Under pressure is Tim Robinson's shtick and — for better or worse — he dials it to 11 in 'The Chair Company'

“The Chair Company,” premiering Sunday connected HBO, is simply a conspiracy drama — acheronian comedy, 1 would decidedly person to accidental — successful which Tim Robinson goes down a rabbit hole, from 1 carrot to the next, aft a seat collapses beneath him. It’s a thriller successful its way; determination volition beryllium suspense, and injuries, and a batch of screaming, mostly by the star.

Robinson, who co-created the bid with Zach Kanin (who besides co-created Robinson’s Netflix sketch show, “I Think You Should Leave”), is simply a hard hero. His main shtick is the madman underneath a cracking veneer of civilization; physically, helium projects a benignant of eccentric normality, similar a critique of normal. From the opening of “The Chair Company,” we spot that Robinson’s Ron Trosper is tense and tense and can’t relax, getting into an statement with a waitress implicit what and what isn’t a promenade — he’s been named to pb the improvement of a caller 1 successful Canton, Ohio. (The enactment each takes spot successful the state.)

A presumption he’d been dreading goes well, but arsenic helium sits backmost down, his seat — a modular bureau exemplary — collapses nether him, robbing him of a infinitesimal of triumph. What astir would propulsion disconnected with a gag sets Ron connected edge, and helium begins an obsessive quest to way down the manufacturer. But each helium comes up with are dormant ends and bare offices, and helium begins to fishy a conspiracy. When, getting into his car, he’s deed connected the caput with a tube and told to halt asking astir the chair, it lone makes him much determined to uncover it. Lurking, sneaking and stealing volition ensue. Reckless behavior. Shouting.

Along with immoderate modular bureau drama involving HR reports and Ron’s “know it erstwhile I spot it” brag (Lou Diamond Phillips, aging gracefully), determination is simply a household element. Wife Barb (Lake Bell) is moving up with plans to make a much charismatic bosom pump. Daughter Natalie (Sophia Lillis) is getting joined to her girlfriend, and wants to alteration the venue astatine the past infinitesimal to a haunted house. Son Seth (Will Price), a hoops subordinate seemingly of capable endowment to notation it successful the series, has discovered the pleasures of drinking conscionable arsenic recruiters are coming around. It’s not a developed thread, but it gives Price the accidental to present my favourite enactment successful the series: “Some nights I’ll person similar 4 beers and I’ll beryllium successful my country and I’ll enactment connected Abbott and Costello aft I’ve had a couple; it makes maine consciousness bully to cognize that [these] 2 guys recovered each different due to the fact that they some look truthful different.” Which is simply a taxable of the show.

The quality who makes the bid respire is Mike Santini (Joseph Tudisco), the idiosyncratic wielding the pipe. Ron volition way him down, and yet they’ll go partners successful his probe and, aft a fashion, friends. (Though Ron is not ever friendly.) Mike is the series’ astir archetypal conception, and, successful a unusual way, its bosom — idiosyncratic not beyond taking wealth from a alien to deed different alien implicit the head, but sympathetic. Lonely, helium craves the connection. Ron, for his part, is everlastingly moving retired connected his household to articulation Mike successful immoderate misadventure.

Robinson, the uncommon “Saturday Night Live” idiosyncratic who went from performer to writer, is rather adept astatine playing this character, which makes Ron exhausting company; it takes a definite benignant of stamina, oregon a emotion for, this peculiar marque of chaos to enactment up with him. It seems hardly credible astatine times that he’s successfully helped rise 2 rational children, 1 to adulthood; has attained an upper-middle-class beingness (with Lake Bell!); and occupies a presumption of originative responsibility. There are hard comic characters you’re nevertheless blessed to spot — Larry David, due to the fact that he’s truthful centered successful his satellite and fundamentally right, Lucille Ball due to the fact that she’s a genius. But Ron spends truthful overmuch clip astatine DEFCON 1, dialed up past 11, that it tin beryllium off-putting, and drowns retired the quality inside.

Nevertheless, similar immoderate mystery, it draws you along, waiting for answers. Seven episodes of 8 were released to reviewers; the seventh ends connected what feels similar a enactment of quiescent irresolution — if not, successful Ron’s mind, satisfaction. But the eighth volition surely not fto things rest, and you whitethorn remainder assured — and whitethorn request the remainder — that 8 is not the end.