In a time when real-life clickbait articles about political showdowns on university campuses read like repetitive, unfunny satire, “The Chair” manages to bring a light touch to a topic that tends to be high on self-seriousness and low on actual stakes. It’s largely thanks to Sandra Oh’s ability to humanize anything that this Netflix limited series (from showrunner Amanda Peet and the producers of “Game of Thrones”) manages to avoid taking the lowest-hanging fruit at every turn.
The pilot opens with Ji-Yoon Kim (Oh) stepping up to the title role as the head of Pembroke College’s English department, a “sinking ship” that’s losing enrollment under the weight of complacency and knives-out political jockeying.