The Chair Company

In a year of thrilling dramas like Severance and Yellowjackets, in addition to the comedic masterpieces of Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal and Danny McBride’s The Righteous Gemstones, Tim Robinson’s new series The Chair Company blindsided me. By flawlessly combining the best elements of this year’s series, Robinson has created an absurd, thrilling, and hilarious mystery, bending genres to create the most interesting show currently on air.

Robinson’s comedy is, admittedly, not for everybody. It is over-the-top, unbearably cringeworthy, and often nonsensical. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, he has developed a dedicated cult following through the success of his sketch show I Think You Should Leave (2019—present), allowing him to perfect his comedic vision into his feature film Friendship (2024) and his first foray into prestige television. In past projects, Robinson has always been the butt of the joke, often playing the odd one out in an everyday situation. In The Chair Company, however, Robinson plays straight man Ron Trosper, a boss and family man in a world of absurd characters and conspiracies. While each scene could be its own self-contained sketch, Robinson manages to combine comedy and plot, creating scenes that still manage to move the plot along. Every episode is endlessly quotable, placing Trosper into ludicrous situations simply to see how he and his allies will react (I’m partial to episode five’s unhinged home invasion sequence). Even “blink and you’ll miss it” moments are hilarious, like Trosper texting an AI customer support bot “Fucker,” getting a confused response, and within a second responding “You’re a Fucker.” before closing the tab. The lovable yet zany side characters create a comedy playground for Robinson, an oddball world akin to David Lynch’s Twin Peaks (1990).

Despite its off-the-wall humor, the mystery at The Chair Company’s core is endlessly intriguing. Each revelation challenges your perception of the conspiracy, drawing you further into Trosper’s investigation of the titular company. The show can also be surprisingly profound, especially in Sophia Lillis’ touching performance of a daughter caught between her father’s obsessions. Ultimately, The Chair Company is a hilarious look into an enthralling mystery, making for television’s most captivating current phenomenon: a mystery endlessly entertaining to unravel.

---

Maxine Messina is a freshman in the College, planning to study Psychology and Music. Every Catholic knows she could've been Pope.