Are You There, Creativity?

   Before I begin, just know that I have never seen the show Are You There, Chelsea? which recently made it's debut on NBC primetime television. Therefore having not seen it yet, I have no opinion on the content, how it is written, the quality of the acting or the entertainment value it may or may not bring. However, judging from the title of this post, it's safe to assume I have some problem with it and I sort of do. It's most likely irrelevant to whether the show itself is enjoyable, but it is a major aspect of the show. I am talking of course about the choice of the main character's name and thereby the title of the series. What's wrong with the name Chelsea you ask? Nothing really, but in this case you could argue that it's a little misleading and confusing. 

   Are You There Chelsea? is a sitcom based on a book called 'Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea' written by comedian and late night talk show host Chelsea Handler. So far you may be thinking that this makes all the sense in the world, especially if you knew that Chelsea Handler herself has a role in this sitcom. The problem is, her role is not the main character named Chelsea. Instead she plays the sister of the Chelsea character, which is probably not impossible to overcome and should not affect the way the content of the show itself is judged, but why couldn't the main character have been named Kathy or Tina, or any other female name other than Chelsea? If you are a loyal fan or follower of Chelsea Handler's work, you would very likely understand that this show was based on her book not only because of the name of the show and it's similarity to the title of her book, but because of the fact that she also plays a character in it. On the other hand, if you don't know anything about Chelsea's book, you would have no idea that this sitcom is based on it regardless of the name of the main character.

   So we can rule out the idea that the character was named Chelsea so that it would be recognized as a sitcom based on her book. Effectively causing nothing but confusion and an unnecessary awkwardness. Again, I haven't seen the show and I am sure it can be successful in spite of what I think was a mistake in naming the main character, it just seems weird to be watching a show in which the real Chelsea will be referring and talking to a character named Chelsea. I would like to think that most audiences have the cognitive capacity to look past that. After all, we are comfortable with recognizing Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer along with countless other famous characters, but it might be a little bit of a process to remove 'Jack' from the brain the first couple of times you watch Kiefer in his new series, Touch.

   I'll admit it's a weak gripe to have with a show that I have never watched, my point is just that naming the character Chelsea brings no added benefit to the show and I would be curious to know and willing to bet that a majority of people that saw only a commercial for it, assumed that Chelsea Handler would be playing a character based on herself. I suppose there could be an initial draw there, but I would think that if you are a fan of Chelsea Handler, you would tune in to a show that she was involved with regardless of the character's name. Plus, if the show is bad, it won't really matter. That being said, if the show is good it won't matter either, I just wonder why they would risk the potential for confusion even if it turns out to be insignificant.