In the words of Keep It podcast host, Ira Madison III, HBO’s Succession is “white excellence.”
Succession follows billionaire Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the head of a fictional global media and entertainment conglomerate called Waystar RoyCo, whose children are fighting for control of the company. His children include Connor (Alan Ruck), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Sioban aka Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin).
The show also features characters outside the Roy family, including longtime legal advisor Gerri Kellman (J. Smith-Cameron), Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun), a distant family member later employed by the company and Shiv’s husband, Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), who becomes a Waystar executive.
A friend of mine recommended Succession to me during the summer, and I became unexpectedly obsessed. In honor of season three starting earlier this month, I compiled a list of reasons to start watching and following this dysfunctional family known as the Roys.
Uniquely Timely
Ever since I started watching the first season, I felt like Succession was the type of television show that matches the current state of the world. Whether or not that is a good thing about the world we live in remains unanswered.
Succession is a story about power, specifically who deserves to wield such power, and who struggles to hold onto it. It is also about loyalty and respect, as well as the consequences of power moves made by characters.
Something else that caught my attention early on was the various businesses at Waystar Royco, including media outlets, entertainment, parks/cruises and resorts. The company also has a fictional, conservative-leaning news network called ATN, which might draw on the Murdoch family and their public battles over the years. While the show isn’t necessarily political, its fictional world and characters are inspired by real-life prominent families and their problems.
Chaotic, Satirical and Comedic
In a scene from the second season, Logan tests the loyalty of some executives and family members in a humiliating mind game called “Boar on the Floor”. In the sadistic game, Logan orders three employees to oink like piggies and fight for sausages. He also leads the other employees and family members to chant “boar on the floor.”
It is a hilarious but demeaning game without any rules except Logan’s demands. However, it is also an example of the media mogul’s insidious ways to wield power against those below him.
In another scene from the second season, Cousin Greg and Tom are locked in a safe room (actually just a small random office) after a gunshot goes off in the building. Trapped and waiting to be released, Greg confesses to Tom that he no longer wants to work at ATN, suggesting they have a “business open relationship” instead.
However, this conversation does not go over well, as Braun explained with GQ Magazine, “Greg has failed to do this conversation correctly… so he now has to try and backpedal.” In a fit of anger, Tom pelts water bottles at him. While Greg attempts to dodge his attacks and call a security guard for help, Tom stops him by shouting, “This is executive-level business.”
Its messy, chaotic energy makes this scene a personal favorite. Tom doesn’t want to lose Greg and feels a sense of protectiveness over him. However, Greg admits he’s not very happy working in a workplace environment like ATN. It is just a pure mess, and I love it.
Opening Theme and Background Music
I always love when a television show has an opening theme that hits incredibly hard, and Succession is a perfect example. With its soothing sound reminiscent of falling coins, its richness matches the show perfectly.
I will never press the “skip intro” button when watching an episode of Succession. It is just too good to not hear and enjoy.
Just like the opening theme, the background music during episodes is also top quality. Music often sets the tone of a scene and composer Nicholas Britell who wrote the soundtrack for the show nails this. Britell has also scored Barry Jenkins’s “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk,” earning him nominations for Best Original Score at the Academy Awards.
Best Swearing and Insults
In its two seasons, Succession has become known as a gold mine for iconic quotes and brutal insults. From addiction problems to childhood trauma, nothing is off-limits and nobody is safe from a cruel put-down. Typically, you will hear Logan call out his children by shouting, “F*ck off.”
In the second episode of the first season, the Roy siblings argue over who should run the company while Logan is unfit. Though Kendall is the presumed successor, he often struggles to prove his worth to his father, partially due to his substance abuse and difficulty maintaining a relationship with his estranged wife and two children.
The siblings feud back and forth throughout the episode. At one point, Roman crosses the line after he tells Kendall, “I think [Logan] meant to say he wished mom gave birth to a can opener, because at least then it would be useful.”
In the first season, Kendall works with a college friend, Stewy (Arian Moayed) to organize a hostile takeover of the company. In the end, Kendall backs out of the takeover, and Stewy is fueled by rage. When they see each other for the first time in the second season, Stewy snaps at his old friend saying, “F**k you, you pusillanimous piece of f**king fool’s gold. F**king, silver spoon a**hole.” It is such a beautiful, angry and unstated intelligent line.
The Worst Family in America
Often when a television show or film has an unlikeable character who is in the lead cast, I find it difficult to root for them. This is not the case for Succession. While these characters are terrible, you will love to hate them.
Ultra-rich people who love to shove their wealth down everyone else’s throat are obnoxious and annoying, which the Roys are especially known for doing. On the other hand, there is something so entertaining about watching a dysfunctional corporate family be such a mess all the time.
Not even a weekend-long family therapy session at Connor’s ranch in New Mexico can salvage a tiny bit of the Roys. Once again, it is a pure mess, and I enjoy every second of it.
An Amazing Cast
Besides its compelling characters and sharp dialogue, Succession is full of talented performers. At the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards, the dysfunctional media dynasty drama scored 18 nominations including individual nominations for a majority of the main cast.
Jeremy Strong won for outstanding performance in a drama series last year but after the first episode of season three, I am already on board for his 2022 Emmy campaign. I still love my Emmy losers, Sarah Snook and Nicholas Braun, I am also rooting for them to win.
As a fan of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”, watching the cast all together (well, minus Jeremy) get interviewed by him was a major serotonin boost. I am not being dramatic, it has some wonderful moments that I just love.
For instance, Sarah says she’d like to play Roman if only she could play him as good as Kieran, to which he tells her to f**k off because he can’t take a compliment. He acts so much like his character, which makes the moment better. To top it off, Brian and J. Smith-Cameron attack him to accept the compliment.
Final Thoughts
HBO’s Succession has become the type of television show I didn’t know I needed. Now caught up on both seasons, I have so much excitement for season three and what the Roys will bring me next. If you need something new to watch and have a subscription to HBOMax, consider giving Succession a watch!
The first two seasons of Succession are available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes air Sunday at 9/8c p.m. on HBO Max.
Featured image courtesy of HBO