Chelsea Handler Plays Sister Instead of Self on New TV Show

Chelsea Handler has had a semi-autobiographical series in the works for quite some time now. It has seen a troubled development, but Are You There, Chelsea? is finally hitting the airwaves January 11th, 2012, which as of this posting is tomorrow. So what are we to expect from the famous comedienne?

Well, very little Chelsea Handler, for one.

The show stars That ’70s Show’s Laura Prepon as a young Handler around age 26, as a struggling writer and comedian. Handler herself, whose occupations include: standup comedian, author, actress, model, humorist, host and executive producer of both Chelsea Lately and After Lately, has just a little too much on her plate to be playing herself in a sitcom right now.

Kind of confusing, since this is sort of her show, sort of based on her life, with her name sort of in the title. But Handler isn’t out of the picture, you see. She will still have some involvement on Are You There, Chelsea?: a recurring role as her own older sister. Confusing? Said the comedienne herself:

“It’s a dream come true to have someone else portray me,” says Handler, “Because I’ve been living this life for a long time, and I’m over myself. It’s a pleasure to play my sister because everything I’ve accused her of my whole life, I can now re-enact before her eyes.”

Whoah… I like Chelsea Handler as much as the next guy, but that’s comedy tip-toed in a little too dark a direction for me. Like Freudian dark.

Anyway, Are You There, Chelsea? premieres Wednesday, Jan. 11 on NBC. Will you be tuning in?