Do you like Chelsea Handler? Yes or no? There seems to be no middle ground.
The brash and snarky (and those are two of the more polite adjectives) former host of the E! chat fest Chelsea Lately (2007-2014) is set to roll out a new talk show on Netflix -- the first for the streaming service. We have been warned.
As one of my female co-workers put it, "A little Chelsea goes a long way."
Depending on your perspective, Handler is either refreshingly outspoken and unfiltered, or a vulgar potty mouth who needs to dial it back a notch.
Chelsea premieres Wednesday, with fresh episodes every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The show hasn't arrived yet, so I have no opinion.
In March, however, Handler held a live streaming Q&A with fans and, as reported by Variety, revealed some of her plans.
About the eponymous title of the series, Handler joked, "We thought long and hard about the title, and there was a whole team at Netflix who worked on it.
"We hired a digital department and some small children who work in various countries to help roll this show out, and after two to three long hours, we came up with the name Chelsea. Because that's my name. I look forward to not thinking my last name is Chelsea Lately because that's not even a real last name. My name is Chelsea Handler and it's nice to meet you."
The half-hour series will include a live studio audience, but will not be streamed live. Rather, it will stream about 12 hours after it's taped.
Handler notes the show will cover "real topics with a sense of humor," with guests who go beyond simply what's hot in pop culture. In addition, she doesn't expect to be confused with current late-night formats.
"I don't want it to be like a talk show every night where I come out singing and dancing," she said. "The set's cool and it's dark and it's fun and it's like being at my house and listening in on a conversation. That's the vibe I wanted to get and I got it."
About working with Netflix, Handler says the streaming service allows her "to do stories that are global, and it makes me able to pay attention to the stuff that does interest me in a way that will be able to be disseminated into all these different countries. That's really exciting for me."
Does she believe that streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu , are the wave of the future?
"I haven't even figured out exactly what that is yet," she says. "I just know that I'm part of it."
Sadly for fans of Chelsea Lately, former dwarf sidekick Chuy Bravo (real name, Jesus Melgoza) will not be part of the new venture.
"Chuy has passed over into Mexico," Handler quipped. "That's where he resides full time now."
• Streaming now. If you subscribe to Netflix and somehow missed the memo, Season 2 (the entire 13 episodes) of Grace and Frankie became available Friday.
Let's hear it for veteran actors. The Netflix original comedy stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston. Grace (Fonda) and Frankie (Tomlin) are still dealing with the disclosure that not only are their husbands gay, but in love with each other.
Also, the new Gerard Depardieu drama Marseille became available Thursday. I haven't seen it, but some critics label it the French House of Cards.
Depardieu plays Robert Taro, a longtime mayor of a small town who does political combat with a former protege who has become his rival.
The first season has eight episodes.
• Streaming later. On the horizon for Netflix, the second season of the documentary series Chef's Table arrives May 27. There will be six profiles, with Part 1 showcasing Massimo Bottura and his restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy.
Also on May 27, Season 2 of Bloodline arrives. It's a murder mystery set in an oceanfront hotel in the Florida Keys starring Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) as deputy sheriff John Rayburn.
The ensemble includes some impressive names, including Sam Shepard, Sissy Spacek, John Leguizamo, Chloe Sevigny, Linda Cardellini and Ben Mendelsohn.
Season 2 will have 10 episodes.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 05/10/2016