CBS is betting on another show to fill the gap left by “The Late Late Show With James Corden.” Starting in September, “Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen” will take over the 12:30 a.m. slot from “After Midnight.”
The series will officially air at 12:37 a.m. ET on Sept. 22 with back-to-back, half-hour episodes. Episodes of the comedy talk show will then air Monday through Friday, with the series also available to stream live on Paramount+ for subscribers that have Paramount+ with Showtime.
For decades, CBS had a pretty solid late night formula. “The Late Show” at 11:30 p.m. was followed by “The Late Late Show” an hour later. But when Corden announced he was stepping away from the franchise to spend more time with his family, the network announced it was ending the show that had been on the air since 1995. “The Late Late Show” officially ended in April of 2023 and was temporarily replaced by Taylor Tomlinson’s “After Midnight.” However, that show will come to an end this summer after two seasons following Tomlinson’s decision to step away to focus on her stand-up.
Allen has had experience with this time slot before. Prior to “After Midnight,” CBS aired “Comics Unleashed” during the time slot as part of a limited run that the network dubbed as successful.
“‘Comics Unleashed’ is a true passion for me, simply because this world can never have enough laughter,” Allen, the founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, said in a Tuesday statement. “I created this show so that the best comedians can all come together and help bring non-stop laughter.”
“Comics Unleashed” is hosted by Byron Allen and has featured over 550 comedians including Sebastian Maniscalco, Tiffany Haddish, Nate Bargatze, Gabriel Iglesias, Theo Von, Cedric the Entertainer, Howie Mandel, Leslie Jones, Wayne Brady, Roy Wood, Jr., Whitney Cummings, JB Smoove, Billy Gardell, Margaret Cho, Brad Garrett, Sheryl Underwood, Adam Carolla, Gina Yashere, Dane Cook, Sinbad, George Wallace, Caroline Rhea, Tommy Davidson, David Alan Grier, Kevin Hart, Chelsea Handler, Katt Williams, Dennis Miller, Loni Love, Jamie Kennedy, Iliza Shlesinger, Jon Lovitz, Bill Bellamy, Mike Epps, Monique, Tom Papa, Gary Owen, Natasha Leggero, Deon Cole, Lisa Ann Walter, Marc Maron, Anthony Anderson, Russell Peters and many more.
The series is produced by Allen Media Group and executive produced by Allen, Carolyn Folks and Jennifer Lucas. It has been airing in first-run strip syndication since its premiere in September 2006.
