Succession, HBO

A few months ago, I began to hear rumblings of the greatness that is HBO’s “Succession.” 

It took me a while to sit down and watch an episode, but when I finally parked on the couch and pressed play on season one, episode one – I had mixed feelings. I wanted to like it because I’m a massive fan of Kieran Culkin and a sucker for family drama – which it was clear Succession would have plenty. 

But I also was immediately bored with its premise. Boo-hoo, rich people have a rich mean daddy who is mean to them, cue the tiniest of violins. Even with my reluctance to enjoy watching the Roys’ trample over each other to please the family patriarch, I couldn’t look away. I found myself “hate” watching season one, episodes two through four and then “love” watching the remainder of the season. From there, I blew through season two in a single Saturday. 

I’d officially joined the Succession fan group.

The intrigue of this show is its Game of Thrones like level of family politics and dealings with outside alliances. Logan Roy is no doubt the Cersei of modern media industry titans. He will stop at nothing to maintain power. Though his parenting skills are more aligned to the likes of Tywin Lannister, he has no problem throwing one of his own to the wolves should the family’s collective power become threatened. 

I’m also both fascinated and alarmed, getting a glimpse into the lives of billionaires. I’d be charmed to fly first class on a commercial flight, but these people have private jets and helicopters to get them wherever in the world they need to be. Can you imagine?

At the end of season two, it became clear to me that while I came for Kieran Culkin, I’ll be staying for Jeremy Strong. His performance as Kendall Roy is one of my favorites of any TV drama, hands down. His ability to show the vulnerability of a recovering addict with severe daddy issues while simultaneously being the strongest of the siblings is absolute perfection. 

Whether it’s the drama or the allure via lifestyles of the rich and famous, I can’t tell. I do know I will be tuned into Succession when it returns for season three. I’ve even created a fun drinking game for the show. Every time a character says, “fuck off,” you take a swig. It’s probably best to eat a hardy meal before playing this game.