Chelsea Handler sitcom debuts tonight

(CBS) The Chelsea Handler sitcom, "Are You There, Chelsea?" debuts tonight on NBC and so far the critics have not been kind.

The comedy, loosely based on Handler's book, "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea," has gotten mixed reviews from the critics, most of whom say the humor misses its mark.

Lara Prepon of "That '70s Show" plays Handler, the stand-up comic, author and TV personality, while Handler herself dons a dark wig to play her own sister.

Here is what some of the critics have to say about the show:

T.L. Stanley, The Los Angeles Times: "Much of the rest of what I've seen settles for shooting off rounds of bad and better jokes at the Gatling-gun pace of three-camera comedy. But there is room to hope."

Lori Rackl, Chicago Sun-Times: "Like the main character herself, the show is crude and rough around the edges, but you can see glimmers of potential."

Hank Stuever, The Washington Post: The show "is built from an astonishing number of cliches, given the real Handler's claim to unapologetically hard-edged fare. It's exactly the sort of stink pile that Handler would make insulting remarks about if such a show's star came on her talk show."

David Hinckley, New York Daily News: "The problem is the jokes. They're the same jokes that have propelled Handler to four best-selling books and a thriving standup comedy career, but on TV they need to add up to something more."