'Are You There,
Chelsea?,' not so much
Sex and booze are the passions of the lead character
By Tom Conroy
Jan 10, 2012
On TV at least, what used to be called private parts stopped being private a long time ago, although references to women’s anatomy have remained slightly more taboo. Since some common terms still can’t be said on TV, writers have been straining themselves to come up with new ones.
NBC’s new sitcom “Are You There, Chelsea?” is particularly strained in this respect. Various female characters refer to their “Pikachu,” their “entertainment center” and their “hurt locker.” These neologisms provoke more head-shaking than laughter.
This particular anatomical obsession points to a bigger problem with the show. Its titular character (Laura Prepon) has no discernible interests or ambition beyond having sex and getting drunk, presumably because jokes about sex and drinking are easy to write. Although the show delivers those jokes efficiently, it’s going to wear out its welcome if it doesn’t develop more personality and heart.
According to press materials, the show is “inspired” by the humor books written by the comedian and actress Chelsea Handler, which include one with the inspired title “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea.” While Handler’s books are reportedly full of stories of promiscuity and alcohol abuse, she has somehow managed to build a career that includes starring on the E! talk show “Chelsea Lately.”
Chelsea the character, however, is content with working in a bar and having tenuous relationships. She and the bartender, Rick (Jake McDorman), are yet another one of those TV couples who flirt while constantly talking about why they don’t have sex. The other waitress is Chelsea’s childhood friend Olivia (Ali Wong), who at least talks vaguely about getting a job in journalism.
In the premiere, which airs this Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 8:30 p.m., Chelsea and Olivia move in with Dee Dee (Lauren Lapkus), a kooky virgin. “I’m waiting until I get married,” she says, “like the Jonas Brothers.”
Chelsea Handler, credited as a guest star, plays Chelsea’s sister, Sloane, who is pregnant and whose husband is in the military in Afghanistan. The slim plot of the episode turns on whether Chelsea will be a responsible Lamaze partner.
Although Sloane is described in Chelsea’s voice-over as “super-Christian,” she’s much more sardonic than the usual religious characters on TV. Sloane’s scenes are a palate cleanser in a show in which every other character is slightly overplayed.
Laura Prepon has been a singular TV presence ever since she broke through on “That ’70s Show.” Sexy without being girly, she has enough personality to fill in the blanks of Chelsea’s underwritten character.
In the premiere’s subplot, Chelsea has to decide whether she can date a guy with red hair. Yes, the words “drapes” and “carpet” are uttered. Despite her aversion, she decides to sleep with him because, as she tells Olivia, “it has been a while since my bottom half smiled.”
In the second episode, Chelsea goes after a high school boyfriend of Sloane’s. He and Chelsea turn out to be yet another one of those TV couples who discuss how good the sex was immediately after they finish.
Chelsea obsesses over whether she was better than Sloane, who gently suggests that maybe Chelsea needs to focus on finding an emotional connection with a man. This could be an interesting path for the series to take, but the episode spends more time introducing a new character, Nikki (Natasha Leggero), a self-absorbed ex-girlfriend of Rick’s who seems likely to turn into a conventional TV workplace nemesis.
Except for the repeated anatomical euphemisms, the dialogue is generally funny, with a big assist from the actors. Explaining why she wants Rick to hire her, Nikki says, “I don’t like to work, so it’s better to have a boss who’s attracted to me.”
But the writers and actors need to try harder on the characters. Chelsea fits too smoothly in a long line of boozy, promiscuous women on TV, including, most notably, Samantha on “Sex and the City.”
TV creators don’t seem to have noticed that Samantha was the least plausible and relatable of the four main characters on that show. Though Chelsea’s relative youth makes her a little more believable and a little less sad, if she doesn’t find something in her life besides sex and alcohol, she’s going to get old quickly.
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