Sandra Oh’s Hit New Netflix Series Is Dominating Streaming

Netflix’s newest TV series is already a hit. The Chair, starring Sandra Oh, released last Friday and has quickly moved to the top of the streaming platform’s charts.

FlixPatrol reports that the comedy-drama, a satire of campus politicking in a New England university English Department, succeeded Hit & Run as Netflix’s most popular show worldwide this morning. The Chair rests somewhere in the top 10 of most regional markets, with the show at the top of U.K.’s list and second with the U.S.

What is The Chair?

Written by actress Amanda Peet with writer-academic Annie Julia Wyman, and directed by Daniel Gray Longino (PEN15, Who Is America, Portlandia), The Chair stars Sandra Oh as Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, the new chair of the Pembroke University English Department. Exploring the experiences of people of color and women in academia, the show satirizes the responsibilities and uncomfortable situations thrust onto minorities in the American university system. An out-of-context Nazi salute, a Title IX investigation, and the power dynamics of tenure compose the first episode alone.

With its deft understanding of campus life, the show has been well received by academics and critics alike. On IMDB, the show currently has a 7.3 star rating out of 10, where it rests as the 59th most popular TV show.

​​FlixPatrol launched in April 2019. The site filters publicly available data on streaming services’ trending series and regional popularity, then synthesizes data into an in-house algorithm. Services tracked include Netflix, HBO Max, and iTunes.