I might not be as high on this first season as others, but this is still really good TV. It has some great writing and dialogue with a stellar cast delivering very solid performances all around. It also balances its tones pretty well between a tense drama and a dark comedy. I found the comedy to work the majority of the time, but not necessarily every time. I felt that some episodes delivered the comedy far better than others, but when it hit it was very funny. The tension in the drama was also very good in certain episodes, such as episode 6. I was on the edge of my seat during that vote. However, some episodes did feel somewhat slow and less interesting than others. And while most of the relationships between characters in here were incredibly nuanced and interesting, I didn't love some of them as much. I think it also hurts the show just a little that pretty much everyone is a bad person, it gives little to latch onto as far as who to root for. Greg could serve as this character, but I feel like he was still coming into his own here and his awkwardness was tough to watch at times. Still, in some ways not knowing who to root for makes the show very compelling. There have been plenty of shows that take this approach and it work really well, and I think as I get more time with the characters in future seasons Succession will be able to pull it off. The direction style also took some getting used to, as it's shot very much with that documentary-style comedic feel akin to shows like The Office with frequent zoom-ins and quick camera movement. However, I grew to really enjoy that style as the show went on. Overall, a very solid opening season that doesn't work all the time for me but mostly delivers its writing, tones, and characters very well.
Review by Justin NumerickBlockedParent2023-04-20T17:25:57Z
I might not be as high on this first season as others, but this is still really good TV. It has some great writing and dialogue with a stellar cast delivering very solid performances all around. It also balances its tones pretty well between a tense drama and a dark comedy. I found the comedy to work the majority of the time, but not necessarily every time. I felt that some episodes delivered the comedy far better than others, but when it hit it was very funny. The tension in the drama was also very good in certain episodes, such as episode 6. I was on the edge of my seat during that vote. However, some episodes did feel somewhat slow and less interesting than others. And while most of the relationships between characters in here were incredibly nuanced and interesting, I didn't love some of them as much. I think it also hurts the show just a little that pretty much everyone is a bad person, it gives little to latch onto as far as who to root for. Greg could serve as this character, but I feel like he was still coming into his own here and his awkwardness was tough to watch at times. Still, in some ways not knowing who to root for makes the show very compelling. There have been plenty of shows that take this approach and it work really well, and I think as I get more time with the characters in future seasons Succession will be able to pull it off. The direction style also took some getting used to, as it's shot very much with that documentary-style comedic feel akin to shows like The Office with frequent zoom-ins and quick camera movement. However, I grew to really enjoy that style as the show went on. Overall, a very solid opening season that doesn't work all the time for me but mostly delivers its writing, tones, and characters very well.
7.4 // Good