Chelsea Handler, the queen of late night comedy, is back in action but on a whole new platform. It was a sad day when Handler announced she was ending her rowdy and wild late night talk show, "Chelsea Lately," on the E! network. Handler and her rotating panel of comedians kept fans, like me, entertained and laughing every week night. Handler has the guts to say whatever, and I mean whatever, is on her mind. I mourned the loss of her presence on T.V.
But the end of "Chelsea Lately" was not the end of Chelsea Handler. Last month, Handler released a new four-part documentary series "Chelsea Does" on Netflix. Each episode runs a little over an hour and cover the topics of marriage, Silicon Valley, racism and drugs. The episodes also include dinner parties with some of Handler's friends, many of whom were once guests on "Chelsea Lately," and they discuss these important issues.
Now because this is Chelsea Handler we're talking about, I can assure that this show is anything but boring. In fact, Handler is really the perfect person to tackle these important and sometimes controversial topics. Handler hasn't lost her trademark sass and sense of humor. She wasn't afraid to ask her interviewees outrageous questions. "Chelsea Does" is full of laugh-out-loud moments. It's not easy for me to actually laugh at shows, but Handler got me to, a lot.
But though she is her typical hilarious self, Handler knew when to be serious and objective. She really explored these topics in depth and I actually learned a lot. At a tech company in Silicon Valley, researchers are developing a toy helicopter that you can control with just your mind. It was amazing to see what people are doing in an industry I know nothing of. One thing about "Chelsea Does" that really impressed me was its awareness of how important these topics are and how important it is to include people who have many different opposing views. In the episode "Chelsea Does Racism," she spoke to people of many different races and people who had different feelings on it. Though not every view was agreeable, she still included them anyway.
In the episode "Chelsea Does Drugs," Handler and two of her friends travel to Peru to try a herb/drug ayahuasca after reading about it. The experience is interesting to watch and is emotional for all three of them. She also talks to former drug addicts and gives a powerful insight into the impact of drugs.
So if you haven't yet, stream "Chelsea Does" on Netflix now.
