Amid quarantine, like many of us, I found myself looking for something to binge-watch. I felt I had watched almost everything worth watching on Netflix, and I was simply tired of scrolling through the “Top Picks” category and feeling the urge to re-watch Arrested Development for the millionth time. Around that time, HBO’s long-awaited streaming service, HBO Max, had launched. Already familiar with HBO and its wide range of critically acclaimed TV shows, I subscribed immediately.
As an active user on Twitter, I follow a batch of film accounts, and of course, these accounts were already attached to the streaming service. Among the excitement for the addition of Friends and deserved admiration for new HBO originals, one show filled my entire timeline. Needless to say, that show was Succession. Succession aired in 2018, so I was already behind on the hype.
Created by Jesse Armstrong, Succession has a Shakespearean touch to it. It centers around the Roy family, proud owners of media conglomerate Waystar RayCo. The family patriarch and CEO of Waystar Rayco, Logan Roy (Brian Cox), has suffered a decline in health. Hesitant in passing down his title to one of his four kids – Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kiernan Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Connor (Alan Ruck) – competition and betrayal ensue as each of them fights for control of the company.
You may find these rich people awful — repulsive even. But then somehow, you’re rooting for at least one of them to dominate and take over Waystar. When I first began watching, I didn’t expect to be intrigued and immersed in their family dynamic by the first two episodes. From the characters, musical score, editing, the writing, Succession works powerfully. It’s a comedy-drama, but at times it feels like drama more than the other. The tension and their persistence to dominate each other will have you at the edge of your seat.
Succession was my favorite show from quarantine, and honestly, my favorite show at the moment.
Be sure to catch up! Season 3 of Succession arrives on HBO on October 17, 2021. And you catch previous seasons on HBO MAX.
Trust me: you do not want to be out of the hype.