The Closer Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company Gets To Its Conclusion, The More It Crushes In The Ratings (And My Heart)

by

Despite years on Saturday Night Live, a successful Netflix show (I Think You Should Leave), and the hilariously uncomfortable 2025 film Friendship, Tim Robinson still feels like a comedian who’s destined to stay somewhat under the radar – his uniquely awkward style is hard for even the most sensitive detectors to grasp. However, I might be wrong, as his new HBO series, The Chair Company, is becoming incredibly popular as its first season comes to a close.

HBO’s new comedy, The Chair, has quickly become the platform’s most popular first-season comedy ever. After just five of its eight episodes were released on HBO Max, it’s topping both traditional TV ratings and streaming numbers. This is especially impressive considering HBO comedies generally don’t reach the massive audiences that hit dramas like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon have achieved.

Recent data from Nielsen and Warner Bros. Discovery, reported by TheWrap, shows that The Chair Company is averaging around 3 million viewers per episode when you combine viewers on HBO and HBO Max. That’s a pretty good number, especially considering it features a lot of characters I’d definitely avoid being trapped in a lift with – and that includes you, Douglas!

The fifth episode, featuring a particularly awkward visit to Mike’s apartment—comparable to rewatching the unsettling film Requiem for a Dream—attracted 1.3 million viewers, though that number is still rising as more people catch up. That means 1.3 million people witnessed the bizarre scene of a bar customer with a prominent dent in their forehead aggressively poking their elbow into soup, all in an attempt to intimidate Ron. It’s safe to say I haven’t had nearly as many people watch me eat!

As a big fan of quirky shows, I was really pleased to see the premiere of this new comedy thriller pull in between 1.3 and 1.4 million viewers – that’s seriously solid these days! What I love is that even with totally bizarre storylines – like a really awkward HR mess after a wardrobe malfunction, or the mystery of that giant red ball that just showed up – the show’s managed to keep a consistent audience. It’s wonderfully unpredictable, and I’m hooked!

I’ve been checking out other comedies on HBO and HBO Max from the last five years, and honestly, The Chair Company feels like it’s a cut above most of them. It really stands out!

  • It’s Florida, Man
  • The Rehearsal
  • The Franchise
  • Fantasmas
  • Rain Dogs
  • Hacks
  • Bookie
  • Our Flag Means Death
  • The Sex Lives of College Girls
  • Made For Love

How HBO’s Other Sunday Night Originals Are Doing In The Ratings

Another original comedy, I Love LA from The Chair Company, isn’t performing as strongly, but its second episode saw a viewership increase from 920,000 to approximately 1.03 million after its debut. Overall this season, the show is averaging around 1.4 million viewers when including those who watch later.

The new horror series IT: Welcome to Derry had a great start, attracting 5.7 million viewers and becoming the third most-watched premiere on HBO Max – only surpassed by The Last of Us and House of the Dragon. While the third episode was packed with hidden details, viewership dipped slightly to around 5 million when counting those who watched live, on demand, and within three days of the original broadcast.

As a huge fan, I’m not surprised to see that the Stephen King-based show is totally dominating Sunday nights on cable! It’s looking like it’ll end up as one of the top three most popular new series ever for HBO Max, worldwide. They’re averaging almost 15 million viewers globally, and over 9 million of us here in the U.S. are tuning in each week!

Let’s make The Chair Company a huge hit when it premieres on cable in 2025! Please tell everyone to tune in on Sunday nights at 10:00 p.m.—otherwise, you might mysteriously find all their chairs broken!

Read More

2025-11-19 20:40