Asinine sitcom based on Chelsea Handler’s life is coming to NBC (trailer)


I vaguely remember hearing that there was some kind of Chelsea Handler sitcom coming, but I didn’t realize that it was based on her life, not her show, and that it would be rolling out soon. Chelsea is inexplicably popular despite what a bitter nasty person she is (ok, takes one to know one, etc.) and she does have two books on the NY Times non-fiction bestseller list. So I guess it’s inevitable that someone would try to turn her story into a sitcom. Laura Prepon stars as the Chelsea character and Chelsea plays her Christian conservative sister with her own characteristic deadpan humor.

Chelsea Handler’s got a starring role in the brand new NBC show based on her memoir. Weird, then, that she’s playing her own worst enemy.

NBC, which announced last week the series pickup of the memoir-based “Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea,” unveiled a long teaser trailer for the show, which actually stars “That 70’s Show” alum Laura Preppon in the thinner-than-paper “fictional” role of Chelsea Hanson. With the series based on her younger, wilder days, Handler herself plays Sloane, her (well, Preppon as her) older, pregnant, born again Christian sister.

The trailer contains plenty of canned laughter for what are largely easy jokes about DUI, alcoholism and STD’s. So, for now, what seems to be a network-scrubbed version of Handler’s talk show on E!, “Chelsea Lately.” The show doesn’t have a slot in the initial NBC lineup, but considering the shuffling the network has produced each season, it should hit airwaves sooner than later.

[From Huffington Post]

The good news is that NBC has announced its Fall schedule and this is not included. It’s like a backup show from what HuffPo is reporting.

After watching the trailer I have to admit I did laugh once – when the roommate had scratch marks from the cat and said “he’s angry ’cause he can’t talk.” Other than that it looks like a stock sitcom with typical jokes and cardboard characters. I’m annoyed that this will be on NBC, which has my favorite sitcom, Community, and my favorite drama, Parenthood. If they mess up the time slots or screw with either of those shows to give Chelsea Handler a platform so help me. NBC has no idea how to handle their decent shows, but at least they finally announced that Parenthood has been renewed. They’re waiting for a ratings dip somewhere to wedge this show in.

I like Laura Prepon, she was really good on That 70s Show, but it’s not like I’m going to watch this because she’s in it. I changed my opinion of Prepon slightly when I found out she was a Scientologist, probably because she used to date Christopher Masterson from Malcolm in the Middle. He and his brother Danny were raised in the cult.

chelsea11

chelsea21

chelsea31

chelsea4

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

31 Responses to “Asinine sitcom based on Chelsea Handler’s life is coming to NBC (trailer)”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. carrie says:

    the life of who?

  2. the_blonde_one says:

    I love Laura Preppon, she’s far too good for this. sadness.

  3. constance says:

    I agree. I actually did not find it funny. She can usually get me to at least chuckle on her delivery.

  4. Laura says:

    I really don’t understand Chelsea Handler’s hype… she’s not funny, and I think she probably blew someone to get where she is today.

  5. LunaT says:

    Ummm, no thanks.

  6. Quest says:

    OMG…here’s my reaction to this: puking, puking, gouging out eyeballs right now and still puking.

  7. Hollowdoll says:

    Chelsea can be funny. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for her as she interviewed Jensen Ackles and it was amazingly highlarious!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC0rdZa4NTE

    I like Laura, but this doesn’t sound like a good use of her talents. I wish she would go back to being a red head. oh well.

  8. Genevieve says:

    Lame

  9. Praise St. Angie! says:

    even if it didn’t have the $cientologist in it I wouldn’t watch it.

    but I will try my damnedest not to EVER put one red cent into the pocket of a follower of that cult.

  10. tanya says:

    I couldn’t bring myself to even watch the trailer… I just don’t ‘get’ Chelsea Handler. Is this really necessary?

    Ug…

  11. chasingadalia says:

    I’m torn. I’m not a huge Chelsea fan, but I do love Laura Prepon.

  12. Iggles says:

    I saw the 4 min preview and even though I hate Chelsea Handler… it made me laugh! =O

    I feel like I need to bathe after admitting that…

  13. newtsgal says:

    Yea…. I won’t watch this show, just watched the trailer and that was more than enough!

  14. Jb says:

    No, no, nonononono. No. That was painful. And I was optimistic that it would work.

  15. k says:

    I think Chelsea playing Sloane is the best part of this.

  16. lucy2 says:

    I watched all of the NBC previews a few days ago, and this was one of the worst, I didn’t even finish it. Not a fan of Prepon either.
    Their new show “Awake” looks fantastic though.

  17. Celebs.com says:

    This was excruciating to watch.

  18. Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

    First Karla Homolka, now this. I hated That ’70s Show but even I say she’s too good for this hair colour. She’s almost as bad as a blonde as Shakira or Delta Burke. Just go back to being red and pray, PRAY that that’s enough to make everyone forget every single one of the career choices that you made post-bleach.

  19. Sunday says:

    Laura Prepon is SO much better than this shit!!!!! And she didn´t even make me laugh.. 🙁 snif… Chelseas character was way funnier.

  20. GradStudentEatingHotPockets says:

    I’m sorry, I like Chelsea Handler’s books because they are so trashy, BUT NBC GOT RID OF OUTSOURCED!! Bad NBC. BAD! They get rid of Outsourced and allow this show to be a back up show? No. Bad. Very bad. I am not happy.

  21. Sparkly says:

    I really liked Laura Prepon, but between forcing the blonde hair and learning about this & the scientology thing, I’m not so sure anymore. 🙁

  22. thegreatdefender says:

    sounds like good tv…kinda like two and half men with Chelsea in the Sheen part, she is insanely sarcastic and snide, love her!

  23. jenni says:

    laura preppon’s a scientologist? :< that’s depressing. she was my fave off “70s show” 🙂 this preview made me laugh, i’d watch it.

  24. Kim says:

    just cancel it now – why bother

  25. KateNonymous says:

    So, how long until the network changes the name of the show to “It’s Me, Chelsea”?

  26. Apple says:

    If this lasts longer then Paul Reiser’s show. Paul is going to be pissed.

  27. Becca says:

    why does everyone hate Chelsea? Her book is hilarious and better than this series preview. Laura Prepon was never that great as Donna on that 70’s show. I guess my opinions are the exact opposite of everyone else’s here. Weird.

  28. Annie_Grey says:

    Laura Prepon, whyyyy. I thought I liked you!

  29. Kylie says:

    Great! I love Chelsea. Her books ARE funny. I laugh out aloud when reading them. Which is not good on a packed bus in peak hour. 😛 I don’t get all the hate for her?

  30. Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

    Oh, she’s been bumping audits with Xenu since before she was even on That ’70s Show. Sad.

    The Less You Know

  31. fmiller says:

    Even the Big C calls her books “ridiculous” – though I haven’t read any of her “written works”, I am sure that relative to the works of many other authors they are inconsequential. At first I liked her, but as time passed, and her fame rose, she seemed to become nastier and nastier. I especially take exception to her inclusion of the children of celebrities in her diatribes. As a mother, I think this crosses the line. It isn’t cool to make fun of children, regardless of age, but especially of the very young. She makes a point of supporting certain “friends” but seems to do it at the expense of others and their children. Additionally, I don’t believe the journalists who say she is in her late thirties. I think she looks older. Maybe she spent too much time stealing husbands from other women to attend to her self and she just became ugly inside and out?