Entertainment

'Chelsea' Is Opening Netflix University

by Kaitlin Reilly

I was a big fan of Chelsea Handler's late night talk show Chelsea Lately and was pretty bummed when she announced that she was ending the E! series to focus on other projects. After all, what could be better than Handler throwing shade at Justin Bieber so subtly that even the Biebs himself would find it difficult to pick up on? Apparently, Handler on Netflix. The comedian is trying something totally new with her brand-new show, which follows her documentary series Chelsea Does. Her new Netflix series, titled Chelsea , begins streaming May 11, and features interviews, travel segments, and a whole lot more still to be uncovered. But there's one segment from Chelsea that may have fans and potential viewers curious. What is Netflix University? It sounds like the perfect way to get educated through streaming.

The term Netflix University was spotted on the press release for the very first episode of Handler's upcoming series. It reads:

Chelsea created this talk show to get the college education she never had, so for her series opener, she’s tackling the topic of education with guests Drew Barrymore, Pitbull and U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King. The episode will close with a special Netflix University segment.

Handler has also released the synopsis for several other episodes within her half-hour series, but the first episode is the only one to mention the term. That suggests that the Netflix University segment might be confined solely to the Chelsea episode about education. It also means that viewers are at a loss for what the term actually means — though we certainly can speculate.

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Netflix University could be a tongue-in-cheek way for Chelsea to school viewers on a particular subject. As mentioned in the press release, Handler did not attend college, but perhaps she's considering this Netflix program her own kind of university experience. The segment could show Handler learning about life through a variety of Netflix programs. Perhaps her version of "Business 101" is just marathoning Narcos.

Of course, this segment doesn't have to be a joke at all — it could be a portion of the premiere that has Handler interviewing people who work for Netflix and create its original programming. The "university" could mean that Handler will be getting schooled about the streaming service from the people who work there.

Handler's new show could be her most innovative work yet. Here's hoping that Netflix University and the rest of the segments coming to Chelsea entertain fans just as much as the segments on Chelsea Lately did — and maybe even teach us a few things too.