A late-night Netflix talk show? That’s what the company unveiled Thursday as part of a deal with Chelsea Handler, the star who is soon to exit from the E! cable network.
Netflix, the subscription streaming video service, has so far posted original series only in their entirety, not day by day or even week by week.
But Handler, a comic who has been public about seeking a new and different place after seven years at E!, has stood out as the only female host in the otherwise male-dominated world of late night.
Netflix’s multiyear deal with Handler centers on the new talk show, though it can’t be specifically called a late-night show because it will presumably be available at any time on Netflix.
The as-yet-untitled show will not start for more than a year, Netflix said. Handler will end her E! program, “Chelsea Lately,” on Aug. 26.
After Handler posted a picture of herself with a CBS programming book on her lap, labeling it a “business meeting,” CBS interpreted that as public relations designed to induce the network to include her among the candidates to succeed Craig Ferguson. Two days later, on Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime show, Handler said she’d never work for CBS because they would try to rein her in.