The Chair (2021) User Reviews

The reality is worse

[choward125 · 6/10 · 22 August 2021]

I've been an academic for 30 years (including 11 years as chair). This show is pretty accurate but the reality is far worse. I understand the reviews that think this show is boring. I don't know who the audience is supposed to be or why we are supposed to sympathize with all these people. The acting is good. The writing is crisp.

BTW faculty office's aren't nearly this big and at most schools classes this small would be canceled and the faculty assigned to freshmen composition.

I want more!

[jjdurand-44198 · 8/10 · 22 August 2021]

A great view of academia, and the associated difficulty of leadership. I found it interesting and a unique topic for a series and very funny.

My complaint is that I wanted more. 30 minutes left plots and characters under developed.

The ensemble cast is wonderful. Holland Taylor is a treasure!

Give us more, more development and longer episodes.

Great show

[markmm-22673 · 7/10 · 20 August 2021]

Finally, a show that's not about cops, crime, zombies, etc.

As a department chair of Foreign Languages, I'd it's an okay show

[wdaliangiup · 7/10 · 27 August 2021]

Interesting to watch but many non-realistic issues: Bill would have been fired long time ago based on his behavior and tenure cannot save him in a small private college. The three old timers would have been "asked" to retire long ago and low-enrolled classes would have been canceled before the term starts so the students can register for other classes on time. Take Joan (professor in the basement) for example, if in real life she tracks down a student who gave her nasty reviews and yells at him in public, the student (and his angry parents) would have filed a complaint against her and HR would have involved immediately before a disciplinary action was taken. Professors are walking on thin ice these days, as portrayed in Bill's case.

Students and their parents are much more demanding now days, especially in tuition-driven small private colleges. This department would have ceased to exist 5 years ago if it functions as presented, and definitely would not make through COVID time.

Nailed Academia!

[suchanpeterson · 8/10 · 22 August 2021]

I am a department chair at a college, so I was thrilled to see Sandra Oh star in a show that about the (sometimes) thankless job of management. Ms. Oh delivers a terrific performance and provides enough comedy and vulnerability to hold the audience's attention.

The first episode is hilarious and showcases some of the ridiculous processes that are pervasive in higher ed. Yes, administration is worried about enrollment (true for most colleges today except for the very elite). Yes, there are old-fogey professors who refuse to change with the times and think student evals are a waste of time. Yes, there is pettiness among faculty who hold PhDs but cannot agree on a simple decision. And yes, this generation's college students are more apt to hold faculty and administration accountable for meeting their needs. The worst thing you can say about a professor is that they are . . . Boring.

The side characters are very colorful, especially scene-stealing Holland Taylor (who plays a hilariously bitter older professor), Everyly Carganilla (who plays Sandra Oh's adopted daughter), and Nanah Mensah (who plays a talented young professor seeking ever-elusive tenure).

Beyond the first episode, the series falls into rom-com, which is charming if unrealistic. There is some nice chemistry between Sandra Oh and Jay Duplass, but the relationship does not have much chance to develop in 6 episodes. So, it will be interesting to see if the series renews so it can be explored.

It's been awhile since a comedy about higher ed has been featured, so this is a welcome change.

That's Really How Academia works.

[aishasocial · 7/10 · 20 August 2021]

As a young faculty member, and woman this pressure really happens, and for the first time I see my self in a show.

I do wished it was longer, it feels like they rushed it and squeeze it in only 6 episodes.

When Free Speech Isn't...

[lewilewis1997 · 8/10 · 27 August 2021]

Absolutely smashes the zeitgeist of cancel culture. Sandra Oh, (the new and first female chair of an English faculty) is beset on all sides; from the old white male privelidge establishment to the campus fashion of shutting down anyone that doesn't chime with the latest political views. Free speech really is dead. Don't you dare debate classic literature unless it's via twitter with a meme.

I loved it yet shouted at the screen in frustration in equal measure. Bloody millennials.

Although this is purely a work of fiction with some excellent comedic moments it tells many truths. Yes, things have to change, the old ways certainly aren't the best, but to prevent any kind of discourse because of a bad choice of phrase or the wrong word? Utterly immature and counter productive, a bit like a 3 year old with their hands over their ears shouting 'lalalalalalala!' when told not to stick their finger in an electrical socket.

Highly recommended.

An Interesting Idea - If Only It Had Better Scripts

[LaurieMann · 6/10 · 23 August 2021]

The Chair is interesting but doesn't quite work. I had a problem with the fact that the older professors were often played for laughs, while the younger earnest college students were almost always right and could never be criticized no matter how ridiculous their behavior. Sandra Oh was terrific in it though and it's worth watching if you enjoy her. They seem to think it snows in the northeast just before "Day of the Dead" (which is Nov 1 last time I looked). While shot in Pittsburgh, it's set in Massachusetts so no obvious scenes of Pittsburgh anywhere. It was shot at either Chatham College or Carlow College, and not at Pitt or CMU.

Nothing is black and white in this satirical take on academia.The magic of Oh's performance holds 'The Chair' together

[jenckell · 10/10 · 21 August 2021]

Magnificent work from powerhouse actress Sandra Oh showcasing her incredible comedic talents as Dr. Yi-Joon Kim juggling the impossible task as chair of an English department while trying desperately to keep it all together in a department that will never accept her place in it.

"I feel like someone handed me a ticking time bomb and they wanted to make sure a woman was holding it when it explodes."

Brilliant performances by Holland Taylor, Jay Duplass and rest of cast. The writing feels authentic and fresh filled with nuance. All characters are deeply flawed and there's no "hero mentality". Nothing is black and white in this satirical take on academia.

The magic of Oh's performance holds 'The Chair' together as we get to see her neurotic stressed out self come apart at the seams. I highly recommend this!

Generally good but...

[chelbelle77 · 7/10 · 26 August 2021]

Perhaps I'm the right sort of age for this - mid forties - but I found this pretty funny and of course Sandra Oh is always compelling to watch.

What I find hard to get my head around is that while the subject matter and in fact what the characters are often talking about is race, gender and inequality, the characterization does not live up to those ideals. The characterization of white men, women and people of color are very tired and old. The female chair is always scrambling and in a panic perpetuating the idea that women are less capable in leadership positions, the sole black teacher has no backstory and exists only in relation to the other characters. There is a very typical white male role - 'brilliant washed up professor' who behaves without responsibility but it's excused because he's 1. Brilliant and 2. Sad. So bored of that narrative. The only decent representation is Joan for being a badass but still relies on the old trope that older woman doesn't feel appealing so says what's on her mind because she's nothing to lose.

If you're going to make a series that talks explicitly about issues of gender, race and inequality then your work need to be above what you're critiquing. Otherwise you're not hitting the nail on the head so much as missing the mark entirely. Which is a shame because you can see they're trying.

Perhaps more diversity in the leadership roles and less from the types of people who brought us the death of Khaleesi.

Finally something new!

[yosoylalinda1-631-452136 · 8/10 · 22 August 2021]

I love Sandra Oh & the rest of the cast was great, too. It's wonderful seeing a show discussing race & class & privilege in the workplace. I also enjoyed seeing the older actors with interesting storylines & doing comedy, too. Finally, the adoption story was very engaging and something I hadn't seen before. I thought it wrapped up nicely while still leaving room for a second season.

Engaging Comedy at its Best

[coleco2000 · 7/10 · 20 August 2021]

The university's in trouble with low student enrollment and some of the elder professors are at the core of the problem. The younger more talented staff is not without their own problems as Sandra Oh's character takes the Chair position to address the problems while contemplating her own needs and desires. It is quirky as well written and engaging, well acted, and plenty of star power. Lots of laughs.

Almost really good

[rjcbm · 5/10 · 25 August 2021]

It would be so much better if the students weren't so annoying. It's like they are determined to be offended.

Both sides of woke

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 21 August 2021]

This whole series is dedicated to the woke movement but in a refreshing way it kind of focused on both sides. The acting was decent, love Sandra Oh and Holland Taylor, they were perfect. The storylines were interesting and the humor hit.

A good storyline helped by wonderful acting

[rfmil9698 · 9/10 · 21 August 2021]

Academic life as a storyline has to be boring (you know it is), but they're people too and that is what makes a good storyline. The actors have taken the well written show and made it a joy to watch, and a joy to look forward to seeing more.

Thank you.

I'm a department chair. This show is a mixed bag

[davidoutwest · 7/10 · 22 August 2021]

I recognize that this is a comedy, not a documentary.

Still, how can a show that's *so* spot-on in its casting, its writing, ts grasp of the issues roiling 2021 campus life, and (the issue closest to my heart) its understanding of the many ridiculous demands placed on department chairs, be so spectacularly or willfully out-of-touch when it comes to its portrayals of:

• gender disparity (a humanities department that's almost all male -- seriously?),
• age (a faculty with almost no one below retirement age -- seriously?), and, especially,
• costumes (professors wearing suits, ties, or jackets with elbow patches - elbow patches? In the 21st century? Are you f'ing kidding me? -- when teaching or when attending faculty meetings) ?

Seriously?

Loving the show more and more

[marygreen25 · 9/10 · 24 August 2021]

The Chair is worth your time and hoping there will be more episodes. The production is well crafted and great music throughout. Characters develop by episode 5 so give it a chance.

Sanctimony as a Film Genre

[leftbanker-1 · 6/10 · 20 August 2021]

The biggest problem with this series is that the conflicts are completely ridiculous, and that's sort of a major flaw. Even the snowflakiest students in the world wouldn't have gotten that bent out of shape over such a stupid incident. No Nazis at Pembroke. Please. Phone-obsessed hipsters win!

This is billed as a comedy, but it's way too preachy to be funny. The very first gag stinks. The chair breaks, get it? That is just really weak writing. Then, the male protagonist tips over the golf cart he stole, and then he falls off his scooter. Hilarious, right? I defy anyone to point out a joke. And why would anyone give a Nazi salute? In front of a class? He deserves to be rail-roaded out of the school.

People of color? I thought we were supposed to stop saying colored people? Old White men are the root of all evil and, of course, the Black woman is the perfect teacher and human being. The script for this is boiler plate PC clichés. It's like the old Westerns with only two colors of hats to differentiate between good and bad, but here ethnicity and color are the good guys while old White people are the villains.

Where this really went off the rails for me was the mention of Herman Melville as a wife beater by a student in a lecture, a student who probably couldn't be bothered to read Moby Dick and instead read a 120-character Tweet about Melville. What if Johann Sebastian Bach had beat his wife, or uttered the letter-before-O-word? Would that invalidate the Goldberg Variations or The Book of 48? Not that any of the millennial idiots baying for blood in that scene would know these work by the maestro.

Then this tenured professor, a writer, and intellectual, can't out-argue a group of moronic, cultural-revolution pin-heads? At no point is any of the sanctimony directed at the students, obviously they are too pure to be criticized. They are the hysterical woke mob (Mao's Red Guard) and are as much to blame as the entitled elite they march against, ready to fly off into another frenzy on the basis of one Tweet.

There was some great acting. I liked the old broad (Holland Taylor) and the little girl the most. It's too bad they made them out to be ridiculous. The kid insulting her own mother at every step, and the old professor just being absurd and silly with material right out of I Love Lucy. The writing was just uninspired at every turn.

Sandra Oh gets the role of a lifetime

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 19 September 2021]

After years of mostly supporting roles and occasional lead ones, Sandra Oh gets the role of a lifetime on "The Chair", playing the head of the English department in a college. All sorts of problems arise.

The series focuses both on the challenges of working in this field, and also the issues that arise on campus in the 21st century. I doubt that the average person understands what college faculties have to put up with on a day-to-day basis (especially when you have stodgy professors resisting change).

Excellent show. Also starring Jay Duplass, Bob Balaban, David Morse and Holland Taylor.

Get rid of the kid and we have a show.

[growthperspectives · 6/10 · 3 September 2021]

Love the show. But the kid either needs to go or be rewritten. It's not funny or cute I also don't like the tortured adopted kid trope.

Loved it so much I binge watched in one evening

[mickeymouse-03411 · 10/10 · 23 August 2021]

What a wonderful gem Netflix had give us. Great acting, a wonderful show that is serious and laugh out loud funny with some situations reducing me to tears (of mirth) despite the fact that my husband was asleep in bed besides me. As I had headphones on he thought I was just aimlessly giggling and snorting for about 3 hours. Sandra Oh was fabulous and her daughter Ju-Ju was a real breath of fresh air - young acting talent to watch. I loved Jay Duplass who played a man falling to pieces so believably and sympathetically.

The supporting cast was excellent Holland Taylor, Bob Balaban, Nana Mensa and David Morse to name but a few. Very funny cameo by David Duchovy who plays himself only a over the top caricature (at least I hope it was !!!).

Can't wait for series two.

A refreshing change!

[MaverickV · 7/10 · 27 August 2021]

A well-crafted show with some great acting, story development and comedy.

Refreshing enough with the story revolving around a university campus and the teachers - and their trials and tribulations in the current fast paced and cynical world where things are blown out of proportion especially with access to social media.

Touches upon gender and race discrimination though would have liked more if some of the story arcs are delved into more depth. But Sandra Oh and all the cast portrayed their characters very well and lifted up the series. Though I am still unsure of the ending and that to me was a bummer. I think it was rushed and kinda gives an ambiguous message...Hopefully they are planning for season 2 to improve upon this.

Overall Rating 7.5/10.

A comedy without laughs

[for_mbovary · 2/10 · 22 August 2021]

I understand it's parody, but this show's humor range is restricted cheap shot age discrimination jokes, and juvenile slapstick. The elderly professors are all half demented, on the layoff list, and teaching 30 year old syllabi to courses no one signs up for... then there's the middle aged divorcee who's out of control - peeing in an airport parking lot, joy riding a stolen golf cart, or cycling directly into a stop sign while pulling the leaves from his hair like one of the three stooges. If this sounds funny - you'll enjoy the show.

The first scene of episode 1 has the Chair of the Liberal Arts make the statement that the material they teach has no value they are able to quantify, unlike the venerable STEM fields. Seriously? I'm supposed to believe that a Dept Chair can't think of a single way to articulate a defense for their curriculum's existence? You'd think the STEM Dept had written this! Where's the heart of this show? The subject matter had a lot of potential, but it's squandered and the writing itself sounds insecure.

Maybe this series evolves and grows better, but nothing after episode 1 enticed me to find out.

really good show - but the kid is too creepy

[ed-579-997861 · 7/10 · 25 August 2021]

I really like this show, and I think it's quite spot on academia. The daughter though is really creepy and also - what's up with Dobson suddenly being her play-toy / slave "why did you leave - come back and read me a story" - while he's taking two minutes talking with the woman he's in love with after having made her a meal??? AND he then actually interrupts that meal and goes read the girl another story after having already spent the whole day and evening reading her stories. Wut??? Super annoying that the kid is getting to boss the adults around like a little dictator and everyone thinks its cute or fine? That really put me off. Set some boundaries please! Maybe it displays parenthood in the US, I don't know. But it's putting the show down that a child gets to be a tyrrant and everyone is cool with it.

But otherwise: great show. Please make more.

A bit hit or miss, but worthwhile

[keybedder-51-237666 · 8/10 · 22 August 2021]

The Chair chronicles the trials of Ji-Yoon Kim, deftly played by Sandra Oh, newly installed as the chair of the English Department at tony Pembroke University, the first woman and first person of color to hold the position. Of course she immediately has her hands full with restive departmental colleagues, woke students, intractable administrators and trustees, troubled adoptive daughter, uncomprehending Korean father, etc.

Given all these elements it's not surprising that The Chair seems early on to go in every direction at once, some of it not particularly convincing, particularly her maybe-romance with troubled departmental "star," author Bill Dobson. Still, enough rings true that this academic kept watching to the end of the first season. The way a thoughtless classroom misstep can escalate to a full-blown crisis in this age of social media is uncomfortably close to real life, as is the tendency to simultaneously exalt and undermine promising minority professors. The first season ends with many plot threads left hanging, with even Oh's continuance as chair up in the air. Let's hope there's a sequel!