NBC’s new sitcom “Are You There, Chelsea?” has left me asking at the end of each episode, “Are you there, comedy?”

Despite being based off the hilarious memoirs of comedian Chelsea Handler, the show fell short of my high expectations. Shorter than Handler’s “little nugget” Chuy, you could say. As someone who religiously watches Handler’s late night E! talk show “Chelsea Lately,” I undeniably love her blunt and generally crude sense of humor. But the reason her humor works is because she knows how to deliver lines and improvise like no other.

Sadly, Handler does not even play herself in the new show to deliver her own lines. Instead, Laura Prepon of “That ’70s Show” struggles to adapt to the role of a young, boozy and promiscuous Chelsea. Despite Prepon’s indisputable talent as an actress, her demeanor comes off as too reserved to channel Handler’s risqué sense of humor and way of life. The canned laugh track after each ill-delivered pun does not help her performance much, either.

Just as disappointing is the other odd group of characters who make up the show. First, there is Chelsea’s bartender co-worker who seems to serve no real purpose other than eye candy and occasional sexual retorts. Then there is Chelsea’s best friend who does an even worse job at delivering the risqué lines than Prepon. Finally, there is Chelsea’s socially awkward roommate whose straight-laced personality struggles to mesh with the rest of the show’s sarcastic and promiscuous atmosphere.

The one saving grace of the show is none other than Chelsea Handler herself. Oddly, Handler plays her own older, born-again Christian sister, Sloane. Handler manages to stay in character yet still improvise the witty one-liners her fans have come to know and love. Even though she disguises herself with a brown wig and unassuming clothes, Handler cannot help but steal the spotlight from Prepon with her unmistakable humor anytime she is onscreen. Unfortunately, onscreen time is far too limited to truly keep the show from falling flat.

“Are You There, Chelsea?” is a show with a lot of potential and an already solid fan base, and I know I will keep tuning in optimistically each week. Maybe it just needs some time to lift off like most new shows. At any rate, it seems clear the sitcom will need to rely on more of Handler’s acting and not just Handler’s writing to do just that.

So I dare ask: Are you there, Chelsea Handler? Because you need to be more visible onscreen if you ever want your own show to succeed.