Don’t hold your breath, but for the first time in its 20-year history, Comics Unleashed is officially in Emmy contention.
The Byron Allen-hosted and produced comedy panel show—which bought its way onto CBS’s late-night lineup in the 12:37am slot in September 2025—is among the 18 programs submitted for Outstanding Variety Series at the 78th Emmy Awards. Nominees will be announced July 8.
That puts Comics Unleashed in the same race as the show it recently replaced at 11:35 p.m. on CBS: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Also in the mix are Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Daily Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Real Time With Bill Maher, Have I Got News For You, and YouTube sensation Hot Ones.
It is, to put it mildly, a long-shot bid. Comics Unleashed has never been nominated for a Primetime Emmy, and its CBS run has been less a prestige play than a scheduling solution: a low-cost, repurposed late-night entry from Allen Media Group filling the post-Colbert slot after CBS pulled the plug on After Midnight.
The category itself is newly reconfigured for 2026. The Television Academy merged the former Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted Variety Series categories into a single Outstanding Variety Series race, citing a reduced number of submissions in both fields. The Academy has also made the category an “area award,” meaning nominees are judged individually on whether they merit an Emmy rather than competing in a traditional winner-take-all vote.
That wrinkle probably won’t do Comics Unleashed many favors against the likes of Colbert, Oliver, Kimmel, Meyers, Fallon, SNL, and The Daily Show. But for a show that has long existed well outside the Emmy conversation, Comics Unleashed has arrived.
The full list of submissions in the Outstanding Variety Series category follows below:
Comics Unleashed
Have I Got News For You
Hot Ones
It’s Florida, Man.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Late Night With Seth Meyers
The Daily Show
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Real Time With Bill Maher
Royal Court
Saturday Night Live
Studio C
TBPN
Very Important People
Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen
Ziwe: You’d Be An Iconic Guest
First-round Emmy nomination voting runs June 11–22, 2026, with nominees set to be announced July 8.
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Hey, there is nothing wrong with trying. LOL.