Nothing could have predicted the wild ride that followed. Subrogation. In the weeks leading up to its summer 2018 release, this biting satire about the fake Murdochs stirred only modest expectations. The peak claim centered on directing and producing credits, not a single creator or a clear marquee star, which felt unusual for a high-profile HBO project. The team behind it, including a recent Oscar winner for The Big Short screenplay, faced the challenge of presenting a show that had potential but had yet to prove its full reach. Curiosity outweighed fanfare.
Reviews appeared in a wide spectrum of colors. While the favorable notes carried weight, consensus still felt like a distant unicorn. Even for those who admired the script, particularly enthusiasts of Jesse Armstrong known for Peep Show and Fresh Meat, there were private reservations that the early episodes lacked a certain hook. Yet this is common in comedies, and Succession follows that familiar arc where initial misfires give way to sharper rhythms, tighter tension, and a more confident flight as the season progresses.
During one interview, Holly Hunter, who plays a former rival to Logan Roy, remarked on the show’s tone. The tone evolves as the series grows, she observed, signaling how the drama matures alongside its characters.
To bring closure to the sprawling cast, the creators eventually gathered everyone in one setting and unleashed the reins to drive the stakes higher. The seventh episode, a standout titled Austerlitz, plays with memory rather than drawing from the author W. G. Sebald becoming a melancholic backdrop. It becomes a sly meditation on family dynamics that doubles as a clever device to raise the tension. The finale, Nunca Faltó Nadie, delivered intense human chaos, echoing the political storm that surrounded Ted Kennedy in 1969 at Chappaquiddick.
Season two and especially season three earned Emmys for drama series, cementing Succession as a pillar of television’s recent golden era alongside The Sopranos, The Wire, and Breaking Bad. As the show rose, it found a place among the most acclaimed dramas of its time, proving its staying power within the landscape of prestige television.
reasons to love him
There is no single magic ingredient that turns Succession into a global obsession. The series gains depth from a mosaic of strong components that, taken together, create something larger than the sum of its parts. Schadenfreude plays a considerable role, offering a sly delight in others’ misfortunes, particularly when those others sit atop vast fortunes. The ultra-rich in Succession are rarely simply content; even when they seem to achieve what they want, dissatisfaction lingers. That tension provides a kind of dark reassurance and amusement to a broad audience. And this avoidant glamour stands apart from glossy shows about wealth. Those in Succession inhabit a colder, more unsettled world crawling with shifting loyalties and a sense of spiritual vacancy.
Yet the emotional pull can still strike audiences with surprising force. The Roy siblings are not one-note characters. Few would want to spend time with people defined by negativity alone. Their drama is universal: siblings contending for parental approval from a father who may not fully see them, a dynamic described by Brian Cox, who plays Logan Roy, as a persistent, simmering vulnerability underneath power. While filming the second season in Scotland, actor Jeremy Strong explained the core tension: the children were raised in comfort and privilege with every advantage. They carry a sense of status and security, yet time after time their attempts to defend themselves are met with parental undermining.
Armstrong, working with satirist Armando Iannucci, knows how to craft biting dialogue that reveals the worst impulses of power. Moments fit for a longer memory remain, such as the way Logan’s line delivery lands with cutting precision or how a seemingly casual remark exposes a deeper cruelty. The writing throws sharp, memorable quips with a confidence that keeps the audience listening for the next strike.
A haunting theme song
Discussing Succession without noting the magnetic soundtrack would be incomplete. The main theme, crafted by Nicholas Britell, blends hints of eighteenth-century music with a modern hip hop pulse. A remix by a prominent rapper later amplified the track’s reach. The music settles into the show almost like a character itself, underscoring the drama and sometimes hinting at tragedy. The tune sticks with viewers as the weeks progress, intensifying the sense of looming consequence with every new episode.