Chelsea Handler Possibly Heading to Netflix
If you dig Chelsea Handler, love Chelsea Lately, and are sad the show is coming to an end, don't fret just yet. The comedian/author/actress/talk show host/multi-hyphenate could be headed to Netflix.
Apparently, Handler is in talks with Netflix for a new show. Although a deal is "nowhere close to being finalized," it makes sense that Handler would be exploring options, since she'll be leaving E! once her contract expires at the end of the year, sending Chelsea Lately to the same TV graveyard where Are You There, Chelsea? resides. Netflix, naturally, declined comment.
Of course, this won't be the first meeting Handler has allegedly had since deciding she was tired of E! network. Earlier this month, she posted a photo to her Instagram account that showed her holding papers with a CBS logo on them. Accompanying the photo was the caption, "Business meeting." This led to speculation that Handler was possibly being considered to take over the 12:30am time slot from The Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson. However, CBS vehemently denied the rumors.
"There are no discussions with Chelsea Handler regarding the network's 12:30 late-night broadcast," a CBS spokesperson said. "Her meeting with CBS yesterday was a general meeting with our syndication group."
And really, I can't think of why Stephen Colbert taking over for David Letterman would mean that Craig Ferguson's job is suddenly available, since one late night host leaving the network doesn't necessarily entail a full-scale rebranding of the network's late-night lineup. But then, it's hard to ever know what's going on at CBS, beyond the forthright commitment to crime procedurals loved by the AARP set. (Whatever works! Hell, they're still the No. 1 network on broadcast television. Although I still can't believe NCIS is TV's No. 1 show. That just seems...strange, to me.)
But back to Handler: since talks are still in the early stages, it's not certain that Netflix would be giving her another talk show, or if it would be some other kind of series. But given how badly Are You There, Chelsea? tanked, it might be wise to just keep the Chelsea Lately brand name alive.
Credit: E!