Tim Robinson may have crafted his best TV series yet with The Chair Company, an HBO show that snuck under the radar. The actor, writer, and comedian is best known for his Netflix sketch comedy series, I Think You Should Leave, but as has been the case with other recent HBO classics like Barry and The Rehearsal, Tim Robinson proves that comedic writers are capable of some of the most thought-provoking shows on TV.
No matter how it might’ve flown under your radar, The Chair Company is far more than another silly dose of Robinson’s anxiety-infused blustering. While boasting the hallmarks of his many sketches, the show also has something more fascinating at its core. HBO’s latest thriller embraces so many absurdities that it’s almost scary how real it becomes.
What Is 'The Chair Company'?
Tim Robinson sitting in front of a computer from The Chair Company.
HBO
In The Chair Company, Tim Robinson plays Ron Trosper, a project manager working at a property development firm. Though he has a family at home and a big responsibility with finishing a mall, he’s deeply insecure. The mundane nature of his home and office life has made him stress out about the most minor things, from the definition of a mall to the softness of his pillow.
One problem that Ron won’t let go of is a faulty chair that embarrasses him during a presentation. While the accident doesn’t injure him, he does look into where the chairs were developed, leading him down a rabbit hole of a conspiracy.
Is HBO's ‘The Chair Company’ a Comedy or Thriller?
Tim-Robinson holding a wine glass from The Chair Company
HBO
The story within The Chair Company is treated tongue-in-cheek with its thriller plot. Robinson presents his usual loud blustering and ridiculous expression, but for a character genuinely stricken with insecurity. Within the story, Ron truly believes he’s caught up in a conspiracy thriller of shadowy schemes and sinister forces. It’s hilarious how he proceeds, and terrifying how right he might be.
Throughout the first season, Ron’s investigation into the elusive Tecca company is deliberately disorienting. He’ll uncover common clues like fake websites with stock photos, but also absurd ones like random pornographic photos and a giant red ball. Ron’s life outside the mystery is also weirdly chaotic as he tries to navigate his ambitious wife’s business venture, his alcoholic son, and his daughter's marriage to a food photographer.
Without spoiling anything, The Chair Company never offers up any easy answers, fluctuating between simplistic spats and cryptic connections, possibly saving them for the second season, as confirmed by Variety. There is this clawing nature to how Robinson fights back the fear of life being too dull, almost hoping that there’s a secret operation pulling the strings. It can’t just be that Ron sat in a flimsy chair; somebody must’ve made that chair faulty for a specific purpose. If Tecca didn’t make Ron look bad, maybe everything was actually his fault, a scary thought he battles with his blistering behavior.
Much like Friendship, which explored the darkly comedic aspects of men struggling in friendships, The Chair Company centers on men who desire a conspiracy. Ron connects with similar men whose lives are unfulfilled and packed with uncertainty. The mildly ambiguous conclusion suggests that there might be a conspiracy at play, but that it’s far more petty than ambitious. That’s what makes The Chair Company so brilliant; it’s a thriller that doesn’t turn away from the absurd pitfalls of the genre, but embraces them with a smile so wide that it’s creepy.
Tim Robinson’s Familiar Comedy Touches
Tim Robinson in glasses from The Chair Company.
HBO
The Chair Company was created by Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin, the comedic duo behind Robinson’s notable TV series Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave. The show has that same absurd vibe with the wild characters Ron encounters. Leads and suspects range from the lonely security guard Mike (Joseph Tudisco), who listens to profanity-poetry podcasts, to the drunk Scrooge actor Oliver (Alberto Isaac), paying for booze and drugs with prop money. Even the locations investigated are ridiculous, spanning from a men’s clothing store with an awkward club to a tavern where the most aggressive patron dips his elbows in soup.
Robinson’s show plays like a series of stringed-together skits with every episode offering up another unexpected detour. In the same way that I Think You Should Leave finds characters obsessing over small and strange quirks, The Chair Company boasts many of the usual suspects. Some characters will start fights over a Wendy’s ad, while others will get emotional over a pornographic version of A Christmas Carol. It’s all very amusing, but there’s something more that lurks under the comedic surface. A major connection between The Chair Company and I Think You Should Leave lies in their shared existential dread and social awkwardness. Nearly every skit in I Think You Should Leave involves somebody trying and failing to grapple with their own public perception and insecurities. The fear of death also punctuates the sketches, considering how many times the show mentions skeletons.
The Chair Company features the same anxieties as Ron navigates his ho-hum office job and his surreal investigation on the side. As the show continues, the audience learns more about Ron’s past failures that led him to what feels like a suburban prison. While Ron might crave answers about the chair company, what he really wants is not to think that his life was a waste and that he’ll die boring.
