I was unsure what to think of this show for the first few episodes. The camera work is weird, and the tone is quite unique - the uses of humour are so peculiar and almost out of place, yet somehow it mostly works. I also really didn't like any of the characters at first.
But by the end of the season, my mind was made up; this show is fantastic. Definitely one of the most unique dramas on TV right now, and I'm excited to keep watching more. The politics and scheming are right up my alley, and the added humour is great too. I also came to start liking a lot of the characters and even feeling bad for those I had previously thought were just straight-up assholes.
Excited to watch season 2.
Great cast, amazing writing and directing, superb attention to detail and an incredible ability to balance drama, comedy, tragedy, farce. I deeply care and I am sincerely moved by things happening to people I despise. This is the best show on TV right now.
Yesterday was a lazy day just watching lots of episodes of Succession. Yes, finally.
It's a soap opera of the spoiled dysfunctional family of an old rich rightwing American media monopolist. A popular theme for people, with the opportunity to watch the foibles of the rich and mock their evil ways. While ignoring the reality that much of the show parallels our own world, we have people just like that, and we often not only enable their behaviour but emulate it.
I've watched most of Season 1 so far and haven't really found a character to like yet. But I do enjoy the writing the characters, the plot twists, and the witty dialogue, so I likely will keep on watching.
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
Kendall Roy, true tragic hero of our times.
Although the first few episodes didn’t click with me, my interest skyrocketed after the gala fundraiser episode. Despite not having a clue about stocks and board meetings, it was incredibly easy to empathize with the characters, as their interpersonal problems and career issues are universal regardless of where you work at. The characters’ flaws and incoherences make them feel so authentic, and the fact that they are all loathsome assholes makes everything even more entertaining. It was surprising to see characters showing unexpected complexity while still retaining their role in the story. Even monolithic characters like Logan reserved some surprises at the end.
The main roster is flawless, with possibly the exception of the “wacky” characters like Greg or Connor. I guess they’re just meant to provide comic relief for the time being, yet I feel they went a little too heavy-handed with their characterization.
The third time I tried to get into this and it finally worked. It's true, get through the first 5 episodes and you're in for binging several seasons after that. I love it and even forgive the setup of 5 eps of hating every character and what they stand for.
Great first season with perfect casting and well written characters.Can't wait for what i am going to watch in next season.
Review by chrundle1BlockedParentSpoilers2022-06-08T19:07:46Z
Season 1 of Succession surprised me. It's a pretty unique show and quite different than I was expecting - less event-TV drama, more dark satirical dramedy. Everything clicked when I found out Will Ferrell is an executive producer. So much of his character DNA is present here. from Cousin Greg's stammering stoner ramblings, to Tom's blatant two-faced treatment of others, to Kendall's douche-y bravado and barely-masked insecurity. You can see the echoes of Ferrell and his collaborators' characters from Stepbrothers to Anchorman on full display. The tone and pacing feels very similar too - the way that semi-serious scenes end up devolving into barely-contained improv, ending with an unexpected barb or blink-and-you'll-miss-it visual sight gag before quick-cutting away.
That said, it's not perfect. The mid-season dragged a bit. At times I felt like the show wasn't quite deep or thrilling enough to keep me hooked as a drama, but wasn't consistently funny enough to hook me as a comedy either. The amount of quick-cuts can make some scenes feel a bit disjointed and tough to follow. The writing also feels a bit transparent at times, where it feels like characters are doing / saying things in order to move the plot in the desired direction, instead of doing/saying what would feel natural for the character in that situation. And at times the whole thing just feels kind of... douche-y? The same sort of feeling that Entourage used to give me (altho I've only seen a few episodes). Like all the characters are obnoxious assholes, I have no one likable to root for, and even the writing and plot points feel like the product of douchebags w/ daddy issues who are kind of missing any deeper point.
That said, the finale episode of Season 1 bumped this up from a 7 or so to a solid 8 for me. Very unexpected, raw, dark, and chilling. Looking forward to the following seasons.