If you’re on Twitter at all, you might have seen some screenshots floating around of boring-looking white people in suits standing around talking. Maybe you’ve seen a TikTok or two editing together clips of “TomGreg” to some romantic song. This is admittedly baffling to those who haven’t been tuning into the latest HBO Sunday show, Succession.
The family business drama has garnered a wide and surprisingly diverse audience. Teens and 20-somethings are tuning in week after week to see the Roy family, owners of a billion-dollar media company, navigate through their personal issues alongside business deals. Personally, I was not interested in this show at the beginning. The characters looked like stock photos of professionals to me, and the pilot episode was bombarded with technical terms about mergers and stockholders, things I immediately tune out because they’re so painfully boring. But I was encouraged by a friend to keep watching. I discovered that this show, which from its packaging is geared towards middle-aged corporate professionals, was weirdly compelling for my college kid tastes.
Succession explores the relationships between the CEO and patriarch of the Roy family, Logan, and his four grown-up children. The show explores themes of neglect, love, trauma, and ambition. Characters double-cross, plot, connive, and in general act super shady. And the fun part is, whether or not you know it, it sucks you in. A cutthroat business decision in S3 had me open-mouthed and completely stunned, to the point where I had to take a break and process what just happened and why. Each character is supremely flawed, and in theory, they all have reasons to be hated. However, the show explores the complexity of each person and gives them a depth of character that makes you root for people you never would’ve thought you would. This group of weird, sad people, paired with funny and smart writing, makes for a watch that will definitely get you hooked.
Succession is currently in its 4th and final season, and it’s going to be one for the books.