--- title: "The Chair Company" year: 2025 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-chair-company" fi1m_id: "the-chair-company" imdb_id: "tt31987295" tmdb_id: 271267 wikidata_id: "Q135412257" fi1m_score: 80 critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-09-11" updated: "2026-09-11T22:50:58.072969+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Chair Company (2025) Created by Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin · MPA TV-MA · Comedy, Drama, Mystery ## Identity The Chair Company - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/the-chair-company - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** the-chair-company - **IMDb ID:** tt31987295 - **TMDB ID:** 271267 - **Wikidata ID:** Q135412257 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31987295/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/271267, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135412257 **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 76 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* One broken office chair, eight episodes, and a man determined to make his embarrassment everybody else’s problem > Tim Robinson takes a broken office chair personally in this funny, unsettling comedy. Some scenes prolong the embarrassment beyond the joke, but his performance and a strong supporting cast make the investigation worth following. ## Synopsis When an office chair breaks, William Ronald ‘Ron’ Trosper (Tim Robinson) takes the humiliation personally and pursues the company behind it. What begins as a workplace grievance draws him towards a suspected conspiracy, as a routine complaint grows into an investigation he struggles to keep separate from the rest of his life. The series moves between workplace comedy and mystery, with Ron increasingly preoccupied by what might be happening beneath the surface of ordinary encounters. Lake Bell plays Barb Trosper, alongside Sophia Lillis as Natalie Trosper and Will Price as Seth Trosper. ## Review Tim Robinson’s Ron Trosper responds to a humiliating office incident by pursuing the company that made the chair involved. *The Chair Company* follows him from workplace comedy into a conspiracy thriller, and the change suits his refusal to let the matter drop. We recommend it for Robinson’s relentless performance and the unease of its ordinary surroundings, with a warning about how long some of the embarrassment lasts. This is an eight-episode series built around a complaint that most people would prefer to forget. Robinson makes Ron’s insecurity funny without making his persistence easy to sit through. We laughed at the broken-chair humiliation, then felt uncomfortable as he pursued it with such determination. His eagerness to find something wrong outside himself makes each new encounter harder to shrug off, and Robinson never lets the original embarrassment feel safely behind him. An awkward man trying to recover a little dignity is familiar comedy, but Robinson gives him enough force to make a longer investigation seem plausible. The writing team, which includes Robinson and Zach Kanin, gives him odd people to collide with and dialogue precise enough to make their encounters more than repeated complaints. Lake Bell, as Barb Trosper, helps keep the supporting cast from feeling like a queue of people waiting to be overwhelmed by the lead. Her performance gives us someone else worth attending to when Ron’s behaviour dominates the series. That matters in a programme so dependent on the same man’s discomfort. Directors Andrew DeYoung and Aaron Schimberg understand that the conspiracy needs to be unsettling if Ron’s search is going to hold our attention. Ashley Connor’s cinematography helps make everyday surroundings feel sinister, without requiring us to believe that Ron has understood them correctly. The production design by Jason Singleton and Rocio Gimenez gives that unease an appropriately ordinary setting, keeping the odd characters close to recognisable surroundings. Those settings make the increasingly strange encounters harder to dismiss, and help the series sustain its darker tone. Keegan DeWitt’s music supports that darker tone, although the series needs little help making Robinson’s encounters uncomfortable. The editing by Stacy Moon and Andrew Fitzgerald lets the awkwardness linger, which can make an exchange funny well beyond the point of good manners. It can also leave a scene still insisting on its awkwardness after the joke has landed. Across the season, that habit becomes the main drawback: stretches of the investigation seem to prolong Ron’s agitation rather than give him something substantially different to do. The conspiracy thriller proves a useful choice of genre for a man like Ron: it makes his refusal to stop seem briefly reasonable. The comedy is strongest when his insecurity remains recognisable, even as the people around him become harder to account for. Those expecting a tidy succession of clues may find his repeated discomfort an obstruction, and the series will not persuade everyone to enjoy it. For anyone who likes social embarrassment played with this much conviction, though, it earns the longer form. Try it in company, preferably with someone who knows when to stop pursuing a complaint. *Fi1m score 80, published 11 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to The Chair Company, with praise centred on Tim Robinson’s performance and the way his comedy of social discomfort expands into a conspiracy thriller. The reviews highlight the absurd supporting characters, sinister everyday settings and tension that develops from an ordinary workplace humiliation. Robinson’s eccentricity remains the main attraction, but the supporting cast and the increasingly strange mystery also earn credit for giving the premise enough substance to sustain a series. Reservations cluster around pacing and appetite for prolonged embarrassment, rather than the quality of individual jokes. Radio Times finds plenty to enjoy but considers the sustained cringe drawn out compared with shorter sketches. Variety sees the series as rewarding existing Robinson fans without winning over newcomers, while Collider finds the humour holds across a full season. The consensus is positive, with disagreement chiefly over how well this comic style withstands the longer format. ## Straight answers **Is The Chair Company worth watching?** *The Chair Company* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys social embarrassment played at length and with conviction, and we scored it 80. Tim Robinson's relentless performance and the unsettling ordinariness of the conspiracy carry eight episodes, though some scenes prolong the awkwardness well after the joke has landed. Those wanting a tidy trail of clues may find Ron's discomfort an obstruction. **How long is The Chair Company, and what is it rated?** *The Chair Company* is rated TV-MA by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and drama series. **Where can I watch The Chair Company in the US?** *The Chair Company* is streaming on HBO Max, Hulu, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to buy from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Chair Company, and is it suitable for children?** *The Chair Company* is certified 15 in the UK and TV-MA in the US, so it is not for children. The discomfort here is social rather than violent: the series makes everyday surroundings feel sinister and lets embarrassment linger past the point of good manners. Older teenagers who can sit through prolonged awkwardness will manage; the squeamish about humiliation may not. **How does The Chair Company compare to After Hours?** *The Chair Company* and [*After Hours*](https://film.one/film/after-hours) both follow an agitated man who cannot escape a predicament of his own making, but Scorsese's film is the tighter of the two, done in 97 minutes where the series takes eight episodes. The film is the more sharply made; the series gives Robinson's insecurity more room and a stronger supporting cast, at the cost of some stretches that repeat rather than develop. Choose the film for pace, the series for sustained squirming. **What should I watch after The Chair Company?** After *The Chair Company*, try [*After Hours*](https://film.one/film/after-hours) (1985, Fi1m 80): Another agitated man discovers that an ordinary evening can become difficult to escape. Then [*Playtime*](https://film.one/film/playtime) (1967, Fi1m 88): Patient visual comedy finds endless trouble in supposedly efficient modern surroundings; and [*A Serious Man*](https://film.one/film/a-serious-man) (2009, Fi1m 84): A reasonable demand for explanations becomes funny, painful and increasingly hard to satisfy. ### Reviews we read (10) - **The Guardian** (80/100, inferred): Tim Robinson is hilarious as a man hellbent on taking down a negligent chair manufacturer in this cringe caper full of roaringly good slapstick. The series starts as a workplace comedy before sprawling into mystery/thriller territory and is an ideal vehicle for Robinson’s comic gifts. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/oct/13/the-chair-company-review-tim-robinson-office-rage-comedy-massive-stupid-laughs) - **Variety**, Alison Herman (70/100, inferred): The critic portrays Robinson’s comedy as polarizing yet effective here, as the series expands his signature social unease and eccentric world-building into an eight-episode HBO show full of off-kilter characters and sinister everyday settings. It rewards existing fans without converting new ones. [Read](https://variety.com/2025/tv/tv-reviews/the-chair-company-review-hbo-tim-robinson-1236543774/) - **Radio Times**, Huw Fullerton (65/100, inferred): The review describes the series as an extended I Think You Should Leave sketch that delivers plenty of funny characters and gags from Robinson and Kanin, while noting that the sustained cringeworthy situations can feel drawn out compared to shorter sketches. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-rvladr/the-chair-company/) - **Empire**, Beth Webb: The critic calls it one of the year’s most bracingly hilarious shows, praising Robinson’s relentless, eccentric performance as a middle-management man spiraling into conspiracy after a humiliating chair incident. The darker tone, oddball supporting cast, and well-crafted tension stand out as strengths. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/the-chair-company/) - **IndieWire**, Ben Travers: The series is a superb, riveting HBO rabbit hole where a simple complaint spirals into an elusive conspiracy. Travers praises the uncanny comedy and hypnotic narrative from the I Think You Should Leave creators. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/the-chair-company-review-tim-robinson-hbo-series-1235154393/) - **The Times**, Carol Midgley (★★★★☆): It is quite something to build an entire comedy series around a broken office chair, but Tim Robinson turns a mundane office occurrence into a crazed theatre of the absurd. This comedy might not be to everyone’s taste and at times it feels stretched too thinly, but it has many layers and deserves plaudits for being utterly original. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/chair-company-television-tv-review-tim-robinson-sky-now-wk0ncqxj8) - **Vulture**: The show is a rich text for Tim Robinson fans, expanding his signature sensibility into a serialized conspiracy thriller with Lynchian dread and emotional coherence. The critic highlights its evocative, weird, and captivating quality for those attuned to its frequency of discomfort. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-chair-company-tim-robinson-hbo-series-review.html) - **Consequence** (B+): Robinson adapts his unique comedic voice to a conspiracy thriller format while staying true to his eccentric style. It singles out the precise dialogue and strong supporting performances, especially Lake Bell, for sustaining the season's weird energy. [Read](https://consequence.net/2025/10/the-chair-company-review-tim-robinson/) - **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (8/10): The show is one of the most offbeat and outlandish of the year, successfully stretching Robinson's antics across a full narrative season. It singles out the consistent humor and strange adventure for making it worth watching. [Read](https://collider.com/the-chair-company-review-hbo-tim-robinson/) - **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (8/10): The series is a hilarious dark comedy that reflects modern conspiracy thinking through Robinson's signature insecure characters. It singles out the absurd supporting characters and paranoia-tinged humor for making the deranged premise compelling. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1991662/the-chair-company-tim-robinson-hbo-series-review/) ## Details - **Created by:** Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin - **Creator:** Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin - **Director:** Andrew DeYoung, Aaron Schimberg - **Writer:** Zach Kanin, Tim Robinson, John Solomon, Gary Richardson, Sarah Schneider, Marika Sawyer - **Cinematography:** Ashley Connor - **Editor:** Stacy Moon, Andrew Fitzgerald - **Music:** Keegan DeWitt - **Production design:** Jason Singleton, Rocio Gimenez - **Costume design:** Nicole Jescinth Smith - **Producer:** Teddy Au - **Cast:** Tim Robinson as William Ronald 'Ron' Trosper; Lake Bell as Barb Trosper; Sophia Lillis as Natalie Trosper; Will Price as Seth Trosper; Joseph Tudisco as Mike Santini; Lou Diamond Phillips as Jeff Levjman; Eileen Noonan as Rochelle Westidge; Jim Downey as Douglas - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA - **Release (the US):** 12 October 2025 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, Mystery - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0lDMHAGDnU ## Where to watch in the US - HBO Max: streaming, uhd - Hulu: add-on, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy, hd - Apple TV: buy, hd *Checked 2026-09-11.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IS, IT, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *After Hours* (1985), Fi1m 80: Another agitated man discovers that an ordinary evening can become difficult to escape. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/after-hours.md) - *Playtime* (1967), Fi1m 88: Patient visual comedy finds endless trouble in supposedly efficient modern surroundings. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/playtime.md) - *The Bothersome Man* (2006): A suspiciously orderly society makes everyday comfort feel unpleasantly close to confinement. - *The Curse* (2023): Social embarrassment and creeping dread make even a polite conversation hard to endure. - *A Serious Man* (2009), Fi1m 84: A reasonable demand for explanations becomes funny, painful and increasingly hard to satisfy. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-serious-man.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/the-chair-company