Netflix is the new cable.
Chelsea Handler has signed a deal with Netflix to move her talk show to the streaming service, Netflix announced Thursday.
Netflix says the company signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Handler, and the show will launch in early 2016. It will stream in every region where Netflix has subscribers, but details about the show’s format and how the show will be available to subscribers have not yet been announced.
This marks a new age for Netflix, currently on a high after the much-buzzed second season of “Orange Is the New Black,” giving the service a topical comedy show and shaking up the TV landscape some more.
Handler’s E! show, “Chelsea Lately,” will broadcast its last show on August 26. Handler, currently the only woman on the late-night circuit, was reportedly talking to Netflix and TV networks about a new outlet for her edgy routines before the announcement about “Chelsea Lately” ending.
In a statement with Netflix, Handler said “I knew I had to do something outside the box to keep myself interested. I wanted to sit with the cool kids at lunch, so I approached Netflix to make sure they were as cool as I thought they were, and when I confirmed my suspicious, like with any other future lover, I made my move.”
Handler will also perform a stand-up show on Netflix this year and four specials for the service next year with producers Tom Brunelle and Brad Wollack, two of the executive producers of “Chelsea Lately.” The first of those shows that will be shown on Netflix is being taped Friday in Chicago, and will premiere on Oct. 10, according to CNN.
