Byron Allen is marking 20 years of Comics Unleashed with a two-hour primetime special on CBS.
The network will air Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen 20th Anniversary Special on Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. The special will also stream on Paramount+.
CBS says the retrospective will look back at two decades of the comedy panel show while celebrating its place in the comedy world. Participating comedians and other talent will be announced closer to the airdate.
The special comes during a new and unusually prominent chapter for Comics Unleashed, which began airing in the 11:35 p.m. slot following the finale of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
CBS currently airs two episodes of Comics Unleashed each weeknight, followed by two episodes of Allen’s comedy game show Funny You Should Ask. The shows air through a time-buy agreement under which Allen Media Group pays CBS for the airtime and sells the national ad inventory.
Comics Unleashed originally launched in syndication in September 2006. The show features Allen hosting a rotating panel of stand-up comedians, with the comedians largely performing bits from their acts in a talk-show-style setting.
Allen, a comedian who went on to build a billion-dollar media business, has described Comics Unleashed as a passion project and a tribute to his comedy hero, Johnny Carson.
Carson gave Allen his first major break when the then-18-year-old comedian performed on The Tonight Show. Allen has frequently credited the appearance with launching his career.
The Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen 20th Anniversary Special will air Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
Why put on a retrospective special when we have the potential to watch 20-year-old episodes of Comics Unleashed weeknights at 12:05 Eastern?