MGM & Audio Up Turn Epix Comedy Doc Series ‘Unprotected Sets’ Into Podcast

EXCLUSIVE: Epix comedy documentary series Unprotected Sets is moving from television to podcasting with a 12-episode audio series.

MGM and Audio Up, the podcasting company that the studio invested in earlier this year, will launch the series on August 5.

It is the latest MGM series to move into the podcast form after the company launched audio series based on its unscripted franchises including Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader.

The Unprotected Sets TV series ran for 12 episodes, launching in October 2018, on Epix. Exec produced by Wanda Sykes and Page Hurwitz, it featured rising comedians including Zainab Johnson, Mia Jackson, Becky Braunstein and Paris Sashay.

The podcast (listen to a clip below) will feature audio from the series’ first season, which took an unfiltered look at stand-up through the eyes of working comedians from across the country as they work the comedy circuit. In each of the podcast’s 12 episodes, audiences will meet a new comedian and hear interviews chronicling how they turned their personal paths into laughs. Johnson, Jackson and Sashay will feature alongside Mohanad Elshieky, Shane Mauss and Jessa Reed.

“Unprotected Sets gives comedians a chance to perform their raciest and most revealing material, intercut with raw and intimate interviews.  The combination gives insight into how their diverse childhoods shaped their humor,” said Barry Poznick, MGM’s President of Unscripted & Alternative Television and Orion Television. “This format is perfect for podcast fans. It’s fast, funny and full of surprises.”

“This is an innovation for the world of standup and for comedy. We look forward to a day when the comedy clubs and the vibrant world around it comes back; however, in the meantime, this unique way of delivering comedy alongside amazing stories is going to be a great way for people to get their LOL’s in,” added Audio Up founder and CEO, Jared Gutstadt. “We’re thrilled to be working with the next generation of comedians alongside our partners at Epix and MGM. We hope that this becomes a great discovery tool for these voices, who will find new fans utilizing the world of podcast.”