The Bottom Line
Comedienne turned talk show host Chelsea Handler has taken to the job of talk show host surprising well. Her self-deprecating style plays pitch perfect with the late night format – one might consider her a latter day David Letterman. And her show is unique, in that it combines the roundtable format of a show like Politically Incorrect and the standard across-the-desk celebrity interview. Guests – often B-listers and E! celebrities promoting their reality programs – have an affinity for Chelsea, and it shows.
Pros
- Chelsea breaks the all-male late night host stranglehold
- Quick wit and edgy sense of humor
- Unique format, combining roundtable and interviews
Cons
- Chelsea can be a bit mean-spirited (but all in good fun)
- Hasn’t cracked the A-list celebrity interview ceiling
- Isn’t on a major network – yet
Description
- Airs at 11:30 p.m. ET weekdays on cable’s E! channel
- Roundtable and individual celebrity interviews
- Some sketch comedy
Guide Review - Review of 'Chelsea Lately'
What’s not to like about Chelsea Lately? It’s much like the rest of E! cable channel’s programming: steeped in pop culture with the expectation that you like – and maybe even love – minor celebrities like Paris Hilton.
But the show’s strength is its host, Chelsea Handler, one of the funniest comedians to grace a talk show stage in a long, long time. Unfortunately, her show is out of her league. Wait, here’s a better metaphor. She’s a major league ball player still struggling in the minor leagues.
Watching Chelsea is a little like watching early Letterman or early Conan O’Brien: it’s cutting edge and a little quirky – an acquired taste, but one worth trying.
For the most part, Chelsea fills her half-hour with witty banter about the failings of celebrity and movie star culture. She’s filleting those of us who keep up with such trivialities at the same time she’s deep-frying the movie stars she’s gossiping about. Her guests, for the time being, are all minor-league or has-been (in the nicest sense of the word). Folks like Gene Simmons and Lance Bass. Folks who have gone from stardom to reality series.
What the show needs is a transplant, from E! to NBC or such – with a slightly bigger budget. What would work best for Chelsea is a slot behind Conan’s Tonight Show or Jay Leno’s new show (wherever that may turn up).
For now, Chelsea’s blazing the late night trail as the only woman doing such shtick at that hour. Why not stay up and give her a try?
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