Comedienne Chelsea Handler is taking her act online with an agreement to do a talk show on Netflix, opening a new genre for the streaming company.
The multiyear agreement also includes a stand up comedy special that will be streamed Oct. 10 and four docu-comedy specials that will run in 2015.
The new talk show, set to start in early in 2016, “will feature an updated format that still encompasses Chelsea's unfiltered opinions on topical entertainment and cultural issues, as well as her signature guest interviews,” the company said.
Handler’s current TV talk show on E! network is winding down.
"If I was going to continue working in this industry, I knew I had to do something outside the box to keep myself interested,” said Handler in a statement. “I wanted to sit with the cool kids at lunch so I approached Netflix to make sure they were as cool as I thought they were, and when I confirmed my suspicions, like with any other future lover, I made my move. I'm more excited than I've been in awhile, and the team at Netflix is the most forward thinking, alert group I've sat down with in ages. No offense to the Shahs Of Sunset.”
"The Internet has disrupted many of the conventions of traditional television and together with Chelsea Handler, Netflix is looking forward to reimagining the late night talk show for the on-demand generation, starting with the late night part,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.
"Chelsea has built a huge following on tour, on nightly TV and through her best-selling books, and we can't wait to introduce her breathtakingly honest and irreverent voice to our global membership," he added.
