The Chair poster

The Chair

★ 7.2 20K votes 2021–2021 1 season · 6 episodes Canceled Netflix
WorkplaceThe job and its social ecosystem as the stage.This show: 9/10School & campusSchools and universities as the primary world.This show: 8/10Strong female leadA complex woman drives the story.This show: 8/10Dialogue-drivenThe writing's voice is the main event.This show: 7/10Social commentaryDeliberate critique of how society works.This show: 7/10Character studyInterior life matters more than plot.This show: 7/10Tight limited runA compact, complete story told in just a few episodes.This show: 7/10
Rate this series
Starring
Sandra OhJay DuplassBob BalabanNana MensahEverly CarganillaDavid Morse
Written by
Amanda PeetAnnie Julia Wyman
Starring
Sandra OhJay DuplassBob BalabanNana MensahEverly CarganillaDavid Morse
Written by
Amanda PeetAnnie Julia Wyman
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
0200400600800

The Chair Episode Ratings Heatmap

AvgE1E2E3E4E5E6
S17.37.17.17.37.27.57.6

Download Infographic

The Chair episode ratings heatmap infographic

The full episode-rating heatmap as a shareable image.

About

"Academic politics with real emotional stakes"

Sandra Oh plays the first woman of color to chair a struggling English department at a prestigious university, inheriting shrinking enrollment, a mutinous faculty, and a viral scandal involving a beloved colleague. The show mixes campus-politics comedy with quieter drama about legacy, ambition, and institutional rot. It moves briskly across six tight episodes, leaning on sharp dialogue and Oh's performance to hold together tonal swings between farce and genuine heartbreak. It's a slim, quick watch rather than a sprawling saga, more interested in mood and character than plot mechanics.

Watch it for

Sandra Oh's performance anchoring a sharp, empathetic look at institutional dysfunction.

Maybe skip if

you want a long, plot-heavy series rather than a brief character study.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

▼
Season 12021
7.33K63h
EpTitleRatingYoursVotesRuntime
▶1Brilliant Mistake7.1
66830 min
▶2The Faculty Party7.1
56230 min
▶3The Town Hall7.3
50730 min
▶4Don't Kill Bill7.2
46230 min
▶5The Last Bus in Town7.5
47030 min
▶6The Chair7.6
51930 min

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

Sandra Oh Ji-Yoon Kim
Jay Duplass Bill Dobson
Bob Balaban Elliot Rentz
Nana Mensah Yaz McKay
Everly Carganilla Ju-Hee
David Morse Dean Paul Larson
Holland Taylor Joan Hambling
Ron Crawford Professor McHale
Jordan Tyson Capri
Ji Yong Lee Habi

Crew

Amanda Peet
Annie Julia Wyman

Similar Series

Popular picks Shows that people who know this one usually know too. From our AI taste analysis.
Close in taste Nearest neighbors in our taste profile comparison: shared tone, themes and style.