ATTENTION, EVERYONE: Sandra Oh is back on telly in a new Netflix series called The Chair and everyone simply must watch it.
And I’ll tell ya why: because Sandra Oh is the lead star. That’s reason enough, I reckon.
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I kid (sort of). Actually there are heaps of reasons why The Chair is a must-watch, in addition to the fact that it contains the legendary Sandra Oh.
In the new six-part series from Netflix, created by Amanda Peet and Annie Julia Wyman, Oh plays the intelligent and esteemed Professor Ji-Yoon Kim, who has taken on the role of first female chair of the English department at Pembroke University.
It also stars the iconique Holland Taylor as Dr. Joan Hambling, a senior staff member of the English department, who’s copping both ageism and sexism from her colleagues, as well as Nana Mensah as Dr. Yaz McKay, a young faculty member of English department, who is facing those same issues but from a different but equally shitty perspective.
The series tackles a lot of issues that are plaguing society right now (and have been for a long time, TBH), including sexism, racism, ageism and cancel culture in a way that’s neither preachy or boring as fuck.
In terms of its vibe, it’s sort of a dark comedy / drama. It takes on such heavy topics, but it balances them with humour. For example, in the first few minutes of the show, Sandra falls the fuck out of her chair in a hilarious moment (a nod to the show’s title, perhaps?).
We also see her rallying against the misogynistic old farts who have had free reign of the English department for some time and push for diversity. The POWER of this woman.
We’re so used to seeing her as the stoic but fucking brilliant Cristina Yang in Grey’s Anatomy, but in this series, she really shows her comedic acting chops. She’s no longer stoic, but she’s still fucking brilliant.
Unlike Nine Perfect Strangers and Gossip Girl, the show is copping rave reviews from all critics and not just me.
It’s scored a 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it’s been praised for Oh’s acting, the major issues that it tackles and the comedic elements.
The Guardian wrote, “It’s a great achievement that none of this feels worthy or didactic. It feels like a genuine exploration, a dramatised discussion of intergenerational differences and divides that few are seeking to take the heat out of and examine with real interest.”
Meanwhile USA Today said that The Chair is “a darkly funny satire, skewering aspects of modern higher education with veritable glee. The characters are sharply written and feel real and grounded, even as the events surrounding them become more crazed.”
Have a peek at the trailer below and catch the series on Netflix:
Matty Galea is the Senior Entertainment Editor at Pedestrian who also dabbles in woo-woo stuff like astrology and crystals and has been penning horoscopes since the start of his career. He also Tweets about pop culture and astrology and posts spicy content on Instagram.
