‘The Chair’ Trailer: Sandra Oh Stars in Amanda Peet’s Dark Comic Netflix Series

Kristen Lopez
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Can there ever be enough Sandra Oh? The answer is “of course not” and Netflix is making sure we aren’t lacking by putting the Emmy-winning actor in a new series. The streaming giant released the first trailer for “The Chair” Wednesday morning, a new six-episode dark comedy from writer, showrunner, and executive producer Amanda Peet.

In the trailer, it appears as if Oh’s character is in a relationship with a professor played by Jay Duplass, who also happens to be at the root of their university’s latest scandal. As Oh’s new department chair tries to navigate a path forward for the school as well as her close friend and employee, events push her into thinking she was brought in as a patsy — someone to blame when the PR problems become insurmountable.

More from IndieWire

Per Netflix, here’s the official synopsis:

‘The Chair’ follows Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh) as she navigates her new role as the Chair of the English department at prestigious Pembroke University. Ji-Yoon is faced with a unique set of challenges as the first woman to chair the department, and as one of the few staff members of color at the university. The older staff fear change, while new blood, like professor Yasmin McKay (Nana Mensah), agitate for it. Ji-Yoon tries to juggle her new administrative responsibilities —clashing with close co-workers who were confidants before she became the boss— with motherhood to her young daughter Ju Ju (Everly Carginilla) and caretaking for her father Habi (Ji Yong Lee).

Joining Peet as EPs are David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, making “The Chair” the first Netflix original series under the “Game of Thrones” creators’ overall deal with the streamer. Bernie Caulfield and Daniel Gray Longino will also serve as executive producers with Longino directing all six episodes.

Alongside Oh, “The Chair” stars Jay Duplass, Holland Taylor, Bob Balaban, Nana Mensah, David Morse, and Everly Carganilla.

Oh’s latest role as a character experiencing racial discrimination should come as no surprise for fans of the actor, who has been vocal about the racism she’s seen in the industry. In a 2018 interview Oh spoke on the subject. “Racism exists. Let’s start there. I felt it, and I have felt it deeply. And I’m extremely fortunate,” said Oh, who is Canadian of Korean descent. “And I have so much opportunity because I can say no, and I choose to say no. I took a lot of time to find the right project.”

Oh became the first Asian woman to ever win a Primetime Emmy for her work on the BBC America series, “Killing Eve” where she played MI5 agent Eve Polastri. Before that, she also won a Golden Globe for playing Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” where she was a leading character for 10 seasons. Over her career, Oh has been nominated for 12 Primetime Emmys.

“The Chair” debuts Friday, August 20 on Netflix.

Best of IndieWire

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.