Oh, hello. Chelsea Handler is back with the second season of her Netflix Original talk show, and it has a new format. Now we get to spend an hour with her on Friday nights. With the change in run-time, the interviews are going to be more in-depth and there will be more time to dig deeper into issues. The show struggled to find a consistent format in its first season. Some things worked better than others.
Always candid, Chelsea’s first month seems to be Netflix’s answer to Bill Maher or even Dennis Miller (remember that show?). It’s very political, but that was to be expected. Chelsea Handler is very politically active and the United States is currently embroiled in a political landscape that is quite caustic and unescapable. That doesn’t mean there is no fun going on. There have already been lots of A-list guests, dinner parties, and a whole lot of learning. Because that was her original goal. I’m very excited at the direction the show has been taking. A Friday night talk show on Netflix with fresh voices, stars, and information about things that matter? YES, PLEASE. I already look forward to it on Friday nights.
Let’s get to recapping:
April was a shorter month and an introduction to the new format, so a brief overview:
She makes her return with a fun piece with Adam Sandler getting her gussied up and ready for her new season. She takes no time diving right into Trump and everything that has been happening since she was away. Each episode has a touch of the crazy that happened that week. Here’s a quick rundown of the guests:
April 14th
- Melissa McCarthy and husband Ben Falcone and the cast of Nobodies
- Van Jones, Host of The Messy Truth
- Matt Walsh, press secretary on Veep (HBO)
The cast of Nobodies
April 21st
- Charlize Theron, Executive Producer of Netflix Original Girlboss
- Congresswoman Linda Sanchez and Philanthropist Tom Steyer, founder NextGen Climate
- Kumail Nanjiani, Silicon Valley (HBO)
- Martellus Bennett, Green Bay Packers
Charlize Theron, Chelsea Handler
April 28th
- Rosario Dawson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Aisha Tyler
- Rob and Nate Corrdray
Ladies and the Trump
The Month of May
May 5th – Dinner Party: Getting Schooled
Focus: Education
Guests: Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones, Gaby Hoffmann, Mary McCormack, Former Education Secretary John B. King
It’s a dinner party! The setting we love the most. Chelsea and guests discuss education. It’s a very interesting discussion about public versus privatized education. They also touch on teachers who have affected them throughout the years. And I don’t want to give anything away, but there’s a hilarious vagina story.
Chelsea then meets with Former Education Secretary John B. King for a talk about charter schools and voucher programs.
Next Chelsea sits down with Fred Martin, Urban Entertainment Institute. They discuss arts and education.
Gaby Hoffmann discusses education in America.
May 12th – Answer Me This
Topics: New movies in theaters, government, and time travel.
Guests: Chris Pratt, Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Wanda Sykes, Rep. Adam Schiff, and Neil deGrasse Tyson
Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn and Wanda Sykes join Chelsea to gab about their new movie Snatched. They also read quotes from each other’s books and try to guess who wrote what.
The ladies discuss their new movie and hang with non-racist dog Tammy. (You’re out, Chunk.)
Chelsea then sits down with director James Gunn and Chris Pratt for an interview about the New Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, but they guys are only allowed to give one word answers.
It’s harder than it looks, people.
Next, we get to the grit of the show. Chelsea welcomes a member of the House Intelligence Committee, U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff. They discuss Trump, Comey, Russia and conflicts of interests. The word of the day is collusion. They also touch on healthcare and how the vote affects us all.
After some commentary, Chelsea welcomes Neil deGrasse Tyson, everyone’s favorite expert on smart things. They discuss his new book on time travel.
Smarty McSmarterson teaches Chelsea about time travel and science.
May 19th – Scientologists and Pirates and Aliens, Oh My
Focus: Aliens—human and otherwise.
Guests: Leah Remini, Geoffrey Rush, and Danny McBride
Chelsea begins the show by welcoming Ivanka Trump on to defend her new book. No. You know that didn’t happen. But Fortune Feimster was on as Ivanka and it was fun. I wish she was on every episode.
Next Geoffrey Rush joins Chelsea on the couch. They talk a bit about the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but, most interestingly, they delve into his new show on National Geographic called Genius. Rush plays Albert Einstein. It’s the first scripted show for that network, produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.
Danny McBride sits down with Chelsea and they discuss the new Ridley Scott movie Alien Covenant. McBride is so affable, he’s a great interview. And he’s from Virginia which, you know, makes me love that part of the interview about his accent since that’s my hood.
I’m going to have nightmares from this Name The Monster quiz.
Chelsea then sits down with the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg and a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives Beth Fukumoto for a chat about Trump, interment, and party lines.
Chelsea then goes bowling with Trump supporters to see if they can change her mind. It’s good to hear another perspective.
Leah Remini then joins Chelsea at the desk to talk about her new docuseries Scientology and the Aftermath. They discuss how Scientology has affected their friendship, what it’s about, and how Remini left the church.
Leah Remini and Chelsea talk Scientology policy and long nails.
May 26th – Beauty Pageants, Black-ish and Going Broke
Topics: New movies in theaters, minimum wage, and fake news.
Guest: Priyanka Chopra, Anthony Anderson, and Sen. Elizabeth Warner
Priyanka Chopra sits on the couch to talk about the new Baywatch reboot and self-esteem.
Next is a hilarious bit that is very timely and very true about addiction to the news. I think we all may be teetering on that edge.
Next up: host of ABC’s To Tell The Truth Anthony Anderson hits the couch and they discuss his many TV shows.
Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross on Blackish, ABC
Chelsea then heads to D.C. and has coffee with U.S. Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren. Her new book is This Fight is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America’s Middle Class. They discuss poverty, minimum wage, and the Walmart cycle. It’s an inspiring interview.
Senator Elizabeth Warren
The last part of the show deals with fake news. I think we could all stand a lesson in this. We have to Google our news now! Senior Correspondent for the Daily Show Hasan Minhaj stops by the desk to break it all down. By the way, he has a brand new stand-up special on Netflix that’s pretty great. You should check it out.
What are your thoughts on Chelsea? Let me know in the comments!
