Succession season 1

Last year in 2018 saw the release of a new HBO show called Succession and was created by Jesse Armstrong (Peep Show), and help produced by comedy-turn Oscar filmmaker Adam McKay (The Big Short). The trailer showed an ageing, Scottish media tycoon, played by Brian Cox, and his schematic American family all fighting to pick up the mantle of the family business when he is no more. I wasn't sure what to make of this flashy US drama at first but decided to see if this one would be worth a shot even though I hadn't any buzz from critics.

The first episode begins introducing the New York-based uptight Roy family, headed by Cox, who is still in the driving seat of the family business until one bad day sees him in hospital. Jeremy Strong is the son wanting to walk in his father's footsteps and is cautious of where his ageing father will take the company which is currently walking a narrow tightrope. Kieran Culkin is the stoner rich-kid younger brother wanting to prove himself but doesn't quite have the concentration for the work involved, while Natalie Gold is the hardworking sister who has chosen her own career path which collides with the family business, and then there's Ferris Bueller star Alan Ruck as the eldest brother with high aspirations but little to no idea of where he's going. The show starts with a lot to follow and doesn't waste a second in making you think these self-centred characters should be likeable.

By the end of episode one, the McKay style of dark humour took some getting used to and I wasn't sure what to make of it at first. Succession is a drama first and foremost about successful people treading on one another to reach the top but show goes further with developing them into characters we can sympathise with, which is one of its strongest aspects in thanks to the talented cast. Granted Matthew Macfadyen's American accent might cause more than a few from across the pond to wince a little but otherwise all performances were great, and the show pays-off nicely in the final episode.

It was great to see this also get some recognition during the award season, and the trailer for season two looks very promising. Even if what follows doesn't quite live up to season one, I can still safely recommend Succession as a great slice of well-written drama with neat touches of comedy making it well worth trying to see if McKay's style will be for you.