Comics Unleashed

Format

Each 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 separate comedians' monologues 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 featured an all-black cast, in which case the show was branded as Comics Unleashed: Hot Chocolate. This branding was later edited out of current-day showings.

Broadcast history

First-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. Repeats of the series continue to air; the copyright notice for the series has since had the year of production stripped out, meaning the only reference that the show was produced a decade earlier is referencing stories and punchlines made in each episode (for instance, a dishwasher recall in the same year). Back-to-back episodes also aired in prime time on MyNetworkTV before it became a programming service.

The series can also be found on Byron's Comedy.tv channel.