What “After the Hunt” Gets Right

Annie Julia Wyman, the writer of The Chair, reflects on Luca Guadagnino’s film After the Hunt. In 2017, she left academia for the entertainment industry due to the challenging job market for humanities Ph.D.s. Ironically, she then co-created The Chair, a Netflix series about academia—the world she had departed.

Depiction of Academic Life

During the writing process, Wyman and her co-creator explored various facets of professors' personalities, describing them as at times uptight, self-aggrandizing, depressive, controlling, petty, kind, idealistic, noble, and wise, often simultaneously.

They also delved into the material struggles common in academia, which they believed non-academic viewers could relate to. The fictional campus of Pembroke is corporatizing, with humanities enrollments declining. This causes professors to panic, compete, and withdraw.

Power Dynamics and Representation

The show focuses on Sandra Oh’s character, the first woman of color to serve as head of the English Department, who faces significant resistance from older, mostly white male professors. She is determined to save their jobs despite the difficult environment.

The narrative is intensified by a romantic subplot involving a female lead and a troubled white male colleague who frequently challenges campus cancel culture.

Reception and Reflection

When The Chair premiered in 2021, Wyman worried it might offend friends and former mentors by portraying academia in an unflattering, honest light. However, those concerns proved unnecessary.

“Professors, about how they can be uptight, self-aggrandizing, depressive, controlling, petty, kind, idealistic, noble, and wise—sometimes all at the same time.”

“Pembroke is corporatizing. Humanities enrollments are dropping; our professors start freaking out, clawing at each other, retrenching.”

“The first woman of color to serve in the role and the one person determined to save their jobs.”

Author’s summary: Annie Julia Wyman’s The Chair captures the complex, often contradictory nature of academic life amidst institutional decline, highlighting struggles for survival and representation.

The Yale Review — 2025-11-04