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Parents' Guide to

The Chair

By Marty Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Entertaining academia comedy; drinking, language, sex talk.

TV Netflix Comedy 2021
The Chair Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • The Chair: Department chair Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh) heads her first meeting
  • The Chair: Professor Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass) confronts protesters
  • The Chair: Dean Paul Larson (David Morse) pressures Ji-Yoon to make a decision

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What's the Story?

THE CHAIR takes place within fictional Pembroke University's English department, a once prestigious, popular program that has fallen out of favor with students. Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh) steps into a new role as department chair, where she must infuse the faculty with new energy while also trying to please her administrators. Meanwhile, she is figuring out how to raise a troubled adopted child and how to navigate a romantic friendship with one of her fellow professors.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1 ):

The Chair is an entertaining series with an incredible cast supporting star Sandra Oh. The list includes underrated character actors David Morse, Bob Balaban, and Holland Taylor, who gives an energetic and unexpected take on a tenured lit professor. The series offers a look at how race and age dictate decision-making in academia, though it doesn't quite fully bite into a sharp comedy of manners the way, say, The White Lotus and Succession do. Instead, the series focuses on Ji-Yoon's personal life, which makes it more of a pleasant but unsurprising romantic comedy. It's a beach read that perhaps could have been a richer novel.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the department chair. Why is Ji-Yoon Kim's promotion to chair important? How does it affect the relationships in the English department?

  • What outside pressures does the university seem to face? How do these influence Ji-Yoon's decisions? How do the students play a role in changing the department?

  • What is Ji-Yoon's relationship with her daughter like? What are the difficulties? How do these change over the course of the series? Why do they change?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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