Chelsea Handler has had a pretty solid run since ending her show on E! and making the jump to Netflix, and now that she's wrapped her talk show Chelsea for the service, she's making more big moves. Handler signed a first-look producing deal with Universal Television and Universal Television Alternative Studio, which will put her back in the fold with her former employer, NBCUniversal. The deal will put Handler on the development side of some shows for the NBC family, but still allow her to work with Netflix, where she is already hard at work on a new docu-series.
Chelsea Handler's production deal includes both scripted and unscripted programming, and while Handler has nothing unscripted she's a part of at the moment, she's already tagged as an executive producer on a couple dramas. Handler is on the job and listed as an executive producer for the upcoming Hulu dramedy Unspeakable, as well as the TNT drama I Hate The Internet. Deadline reported Handler received praise from her new partners, Universal Television and Universal Television Alternative Studio, with the top brass in each company stating that Handler's creativity and ability to make people laugh are driving factors behind the two studios wishing to snag her up.
The reasons the NBCU companies wanted Chelsea Handler back are the exact same reasons she exited the brand years ago. After leaving E! in 2014, Handler put the network on blast in the media and stated she wasn't a fan of the network's executives never being able to think big. Handler also stated that she felt like she had "no creative license," while under NBCU's umbrella, as jokes were constantly thrown out due to potential conflicts with advertisers. Handler's change of heart perhaps proves that time really does heal all wounds, or, perhaps the network is now ready to stand behind the comedian more after seeing the success she's experienced elsewhere.
Though Chelsea Handler's Netflix series Chelsea has concluded, she'll still have a working relationship with Netflix. Handler is currently making another original docu-series for the platform, which will focus on the subject of white privilege. Handler's continued work with Netflix might be enough to scratch that creative itch she felt denied of when she was at E!, which might make any liberties lost by making her way back into cable a little easier to take. Handler didn't address any of her past remarks in her statement regarding the deal, and sounds very eager to jump into working with others to bring her creative flair to their projects:
"I've spent most of my life telling personal stories about myself. Whether it's been through comedy or books, everything has been about my life. I'm excited to have this opportunity to work with NBCUniversal and put my focus and energy into telling other people's stories and developing entertaining content all around."
For now, Chelsea Handler seems to be working behind the scenes for Universal, so the best place to check her out on a consistent basis is still Netflix. For a look at upcoming programming in 2018, be sure to visit our midseason premiere guide as well as our summer premiere guide.
