Byron Allen’s ‘Comics Unleashed’ will replace CBS late night host Stephen Colbert

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Okay, so CBS is making a pretty significant shift with its late-night programming. Basically, they’re handing the reins over to Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios. From what I understand, this isn’t about creative vision; it’s a straight-up cost-cutting measure. They’re looking to save money on production, and outsourcing to Allen seems to be the way they’re going about it. It’ll be interesting to see how this impacts the actual shows and the late-night landscape, but right now, it feels very much like a business decision first, and a creative one second.

CBS announced today that comedian Bill Allen’s shows, “Comics Unleashed” and “Funny You Should Ask,” will air after “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” concludes its 11-year run on May 21st, taking over the 11:35 p.m. and 12:35 a.m. time slots. Colbert took over hosting duties from David Letterman, who originally launched “The Late Show” in 1993 and made it CBS’s first successful late-night program.

“Comics Unleashed,” a show hosted by Allen and featuring four comedians performing bits from their stand-up acts, has been on late nights since last June, after “After Midnight With Taylor Tomlinson” finished its run on CBS. Starting in September, and for the next two TV seasons, the show will move to an earlier timeslot.

Also hosted by Allen, “Funny You Should Ask” is a quiz show starring comedians and has been airing in syndication since 2017.

Giving Allen his own shows will save CBS a significant amount of money. Allen’s company not only pays for the airtime and complete production of his programs, but also receives the majority of the advertising slots, which they then sell.

Hollywood Inc.

Allen’s new show, ‘Comics Unleashed,’ will air on CBS immediately after Stephen Colbert’s program. Despite the challenges facing late-night television, Allen says his show won’t cost CBS anything to air – it’s completely free.

In an August interview with The Times, Allen discussed the cost of his CBS shows. He clarified, “It doesn’t cost less, it costs nothing.”

Compared to typical talk shows on major networks, Allen’s shows are much cheaper to make. Traditional formats rely on expensive elements like celebrity hosts, live music, and large teams of writers.

Guests on “Comics Unleashed” perform their own comedy routines. Many comedians believe appearing on the show is great for getting noticed and can help advance their careers.

Allen, who started as a stand-up comedian and later became a program producer and owner of a TV station group including the Weather Channel, still contributes to the writing of jokes for his shows.

Allen’s comedy specials are created to remain funny for years to come, avoiding jokes that quickly become outdated, which allows them to be re-aired. Some episodes of his show, “Comics Unleashed,” originally broadcast on CBS, are over a decade old.

In July, CBS canceled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” due to its high production costs and falling viewership. This decline in ratings is affecting all late-night talk shows, as more people are now watching entertainment programs through streaming services instead of tuning in at a set time.

President Trump often complained online about late-night comedians making fun of him, and Stephen Colbert was a frequent target. Some people in the media industry thought Colbert’s show might have been canceled as a way to appease Trump’s administration during the Skydance Media acquisition of Paramount.

CBS stated the show’s cancellation was a financial decision. Despite this, Stephen Colbert continued hosting for the remainder of his contract, and he didn’t hesitate to voice his opinions on both Donald Trump and CBS’s parent company, Paramount.

As a movie fan, I’ve noticed Allen generally steers clear of really topical or political jokes in his films, and honestly, I don’t think that’ll bother Trump much. Those kinds of jokes don’t age well anyway, so it makes sense he avoids them.

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2026-04-06 20:31