George Cheeks Discusses the Transition from ‘Late Show’ to ‘Comics Unleashed’ and CBS’s Future in Late-Night Programming
George Cheeks, Paramount’s Chair of TV Media and former NBC executive, is poised to redefine CBS’s late-night programming landscape. Cheeks recently canceled the long-standing franchise, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, replacing it with Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen, a time buy format that allows Allen’s team to handle advertising while CBS collects a fee.
During a CBS event discussing the network’s fall 2026 schedule, Cheeks elaborated on the decision. “We landed on it for a couple reasons,” he stated. “First off, we did a one-season deal. So, we are still going to develop other ideas, other concepts. But to go into immediate profitability in that slot made a lot of sense for us right now.”
Previously, Comics Unleashed aired at 12:30 AM, taking over for After Midnight. Cheeks expressed confidence in Allen’s partnership, mentioning, “Byron’s been a great partner to us at 12:30 so we feel confident he will continue to be a great partner for us at 11:30 as well.”
When asked if CBS had considered alternatives such as returning the 11:30 PM timeslot to affiliates or airing repeats, Cheeks affirmed, “We considered everything, but we felt like this was the right move.” He also indicated that a future late-night revival would need to operate on a modest budget.
Cheeks emphasized his commitment to the late-night genre, saying, “I do want to say one thing: I started in late-night. I grew up in late-night. I believe in late-night… If we’re going to go back into that space, we have to go back into that space with a different financial model.”
Amy Reisenbach, CBS Entertainment President, noted that discussions about new programming ideas are ongoing, but stressed that they have yet to enter active development. “They’re just conversations at this point, but it has to be a model that makes sense for us financially,” she said.
Cheeks defended the quality of Comics Unleashed, asserting it provides strong content at a fraction of traditional late-night show costs. “I actually think that the shows are strong… I would stand by the quality of those shows,” he remarked.
David Letterman, the original host of The Late Show, also shared his insights on the recent changes, saying, “They don’t want to spend any money, so they’re going to make money… [Comics Unleashed] is a pretty good idea. It’s all panel. Nobody’s doing any stand-up, except they’re seated doing stand-up.”
