Is Chelsea Handler's Career "Crashing And Burning" - Are You There, Chelsea? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 03-09-2012, 11:44 PM

Chelsea Handler's bid for world media domination has hit a few speed bumps lately.

Her NBC sitcom based on her best-selling book "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" is lingering near cancelation ratings. And "This Means War," a romantic comedy featuring Handler as sidekick to Reese Witherspoon, crashed at the box office

These are rare missteps for the host of the popular E! late-night talk show, "Chelsea Lately," who has written three bestsellers in addition to "Are You There, Vodka?" and is the only female host of the MTV Video Music Awards since 1994.

Before her latest stumbles, mass cross-media success seemed imminent for the comic, known for her raunchy, irreverent humor. Now her ability to establish a personality-driven media empire is becoming less certain.

Are-You-There-Chelsea

NBC
One thing her NBC sitcom "Are You There, Chelsea?" is missing? Chelsea being Chelsea. Instead of being front and center in a project based on her own bestselling book about her own life, Handler plays second banana to Laura Prepon.

Prepon plays a younger version of Handler, while Handler plays her own sister.

Another thing missing? Viewers. Though the sitcom debuted in January with 6.4 million viewers, it lost 2 million sets of eyes by week two, and has settled in on an average of 4.7 million viewers.

NBC Universal has sometimes used E! as almost a farm team for NBC talent: E! News anchor Ryan Seacrest may join "Today." Joel McHale hosted "The Soup" for five years before "Community" debuted. But Handler still has yet to prove herself ready for the broadcast network -- just as McHale's "Community" has fallen to low, "Are You There, Chelsea?"-ish numbers.

This-Means-War-Chelsea-Handler

20th Century Fox
And while Handler admittedly was only a supporting player in "This Means War," ads keyed on her interaction with Witherspoon in addition to the romantic triangle between Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. The movie has made $42.3 million domestically.

Of course, the NBC show, on which Handler is also an executive producer, is not a total loss yet. "Are You There" has improved NBC's timeslot ratings 14 percent versus last season, and, like many NBC shows, even the lower-rated ones, "Are You There" boasts an upscale viewership.

"Given the competition in the time period and its lead-in, we believe the show is performing solidly," an NBC executive told TheWrap.

The good news: "Chelsea Lately" -- and its spin-off/spoof series "After Lately" -- remains so influential in late-night that VH1 recently hired Jenny McCarthy to host a late-night talk show in an effort to spark its own Handler-esque franchise.

As for Q scores -- those indicators of a celebrity's or TV series' popularity -- "Lately" earned a positive Q score of 25 and a negative Q score is 18.

The average Q scores for all late-night talk shows: 18 positive and 25 negative, meaning "Chelsea Lately" did hit higher in positive and lower in negative than most of her competition.

But "Are You There, Chelsea?" doesn't fare nearly as well on overall Q score stats, earning a dismal 10 percent familiarity.

"Enough said," Q Scores company president Steven Levitt told TheWrap.

Read more: http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/ar...#ixzz1ogLDlI9r

EmoJoe · 03-09-2012, 11:57 PM

Are You There Chelsea is just a terrible, terrible show. It started off with good ratings so if it had been decent it likely could've been a hit...but it's BAD.

Yong Fang · 03-28-2012, 06:50 AM

This show does suck balls. Because I like Laura Prepon, I wanted to give this show a chance, and I toughed it out about three or four episodes before I gave up on it. The only other cast member I like that I hope does more things is the Asian girl, Ali Wong. Yes, I like East Asian women and I applaud more of them on television (I live in Mainland China with a Chinese wife). Ms. Wong is talented and funny. So is Prepon, and she deserves better than this crap.

It's not funny, or likable. The writing is just bad.

Like I said, I live in China and use a website to watch new episodes and I have not watched Chelsea in weeks, even out of sheer boredom for something to watch.

Zoneboy · 03-28-2012, 08:38 AM

I thought her 15 minutes had already expired.

03-09-2012, 11:44 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	Is Chelsea Handler's Career "Crashing And Burning" - Are You There, Chelsea? Chelsea Handler's bid for world media domination has hit a few speed bumps lately. Her NBC sitcom based on her best-selling book "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" is lingering near cancelation ratings. And "This Means War," a romantic comedy featuring Handler as sidekick to Reese Witherspoon, crashed at the box office These are rare missteps for the host of the popular E! late-night talk show, "Chelsea Lately," who has written three bestsellers in addition to "Are You There, Vodka?" and is the only female host of the MTV Video Music Awards since 1994. Before her latest stumbles, mass cross-media success seemed imminent for the comic, known for her raunchy, irreverent humor. Now her ability to establish a personality-driven media empire is becoming less certain. Are-You-There-Chelsea NBC One thing her NBC sitcom "Are You There, Chelsea?" is missing? Chelsea being Chelsea. Instead of being front and center in a project based on her own bestselling book about her own life, Handler plays second banana to Laura Prepon. Prepon plays a younger version of Handler, while Handler plays her own sister. Another thing missing? Viewers. Though the sitcom debuted in January with 6.4 million viewers, it lost 2 million sets of eyes by week two, and has settled in on an average of 4.7 million viewers. NBC Universal has sometimes used E! as almost a farm team for NBC talent: E! News anchor Ryan Seacrest may join "Today." Joel McHale hosted "The Soup" for five years before "Community" debuted. But Handler still has yet to prove herself ready for the broadcast network -- just as McHale's "Community" has fallen to low, "Are You There, Chelsea?"-ish numbers. This-Means-War-Chelsea-Handler 20th Century Fox And while Handler admittedly was only a supporting player in "This Means War," ads keyed on her interaction with Witherspoon in addition to the romantic triangle between Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. The movie has made $42.3 million domestically. Of course, the NBC show, on which Handler is also an executive producer, is not a total loss yet. "Are You There" has improved NBC's timeslot ratings 14 percent versus last season, and, like many NBC shows, even the lower-rated ones, "Are You There" boasts an upscale viewership. "Given the competition in the time period and its lead-in, we believe the show is performing solidly," an NBC executive told TheWrap. The good news: "Chelsea Lately" -- and its spin-off/spoof series "After Lately" -- remains so influential in late-night that VH1 recently hired Jenny McCarthy to host a late-night talk show in an effort to spark its own Handler-esque franchise. As for Q scores -- those indicators of a celebrity's or TV series' popularity -- "Lately" earned a positive Q score of 25 and a negative Q score is 18. The average Q scores for all late-night talk shows: 18 positive and 25 negative, meaning "Chelsea Lately" did hit higher in positive and lower in negative than most of her competition. But "Are You There, Chelsea?" doesn't fare nearly as well on overall Q score stats, earning a dismal 10 percent familiarity. "Enough said," Q Scores company president Steven Levitt told TheWrap. Read more: http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/ar...#ixzz1ogLDlI9r
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

03-09-2012, 11:57 PM	#2
EmoJoe Cool cool cool Forum Addict Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 71,478	Are You There Chelsea is just a terrible, terrible show. It started off with good ratings so if it had been decent it likely could've been a hit...but it's BAD.
	__________________ "I know the difference between TV and reality, Jeff. TV has structure, it makes sense, there are likable leading men. In real life, we have this. We have you." - Abed Nadir, Community www.sitcomsarestupid.blogspot.com

03-28-2012, 08:38 AM	#4
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,338	I thought her 15 minutes had already expired.
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

03-28-2012, 06:50 AM	#3
Yong Fang Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 04, 2009 Location: Memphis Tennessee Posts: 3,072	This show does suck balls. Because I like Laura Prepon, I wanted to give this show a chance, and I toughed it out about three or four episodes before I gave up on it. The only other cast member I like that I hope does more things is the Asian girl, Ali Wong. Yes, I like East Asian women and I applaud more of them on television (I live in Mainland China with a Chinese wife). Ms. Wong is talented and funny. So is Prepon, and she deserves better than this crap. It's not funny, or likable. The writing is just bad. Like I said, I live in China and use a website to watch new episodes and I have not watched Chelsea in weeks, even out of sheer boredom for something to watch.