The Strange Appeal of a Wannabe Alpha Male

"The comedian Tim Robinson seems to love playing obsessive weirdos. His Emmy-winning sketch series I Think You Should Leave is packed with them: a dating-show contestant who can't stop using a zip line; an office drone attempting to beat a nonsensical computer game; a rideshare driver who has taped-up window decals and wants-no, needs-people to call him "the driving crooner.""

"As a result, Robinson's work can be intense and disturbing to watch. His characters are often beyond belligerent, and the cinematography can resemble horror films or true-crime dramas. Still, he's cultivated a dedicated following, as evidenced by his apparent box-office pull and by the proliferation of Robinson-related memes over the years: Even those who haven't seen a minute of his work have probably become familiar with his face via images of him, say, dressed as a hot dogor furiously pointing at the camera."

"His latest show, HBO's The Chair Company, is the clearest distillation yet of what makes Robinson so compelling as a performer. The episodic series, which he co-created with his collaborator Zach Kanin, offers an intimate look at a certain type of socially challenged man: someone who believes himself to be macho, while also yearning to be accepted as a regular guy. In the process, Robinson taps into a persona audiences can laugh at-and maybe even recognize-but find sympathetic anyway."

Tim Robinson often portrays obsessive, socially awkward men whose behavior ranges from belligerent to disturbing. His Emmy-winning sketch series I Think You Should Leave showcases compulsive, exaggerated characters and has generated widespread memes and a devoted following. The work sometimes uses cinematography that resembles horror or true-crime to heighten discomfort. In HBO's The Chair Company, Robinson co-created and stars as Ron, whose chair collapses after a speech and sparks a quest that exposes fragile masculinity and deep insecurities. The series balances intense, unsettling comedy with moments of empathy, making the protagonist both laughable and sympathetic.

Read at The Atlantic