Is Tim Robinson the funniest person alive? While that question might be as unanswerable as asking the length of a piece of string, the comedian's latest venture for HBO makes a compelling case for his crown. The creator and star of the cult Netflix hit I Think You Should Leave has unleashed his uniquely warped comic vision onto a new platform with The Chair Company, a conspiracy series that confirms his status as one of the most ingeniously unpredictable minds in the business.
From Netflix Anarchy to HBO Conspiracy
Debuting last month on Sky and NOW in the UK, The Chair Company is built upon the unshakable strength of Robinson's bizarre brand. The series, with its deliberately mundane title, follows Ron Trosper (Robinson), an employee at a firm developing a new shopping mall. His comfortable suburban existence begins to spectacularly unravel when he starts probing a deeply strange and far-reaching conspiracy centred on Tecca, a manufacturer of chairs.
The result is a masterclass in unpredictable, often uproarious nonsense. Like much of Robinson's work, particularly I Think You Should Leave – a sketch show famed for its deranged scenarios like a toxic 'Baby of the Year' pageant and a disgruntled Santa Claus – the humour in The Chair Company promises to reveal deeper layers upon repeated viewing. A second season has already been confirmed, signalling HBO's faith in Robinson's peculiar magic.
A Comic Sensibility Forged in the Modern Age
Robinson's path to becoming a comedy auteur was not straightforward. His big break came in 2012 when he was hired as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, joining alongside Aidy Bryant and Cecily Strong. However, his specific, off-kilter style proved a challenging fit for the show's broader canvas. After one season, he made the unprecedented move from performer to staff writer, but even then, his ideas – such as a sketch about a "leather life jacket for when cool guys fall off a boat" – were often deemed too outlandish.
This rejection ultimately proved liberating. Many of those rejected sketches found a home in I Think You Should Leave, where mainstream palatability was no longer a concern. Before that, however, Robinson co-created and starred in Detroiters (2017-2018), a warmly funny sitcom about two ad men in his hometown, alongside Sam Richardson. Though cancelled after two seasons, it honed his voice.
The seismic success of I Think You Should Leave, which earned Emmy awards and a fervent word-of-mouth following, cemented Robinson as a major force. It paved the way for projects like The Chair Company and this year's theatrical film Friendship with Paul Rudd, where audiences now actively seek out his distinctive brand of chaos.
Deconstructing the Mundane Absurdity of Modern Life
What sets Robinson's comedy apart in an era where most formal boundaries have been pushed to their limits? His genius lies not in form, but in content. He masterfully upends the classic straight man/comic foil dynamic. While his characters are often disruptive and socially maladjusted, the true strangeness slowly reveals itself in the supposedly 'normal' people around them. Everyone in a Robinson universe feels subtly alien.
His dialogue possesses an ineffable, empty mimicry of real-world interaction. The humour evolves from obvious slapstick on a first watch to the barely perceptible, off-kilter strangeness of a setup line on the fifth viewing. For Robinson, the mundane forums of modern life – office meetings, board game nights, late-night internet browsing – are not disrupted by chaos; they are its natural habitat. He doesn't try to make sense of the world; he exposes its inherent senselessness.
In contrast to meticulously layered shows like Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal, Robinson's comedy feels primal. He possesses an innate, almost crude, understanding of what is funny, from a squeaky voice to an antic squint. His exit from SNL was a blessing not just for his career, but for television comedy itself, which is now far richer and more bizarre for his presence. The Chair Company is available to stream now on Sky and NOW in the UK.
