--- title: "The Chair Company: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-chair-company/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/the-chair-company" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 6 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): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 6 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 2025. 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 the review](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 Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 2025. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2025/tv/tv-reviews/the-chair-company-review-hbo-tim-robinson-1236543774/) ## Radio Times — Huw Fullerton Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-rvladr/the-chair-company/) ## Empire — Beth Webb 24 October 2025. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/the-chair-company/) ## IndieWire — Ben Travers 9 October 2025. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/the-chair-company-review-tim-robinson-hbo-series-1235154393/) ## The Times — Carol Midgley Rating ★★★★☆. 13 October 2025. 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 the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/chair-company-television-tv-review-tim-robinson-sky-now-wk0ncqxj8) ## Vulture 9 October 2025. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-chair-company-tim-robinson-hbo-series-review.html) ## Consequence Rating B+. 9 October 2025. 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 the review](https://consequence.net/2025/10/the-chair-company-review-tim-robinson/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 8/10. 9 October 2025. 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 the review](https://collider.com/the-chair-company-review-hbo-tim-robinson/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 8/10. 9 October 2025. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1991662/the-chair-company-tim-robinson-hbo-series-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/the-chair-company.md