Watch Are You There, Chelsea?

Are You There, Chelsea? is an American sitcom television series that premiered on NBC on January 11, 2012. The show follows the life of Chelsea Newman, a 20-something bartender who lives in New Jersey and has a reputation for partying hard, drinking a lot and sleeping around. The show's creator, Chelsea Handler, loosely based the main character on her own experiences before she became a successful comedian and talk show host.

Chelsea Newman is portrayed by the wonderful Laura Prepon of "That '70s Show" fame. Jake McDorman, Lauren Lapkus, Lenny Clarke, Ali Wong, Mark Povinelli and Natasha Leggero round out the ensemble cast in a show that tackles topics such as alcoholism, drug use, relationships, and identity. The show derived its name from the book titled “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea” by Handler.

As previously mentioned, Chelsea Newman is a young bartender who lives with her best friend, Olivia (played by Ali Wong), and begrudgingly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, often making fun of herself and the people in the group for the lack of self-awareness. Although she doesn’t take her own substance abuse problems seriously, she often lends her ear and wit to others who need someone to listen in the group, including her newly sober sister Sloane (played by Stefanie Black).

Chelsea works at a sports bar as a bartender, and is friends with several of her co-workers including Rick (played by Jake McDorman) and Todd (played by Mark Povinelli), who are always around to drink with her and get into usual bar banter. Chelsea's father, Melvin (played by Lenny Clarke), is a tough, no-nonsense Irish guy who is a constant presence in her life, often filling the role of a father figure, friend and confidant.

Lauren Lapkus plays Dee Dee, Chelsea’s new roommate who is desperate to be her best friend, while Natasha Leggero plays her “fancy” uptight boss who constantly irritates Chelsea with her high expectations and unrealistic demands at work.

The show is known for its raunchy humor and situational comedy. While it is a far cry from the family-friendly shows that dominated network television at that time, it is no less entertaining. If anything, it's a refreshing change of pace from the usual formulaic sitcoms.

Despite the sharp humor and excellent performances by the cast, the show failed to garner a strong audience and was cancelled after one season, with only 12 episodes being aired. There are a few reasons why it failed – some critics thought the show was trying to be edgy and controversial just for the sake of it, while others felt that the writing was weak and that the characters were not fully developed.

Nevertheless, Are You There, Chelsea? is still worth a watch for fans of the cast and fans of Handler’s work. It's a show that finds humor in mistakes and imperfections and manages to do so in a way that is both lighthearted and dark at the same time. The performances are solid, and the writing is clever enough to keep you engaged throughout the short-lived series.

Overall, if you're looking for a fresh comedic take on life's ups and downs, and enjoy a bit of edginess in your humor, then Are You There, Chelsea? might just be the show for you.