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Are You There, Chelsea?A guide · fact-checked November 2026
For one season in 2012, Laura Prepon carried a network sitcom of her own, playing a fictionalized version of Chelsea Handler built from Handler's best-selling memoir.
The show
Are You There, Chelsea? was an NBC sitcom that ran from January to March 2012. It was adapted from Chelsea Handler's 2008 best-seller Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, and in fact first carried that longer title, a play on Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Her role
Prepon stars as Chelsea Newman, a hard-partying bartender who, after a DUI, resolves to turn her life around, starting by moving into an apartment nearer the sports bar where she works. It was a true lead role, carrying the show rather than supporting it.
Based on the memoir
The series drew on the comical stories of Handler's early twenties. Handler herself appears in it, playing Chelsea's sister, Sloane, an unusual arrangement with the author cast opposite the character based on her.
One and done
NBC cancelled the show in May 2012 after a single season of twelve episodes. Short-lived, but it sits as a rare starring sitcom vehicle for Prepon between That '70s Show and her reinvention as Alex Vause.
Frequently asked questions
Who did Laura Prepon play in Are You There, Chelsea?
Chelsea Newman, the show's lead, a bartender trying to turn her life around after a DUI.
What is Are You There, Chelsea? based on?
Chelsea Handler's 2008 best-selling memoir Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.
How many seasons of Are You There, Chelsea? were there?
One, with 12 episodes. NBC cancelled it in 2012.
Did Chelsea Handler appear in the show?
Yes. Handler played Chelsea Newman's sister, Sloane.
Read next
- Donna Pinciotti — her That '70s Show breakout.
- October Road — her ABC drama lead.
- Full Filmography — every credit in one place.