Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s HBO comedy pilot “The Chair Company” has added five new cast members, Variety only learned.
Lake Bell (“Harley Quinn,” “Mother Couch”), Sophia Lillis (“It,” I’m not okay with this”), Will Price (“After the Hunt,” “A Complete Unknown”), Joseph Tudisco (“ A Brooklyn Love Story,” “FBI”) and Lou Diamond Phillips (“Search Party,” “Easter Sunday”) will all appear in the pilot. Phillips will guest star, while the other four will be series regulars. Bell will play Barb Trosper, with Lillis as Natalie Trosper, Price as Seth Trosper and Tudisco as Mike Santini. Phillips will appear as Jeff Levjman.
As previously announced, Robinson will star in the pilot. The official logline of ‘The Chair Company’ reads: ‘After an embarrassing incident at work, a man investigates a far-reaching conspiracy.’
Bell is repped by UTA, Entertainment 360 and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole. Lillis is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Price is repped by Buchwald and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Tudisco is represented by Prestige Management Group. Phillips is represented by Global Artists Agency and Thruline Entertainment.
In addition to starring, Robinson is the co-creator of “The Chair Company” with Zach Kanin. Both also serve as executive producers. Adam McKay and Todd Schulman will serve as executive producers through Hyperobject Industries, alongside Andrew DeYoung, who will also direct the pilot. Hyperobject currently has its first TV deal with HBO.
Kanin and Robinson work together regularly, starting with their time together as the writers of “Saturday Night Live.” They then co-created the hit Comedy Central series “Detroiters” (starring Robinson and Richardson) and the Netflix sketch comedy series “I Think You Should Leave” (also starring Robinson) with Sam Richardson and Joe Kelly. The latter show won the 2023 Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Series, while Robinson has won the Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Short Series twice to date.