (2023-09-11). "CBS Bringing Back Byron Allen's 'Comics Unleashed' to Late Night". TheWrap. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
- ^ Petski, Denise (2023-09-11). "'Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen' Joins Fall CBS Late-Night Line-Up". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
- ^ White, Peter (2023-11-01). "'After Midnight': CBS Sets Showrunners & Team For 'The Late Late Show With James Corden' Replacement". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
External links
edit
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