I was watching TV a few days ago and since I was between shows, I started to scroll through my myriad streaming services to find something new. I ended up on HBO Max and I was intrigued to find a show called “The Chair Company.” It is a brand new series (with only one episode out as of this writing) so I gave the first show a watch.

The show stars Tim Robinson, who has made a career out of making audiences squirm — and laugh — in equal measure. With “The Chair Company,” his new HBO comedy thriller, Robinson trades awkward sketch setups for something bigger, stranger and unexpectedly cinematic. The eight-part series, which debuted October 12 and runs through the end of November, might be his sharpest turn yet.

Created with longtime collaborator Zach Kanin, The Chair Company starts with something painfully familiar: an embarrassing workplace incident that spirals wildly out of control. Robinson plays Ron Trosper, an everyman whose mistake at the office unravels into a corporate conspiracy. It feels like a blend of some of their past work like “I Think You Should Leave” and “The X-Files”.

The duo’s partnership was forged in the writer’s room of Saturday Night Live and honed on “Detroiters” and “I Think You Should Leave.” With Adam McKay executive producing and Andrew DeYoung directing the first episode, the show is more expansive, but definitely odd.

I’m not here to spoil the series and with a single episode available, there’s not much to spoil, but let me lay out the basics of the plot so far. Trosper works for a fictional Ohio mall developer and during a large work gathering, he outlines plans for a new mall project. After finishing his presentation, he goes to sit down in one of the office chairs on stage and it collapses under him, leaving the character sprawled on the stage floor completely humiliated.

When he returns to his office, he tries to track down someone from Tecca Chairs, the company that made the faulty product, and finds that the company website contact number connects him to National Business Solutions, a company that answers calls for Tecca. Unsatisfied, Trosper demands to talk to someone from Tecca directly, to no avail. So he starts digging into the company, finds the address in Canton, Ohio and breaks into its (mostly empty) factory and uncovers some, uh, strange stuff. I’ll leave it at that.

The show’s humor is cringy and it has some uncomfortable scenes, and a bit of a “Severance” feel to it. But the loose connection to the furniture industry is interesting and funny, especially if you’ve ever dealt with bad customer service or warranty problems.

Critics are already calling “The Chair Company” one of the best shows of the year, praising its collision of cringe comedy and surreal mystery. Robinson’s anxious, barely contained energy drives the story, while co-stars Lake Bell and Sophia Lillis lend it emotional grounding.

Not everyone will get it. I don’t know how I feel about it just yet. But “The Chair Company” is funny and unsettling, and like a meeting that’s gone completely off the rails, it makes you wonder how we got there.

Most television programs revolving around “industries” usually focus on the police, fire, law and medicine. The office furniture industry does not usually take center stage on film or in television, so it is interesting to see an outsider’s take on it.

If you end up watching it, know that there is plenty of profanity and a bit of nudity, so steer clear if that offends you. Also, let me know what you think. I’m interested in seeing where this show leads and how “The Chair Company” ultimately depicts our industry.