The Chair Company premiere puts the spotlight on Tim Robinson - fans wonder "how a person can be this funny"

Tim Robinson's latest HBO comedy, The Chair Company, has been a great success, bringing laughter and baffling viewers at the same time.

The series was released on October 12, 2025, and in no time, it became one of the most-watched comedy debuts on HBO in over five years, attracting 1.4 million viewers on all platforms within just three days.

The 8-episode series, co-created by Robinson with his longtime collaborator Zach Kanin, combines various elements, including workplace embarrassment, paranoia, and bizarre conspiracies, to offer the audience a humorous and unconventional perspective on modern life.

Tim Robinson stars in the show as William Ronald “Ron” Trosper, a project manager for mall construction who finds his life to be in shambles when an important office presentation is interrupted by a chair’s collapse. What initially was an embarrassing incident gradually escalates to an obsessive investigation of Tecca Chairs, which is a mysterious company that is somehow at the center of a bizarre web of lies.

Among the supporting actors are Lake Bell, Sophia Lillis, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Will Price. The show illustrates Robinson's ability to create chaos and humor out of daily troubles.

The Chair Company greatly benefits from the combination of the deep and cringe humor of I Think You Should Leave with the uncanny tone of Severance. As the plot unfolds, Robinson’s unpredictability as a creator of comedy for television is clearly demonstrated.

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Fans react to Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company

The premiere of The Chair Company has caused a stir among the fans who have taken over the social media channels to express their appreciation for Tim Robinson's newest experiment in comedy.

A user took to Reddit to say:

“Tim Robinson needs to be studied. I don't understand how a person can be this funny.”

Another user added:

“Didn't realize this was brand new and was disappointed at the end of the episode that there wasn't another one.”

One more user mentioned:

“I had to pause the show after his reaction to the failed sent email I was crying laughing. It felt so authentic after he took the time to write that scathing email. Tim Robinson is a certain comedy and I appreciate him for it.”

A user went on to say:

“I was surprised to have laughed multiple times at a comedy pilot. That in itself is a rarity.”

A user summed up the feeling, saying:

“Half the people who watch this will think its brillaint. Half the people who watch this will hate it and not understand what is happening. In other words, this is VINTAGE Tim Robinson.”

The Chair Company, since its debut, has been recognized as the most daring and harmonious of all Robinson's creations. Both The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline reported the record-high viewership and positive reviews. The Guardian reviewers called the production “an office rage comedy packed with massive, stupid laughs,” whereas IGN said it is a “weird, funny, and surprisingly deep workplace mystery” that one can only reveal through a long process of dissection.

The critical agreement highlights how easily Robinson and Kanin fit their short-form vigor into a long-form narrative. Critic Alan Sepinwall pointed out that the duo “understand that their characters really shouldn’t overstay their welcomes” but manage to turn that comic energy into the suspense of a series.

Andrew DeYoung, known for his work with Robinson on Friendship (2024), increases the fear factor of the show by applying thriller aesthetics, thus making The Chair Company equally funny and terrifying.

The merging of comedic tones is one of the reasons why the series captivates so much. Each episode plays out like a psychological mystery, but suddenly and at unexpected moments turns into a wild slapstick or cringe.

The HBO production has not only put money into the actors but also into the technical aspects. The music is as if you were watching a conspiracy movie, while the camera work shows the dullness and craziness of the office at the same time.

In the midst of it all, the actor Robinson takes on the roles of both delight and sorrow, drawing comparisons to Peter Sellers and Steve Carell for their ability to make the audience laugh with the absurdity of the situation.

The role of Ron Trosper in The Chair Company reflects the Robinson’s classic model of a disturbed person: the stressed-out ordinary man whose awkwardness eventually leads him to an existential adventure.

His crazed quest for the truth about that one broken chair transforms into a dreamlike journey through corporate nonsense, and it is nothing less than a comedy of obsessions and futilities. The themes are already familiar from I Think You Should Leave sketches like Dan Flashes or Hot Dog Car, but now they are presented with cinematic polish and deeper emotional stakes.