The Chair Starring Sandra Oh, Jay Duplass and Bob Balaban

At a major university, the first woman of colour to become chair tries to meet the dizzying demands and high expectations of a failing English department.

The above is from the dust cover and makes for a fairly humdrum synopsis of what is in fact an inspired series. Of course, without the impeccable chemistry from the superb Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) and Jay Duplass (Transparent) it’s hard to tell what might have happened, but given the superb script, sublime supporting cast (most notably Holland Taylor as Joan Hambling) and great direction, I suspect that either way it would have been an acclaimed accomplishment.

But great, it is not. It is simply sublime. Action, suspense, humour, spins and unadulterated fun: this is a series that I suspect we’ll see a lot more of in years to come… at least I hope so. Deserves to run and run if they can keep up the heady heights of this cracking first series.

Verdict: Up there with series like Schitts Creek, an absolute gem! *****