ADVANCE REVIEW: The Chair Leaves Much to be Desired

As the first woman to be named English Department Chair at Pembroke College, Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh) believes she will be able to make the changes needed for her department that have been overlooked for ages. As Ji-Yoon begins her new job, she ends up spending more time trying to put out the fires created by her colleagues rather than focusing on the much needed adjustments in her department.

With only six episodes in the season, The Chair never manages to find solid footing and create a holistic first season. Instead the season feels more like an introduction to the series. Each time creators Annie Wyman and Amanda Peet began to delve into some of the more compelling stories, including topics such as ageism in the work force and cancel culture, they ended up deviating too soon. The audience is left hoping for more, but is ultimately disappointed. Too much time is spent focused on Ji-Yoon’s personal story, including her relationship with fellow Professor, Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass) rather than her professional career.

Oh is great as Ji-Yoon, but the character isn’t exactly that likeable. We are introduced to the character as if we already know who she is and what makes her tick. But we don’t and the audience never fully gets the chance to figure this out. As the first woman Department Chair at the school, I was hoping to see the character excel and make a name for herself, yet the focus remained on Ji-Yoon worrying about her personal life and capitulating to the College Dean (David Morse) rather than being the badass character we needed her to be.

Joining Ji-Yoon’s faculty are Professor Dobson (Duplass), Professor Hambling (Holland Taylor), Professor Rentz (Bob Balaban), and Professor McKay (Nana Mensah). Each of these characters brings their own laughs to the table, but just like the underdeveloped storylines, we never get to know any of these characters. No real time is spent with these characters which is a shame because the back and forth between old school Rentz and the younger, more modern McKay deserves a greater focus, as does Hambling’s interesting antics.

I have hope that the show will be renewed for a second season, so we can get to know these characters. And, if we do get a second season, I’m hoping it is longer than six episodes. This way, the writing team has a chance to dial in on the hard hitting storylines they touched upon rather than just skating over them.