15 Trivia Tidbits About 'The Chair Company' and Actual Chairs
HBO’s new Tim Robinson series The Chair Company is equal parts hilarious comedy and intriguing mystery which serves up serious I Think You Should Leave vibes. Plus, since it’s HBO’s biggest comedy in more than five years, it’s safe to say it’s already a hit.
That said, the show is far less about chairs than the title would imply. I went in thinking The Chair Company would be all about chairs — from recliners to Chippendales to grandma’s rocking chair — yet it’s really about Tim Robinson’s character, Ron Trosper, investigating an office chair company, and the chairs themselves are really just incidental.
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So, I decided to pull together this list of The Chair Company trivia along with some actual chair knowledge to compensate for the one area where the show is seriously lacking.
The Creators of ‘The Chair Company’ Have Been Writing Together for Years
The creators of The Chair Company are Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin. They shared an office at Saturday Night Live and frequently worked as writing partners on the sketch show. In addition to The Chair Company, they co-created I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.
The Show’s Logline
In 2024, Tim Robinson first offered up the logline for the series, saying “An embarrassing incident happens to a guy at work, and he uncovers a conspiracy theory that he follows, based on that embarrassing incident.”
Where King Tut Put His Tush
The oldest known chairs come from ancient Egypt.
The Shirt Salesman is Playing Himself
The memorably odd, soft-spoken shirt salesman played by Jared Lindner in Episode Two is the real-life proprietor of that very store featured in the episode. The store is called Suit Man in Mount Vernon, NY and Robinson himself stumbled upon Lindner and later decided to include him in The Chair Company.
The Garbage Fight was Improvised
According to Joseph Tudisco, the actor who plays tough guy Mike Santini in The Chair Company, the garbage fight between Ron and Mike in Episode Two was not originally in the script, but improvised on the day of.
‘Wazey Waynes’ Made Things Tough to Film
Tudisco also said that the the most difficult scene he had to film was the scene where he and Robinson are in Mike’s car listening to Mike’s favorite show “Wazey Waynes.” Tudisco said, “Absolutely the funniest time Tim and I had was in the car listening to it and trying to get through it — we just kept laughing.”
Edison’s Grisly Invention
Thomas Edison invented the electric chair.
Ron Trosper Looks Like a ‘Sad’ Corporate Professional
According to The Chair Company costume designer Nicky Smith, Ron Trosper’s look is that of a “traditionalist corporate professional.” She made a point to “downplay the things that make Tim (Robinson) look cool and up-playing the things that kind of make him look sad.”
“That’s My Chair!”
In 1978, Archie Bunker’s chair from All in the Family was inducted into the Smithsonian.
Ein Großer Stuhl (One Big Chair)
According to Guinness World Records, the world’s largest chair is in Austria and it measures over 98 feet tall.
New York for Ohio
While The Chair Company takes place in Ohio, it was filmed in New York.
Æggestol (Egg Chair)
The egg-shaped chairs from Men in Black were designed by Danish designer Henrik Thor-Larsen. They were from 1968 and called the Ovalia Egg Chair.
“It’s Not Planned”
When Vulture asked Robinson about the format of The Chair Company, Robinson replied “None of this is thought out. It’s not planned. It’s not on purpose.”
Ron vs. Craig
When Vulture asked Robinson to compare Ron Trosper to his Friendship character Craig Waterman, Robinson said “I actually don’t think Ron is as tough of a hang as Craig Waterman is. I think Ron is a prideful man, and like a lot of characters that Zach and I have worked on, doesn’t like to be embarrassed.”
Finches and Furniture
The modern office chair was invented by naturalist Charles Darwin. According to the British office furniture company Chair Hire, “In the 1800s, (Darwin) had the genius idea to install wheels to his favorite chair so that he could move easily between his many tables laden with papers and tools.” This invention, of course, would make HBO’s The Chair Company a possibility, making this and whatever it was Darwin said about monkeys as his greatest accomplishments.