At first, I didn't like Succession and didn't understand the high levels of praise, because I found every character to be thoroughly awful... but that's the point.
This show is a character study about how the people around power and money are all awful, but awful in different ways and we explore these ways.
My own personal favourites are:
- Tom is the ultimate corporate sleazebag who prospers by being a sycophant and immoral.
- Nan Pierce tries to hide her awfulness with a cloak of faux sophistication.
- Greg is despicable, devious, greedy and grasping throughout while masquerading as the fool/innocent.
- Matsson and his cronies are the Sweden most of the world isn't aware of.
- Bringing the show to Dundee and the British aspects of inherited wealth was a rich vein to explore.
- The relationships of the wealthy to their servants and employees were perfectly presented.
The casting and the acting is excellent across the board.
One thing I'm quite surprised by is how Brian Cox seems to not understand the character he plays, in various interviews he's done. "Logan loves his kids too much" - Logan doesn't love his kids at all, as clearly reflected by their twisted childhoods devoid of good parenting, and as adults, they are merely tools to be used to feed his narcissism and achieve his goals.
The production is as lavish and rich as the world it portrays.
The theme tune is one of the all-time greats, alongside Friends, Angel and Millenium. It runs through my head regularly.
Where the show fell short of perfect:
- The first half/two-thirds of Season 3 was tedious and unremarkable. It's only until the final 4-ish episodes of that season that we return to what made the show great.
- The election episode was boring and should have been binned.
