Unprotected Sets

Unprotected Sets aired in 2018 on Epix channel, offers a uniquely intimate look into the vibrant world of stand-up comedy by offering viewers an uncensored experience with a new generation of comic standouts.

Epix's Unprotected Sets defies the conventional comedy show structure, eschewing a host and multiple comedic routines for a more intimate and undiluted experience with an individual comedian in each episode. Thus, the series places a magnifying glass on the interesting, hilarious, and sometimes provocative life stories of emerging comedians from across the country, showing that behind the curtains of humor, there’s a rich world of personal experiences and inspirations.

Executive produced by comedy titan Wanda Sykes and Page Hurwitz, the 12-episode series takes audiences on a nation-wide, multi-city tour, featuring some of the most exciting voices in comedy today. Each episode, running approximately 30 minutes, presents a new comedian, allowing them to perform not only their unique sets but also to spend time off-stage, giving viewers a chance to really get to understand their journey to the present, their evolution as performers and their aspirations for the future.

Just like its title suggests, Unprotected Sets offers its featured comedians a platform to express themselves fearlessly, boldly, and without the safeguards of their usual routines. There are no topics off-limits, and the comedians share the stage with their personal lives, offering audiences authentic, raw humor that is both relevant and irreverently challenging.

Featured comedians come from varied backgrounds, exhibiting a diversity in style, and material that makes each episode unique, thus, the show is as much about the personalities of the comedians as it is about their comedy. The artists are filmed at their local haunts, their favorite clubs, or even their homes, and this personal setting, combined with their original and uncensored sets, helps connect the audience to them on a deeper level.

This unique format lends the show a documentary feel that emphasizes authenticity and personal appeal. Epix describes the show as "provocative, intimate, unguarded", and indeed it is. The comics are free to express their views on everything from politics, race, gender, and religion to their daily life experiences, relationships, the comic industry and beyond, all conveyed through their personalized comedic language.

The series broadens its appeal by including behind-the-scenes footage and one-on-one interviews where comedians elaborate on their intimate histories and pivotal life moments, offering the audience insight into how these experiences shape their stage performances. By doing so, it presents an important narrative: comedy isn't only about entertainment but also reflection, an outlet for personal discourse and often, a coping mechanism.

Unprotected Sets showcases the grueling path a comedian must follow from obscurity to recognition, how a funny thought or observation transforms into a powerful punchline, and how personal setbacks and world observations fuel their comedic vision. This unveiled look at the life of a stand-up comedian elucidates the transfiguration of life experiences into humor.

The show is not only valuable entertainment for audiences but also a tutorial for budding comedians. By sharing the backstory of each comic, the struggles, the moments of self-doubt, even their personal take on sensitive topics, Unprotected Sets lights the way, indicating that comedy does not stem from thin air but is an artistic reflection of life, an interpretation crafted through a comedic lens.

Emotionally charged, surprisingly vulnerable, and always hilarious, Unprotected Sets takes viewers to the beating heart of the comedy scene, presenting a fresh approach that blurs the line between performance and personal revelation.

Unprotected Sets is not just another stand-up comedy show; it's a comedy witness testimony, a humanizing journey into the heart of the comedy circuit. It is a cine-verité stand-up series, taking viewers behind the stand-up curtain, validating the old adage about comedy being "not just a job, but a way of life."

To sum up, Epix's Unprotected Sets stands out as a refreshing, impactful take on stand-up comedy that dives deep into the prodigious minds of comedians, stripping down to the bare essentials of comedy - raw emotions and life experience. It offers an intriguing blend of comedy and reality, giving viewers not just laughter but also a strong sense of connection with the people making them laugh. An authentic, captivating watch for any comedy enthusiast.