Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea: Series Premiere

“Are you there, other cast members?  It’s me, Laura Prepon.”  That’s where I’m going to begin this review, with acknowledgement of the fact that I am reviewing a pilot which executives at NBC took a good, long look at and made some immediate changes to.  While this pilot certainly offers some promise, it also seemed to be lugging some dead weight and, back in July, NBC executives nixed a lot of that weight in the form of three cast members before proceeding into additional episodes.  One thing there is no doubt about is that Laura Prepon is great and always has been.  Yes, she is beautiful, but she also has that amazing “IT” factor that makes her onscreen charisma so intoxicating.  If she weren’t a great actress, she might get away with it because of that charm.  That said, it’s clear what executives at NBC saw as a problem here – her talents soar so high that it made her weaker supporting cast look even worse.  Going forward, hopefully that glaring problem will be solved because this pilot doesn’t otherwise fall short on laughs.

Are You There, Vodka?  It’s Me, Chelsea is adapted from the best selling book by late-night comedy hostess, Chelsea Handler.  While Handler takes a small role as older sister to the titular character played by Prepon, her joke writing ability has found its way into the dialogue throughout.  Some odd directing decisions, specifically at the very end of the episode, and cloudy story points made for a pilot that didn’t seem wholly safe from cancellation.  However, some great one-liners make for big laughs and with improved casting, could likely gain steady-footing off the strength of Prepon’s talent and Handler’s loyal female following.           

This pilot episode follows Prepon on the search for an apartment within walking distance to the bar where she slings drinks after losing her license to a DUI charge.  She also attempts to date – for better or worse – a Harvard educated gentleman with whom she has a lot in common.  Said gentleman also has a big mane of curly red hair and thus she battles her own shallow nature in pursuing the courtship.  The storylines are humorous and interesting, but characters like her screw-ball new roommate bring funny jokes without propelling the story into some morally satisfying place; they seem to be crammed into plots that didn’t need their help.  Believe it or not, even a great joke can be problematic to the big picture if it isn’t in line with the premise.  Yes, the roommate is quirky and weird and can benefit from Chelsea’s help.  That is made clear by two or three jokes, but it doesn’t really take us anywhere.  What else could there be?  Why not focus on one quirk, draw the comedy out of it and make it applicable to the arc of the episode?

With many of her supporting cast having been re-imagined, I suspect that executives identified Prepon’s capable ownership of her role and likely are backing away from the ensemble built around her to give her more space to shine.  The funniest moments come in her interactions with her family – her old sister (played by Handler) and her father (played by slim and healthy looking Lenny Clarke) – which will be recurring characters that writers can pour focus onto.  She also has great moments with her “love interest of the week” – in this case, the smarty pants fire crotch – so there seems to be room for a revolving door of fun guest appearances in that capacity.

The competition is fierce in the market of female-driven comedies this fall.  Two Broke Girls, Whitney, The New Girl and Are You There, Vodka?  It’s Me, Chelsea will be competing in an arena where likely only one – MAYBE two – can survive.  This series will be a midseason addition, which may help to find a launching pad clear of other competition, however, the trick for any of these new female-driven series will be attracting a male audience to fill out the ratings (and to be fair, the same challenge exists for a male-driven series to grab a female sector).  Prepon’s That 70’s Show clout and Handler’s current popularity will help NBC in the fight to emerge from that arena, but audiences will need to survive a rocky pilot that at times seems desperate to show the audience how funny it can be and identify the potential that may well be lurking at the bottom of the glass.