addictive

Fans of the creator’s hit Netflix series have their new favourite show of 2025

A new series being hailed as ‘one of the best shows of the year’ and a ‘ridiculously addictive’ thriller’ which has earned a perfect score is now streaming.

The Chair Company makes its debut via Sky Comedy as well as through the NOW platform for those with an entertainment pass.

It comes from former Saturday Night Live writers Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin, who are also the comedic minds behind Netflix cult favourite sketch show I Think You Should Leave. This time, they are bringing to the screen what is being described as a labyrinthine mystery-comedy.

According to the show’s secretive synopsis, after an embarrassing incident at work, William Ronald “Ron” Trosper (Robinson) finds himself investigating a far-reaching conspiracy. The makers have remain tight lipped around the show’s plot, wanting fans to discover all the unexpected twists and turns for themselves.

Joining Robinson in the cast, who recently starred in Paul Rudd movie Friendship are The Practice star Lake Bell, IT Part One’s Sophia Lillis, Will Price and Lou Diamond Phillips.

Ahead of it making its debut in the US and UK, it has already managed to secure a perfect 100% rating on website Rotten Tomatoes. One critic simply claimed: “One of the best shows of the year, The Chair Company will have you sinking in your recliner.”

Another added: “The Chair Company is one of the most offbeat and outlandish shows you’ll see this year.” Meanwhile a different verdict suggested: “There is nothing quite like The Chair Company: a show that is emotionally potent while still delivering the perfect marriage between sketch comedy and conspiracy theory.”

The only issue fans may find is that the series is expected to release episodes on a weekly basis with the premiere made available from October 13. Based on information found on IMDB, new instalments will be added each Sunday in the US and Monday in the UK.

This will lead to the finale airing on November 30. It means fans will need to make a decision to watch as soon as episodes drop or wait to catch up as the show is a much more compelling binge watch. That is coming from a reporter who has watched screeners for the first seven episodes and found them ridiculously addictive.

It is a perfect replacement for any viewer who enjoyed any high paced thriller or offbeat comedy released in the last year. That includes Severance, Paradise, Slow Horses, Dept. Q, The Studio and The Rehearsal. The Chair Company dials up the stakes to absolute ridiculous levels and pokes fun at how even the best in the genre make the most unexpected of connections and leaps in their stories.

In doing this it also simultaneously continues the method of Tim Robinson’s expertly crafted sketch show premise of taking simple misunderstandings or social faux pas and blows them way out of proportion.

Imagine the conspiracy thrills of Severance paired with the awkward humour of Nathan Fielder or Larry David.

Everything becomes so bizarre and compelling you can’t help but remain tight in its grip, needing to know just where the eight-part series will end up. The show proves that Robinson et al can indeed stretch a sketch idea into a lengthy series, while somehow maintaining interest and filling it with memorable character moments they are known for.

The Chair Company is streaming on Sky Comedy and NOW

Sheridan Smith fans have yet another gripping drama to sink their teeth into in the coming weeks, as an acclaimed Channel 5 show joins Netflix’s ever-growing TV collection

With winter just around the corner, it’s time to cosy up with a hot drink and a bingeable drama – thankfully, Netflix is adding another Sheridan Smith hit to its library for fans to dive into. Netflix subscribers can expect a host of new titles to arrive on the streamer – from Victoria Beckham’s new documentary to the second series of romantic comedy Nobody Wants This.

However, there’s one particular Channel 5 series that’s making a comeback on the platform after three years, starring Sheridan Smith as English teacher charged with having sex with a pupil. The Teacher follows teacher Jenna Garvey, who is accused of having sex with one of her 15-year-old pupils Kyle after a drunken night out.

BAFTA-winning actress Sheridan takes on the titular role, while Coldwater’s Samuel Bottomley plays student Kyle. The wider cast also features The Bill’s Cecilia Noble, My Mad Fat Diary’s Sharon Rooney, Emmerdale’s Kelvin Fletcher and Waterloo Road’s Tillie Amartey.

READ MORE: Stacey Solomon issues statement ahead of NTAs four months after BAFTAs snub rantREAD MORE: Sheridan Smith and Emmerdale star ‘not speaking after abrupt end of friendship’

The drama originally aired on Channel 5 back in 2022 and fans couldn’t get enough of it at the time, with many praising Sheridan’s “incredible” performance. “Just finished watching The Teacher on Netflix and I thoroughly enjoyed it, Sheridan Smith is just incredible,” one wrote on X.

Another said that they were “gripped for all four episodes” and that Sheridan “played a blinder”, while a third wrote: “Just finished watching The Teacher on Netflix and I thoroughly enjoyed it, Sheridan Smith is just incredible.”

A fourth described it as an “addictive bit of telly” with “cracking” Sheridan, while another said: “Just binged the whole of ‘The Teacher’ now that it’s on Netflix. it made me want to buy silk shirts and hoop earrings. Say want you want about Sheridan Smith but she does very good crying.”

Last month, BBC drama Accused was added to Netflix, with many binging the award-winning anthology series. With each episode telling a different story in each episode, Accused features the likes of Christopher Eccleston, Mackenzie Crook, Tina O’Brien, Peter Capaldi and Naomi Harris across six hard-hitting episodes in series one.

Meanwhile, series two stars Sean Bean, Stephen Graham, Olivia Colman, Sheridan Smith and Anna Maxwell Martin among other stars.

In recent years, Sheridan has taken on a number of intense roles, from office cleaner Sam in ITV’s Cleaning Up to the titular character in Sky’s Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything. Earlier this year, she starred as Ann Ming in true crime drama I Fought the Law – about the real-life mother’s campaign to overturn the double jeopardy law following the murder of her daughter Julie Hogg.

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