EPIX DEMONSTRATES ITS COMMITMENT TO PREMIUM STAND UP COMEDY WITH THE PREMIERES OF "WHAT HAPPENED... MS. SYKES?" AND "TOM PAPA: HUMAN MULE"

'What Happened...Ms. Sykes?' to Premiere Friday, October 21 at 10pm ET/PT, 9pm CT

'Tom Papa: Human Mule' to Premiere Friday, December 9 at 8pm ET/PT, 7pm CT

LOS ANGELES -- Premium TV network EPIX(R), while conducting its first Television Critics Tour (TCA) presentation, reinforced its long-standing commitment to premium stand up comedy with upcoming specials from Wanda Sykes and Tom Papa. What Happened... Ms. Sykes? - Sykes' first stand-up performance for the network - makes its World Television Premiere on EPIX on Friday, October 21 at 10pm ET/PT, 9pm CT. Tom Papa: Human Mule - Papa's second stand-up performance for the network - will make its World Television Premiere on EPIX on Friday, December 9 at 8pm ET/PT, 7pm CT.

What Happened... Ms. Sykes? was filmed in May 2016 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. The special will focus on Wanda's life, family, race and politics as she questions, "How Did I Get Here?"

Tom Papa: Human Mule was filmed in July 2016 at the Hanna Theater at the Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio. Papa returned to one of his favorite cities to showcase a hilarious fresh take on some themes he is best known for including family life, the difficulties of being a person, and the challenges of life in our country today.

Join the conversation on Twitter with #WhatHappened for What Happened... Ms. Sykes? And with #HumanMule for Tom Papa: Human Mule.

What Happened... Ms. Sykes? is an EPIX Original Comedy Event produced by Push It Productions' Page Hurwitz and Wanda Sykes, and directed by Liz Patrick. Ross Bernard is the executive producer for EPIX, Valerie Bishop is the producer for EPIX and Rach�le "Rocky" Benloulou-Dubin is the consulting producer for EPIX.

Tom Papa: Human Mule is an EPIX Original Comedy Event produced by Comedy Dynamics, directed by Jay Chapman and written and performed by Tom Papa. Brian Volk-Weiss, Cisco Henson, Tom Papa, Dave Becky, and Josh Lieberman are the executive producers. Ross Bernard is the executive producer for EPIX and Valerie Bishop Pearson is the producer for EPIX.

EPIX has long been recognized for its all-star roster of stand-up specials. Previous featured headliners have included: Russell Brand, Craig Ferguson, Michael Ian Black, Marc Maron, Lewis Black, Patton Oswalt, Louis C.K., Jenny McCarthy, Dennis Miller, Sherri Shepherd, Eddie Izzard, Jim Norton, Lisa Lampanelli, Jim Breuer and Jim Jefferies. EPIX's commitment to the craft of comedy also includes the EPIX Original Documentary "The Improv: 50 Years Behind the Brick Wall," a revealing special that brings together the biggest names in comedy to tell the inside story of America's first comedy club.

About EPIX

EPIX is a premium entertainment network delivering the latest movie releases and biggest classic film franchises, plus original programming including series, documentaries, comedy and music specials - all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. Launched in October 2009, EPIX pioneered the development and proliferation of "TV Everywhere." It was the first premium network to provide multi-platform access to its content online at EPIX.com and to launch on Xbox, PlayStation(R), Android phones and tablets, and Roku(R) players. EPIX is also available across Chromecast, Apple(R) iPhones(R) and iPads(R), Android TV and more and is the only premium service providing all its programming on all platforms, delivering more movies than any other premium network, with thousands of titles available for streaming.

EPIX is a joint venture between Viacom Inc., its Paramount Pictures unit, Lionsgate and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM). Through relationships with cable, satellite and telco partners, EPIX is available to over 50 million homes nationwide. For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHD (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX), Google+ (http://plus.google.com/+EPIX), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/EPIX) and Vine (https://vine.co/EPIX).