Succession, Season 1 – Review

The first few releases of 2021, in terms of films, have been underwhelming. There haven’t been that many that have come out on streaming services, but the ones that have, are simply mediocre. This has prompted to start a new series, or one that I’ve never seen before. I have kept my eye on a series called Succession, and this week I wrapped up the first season.

Succession follows the Roy family, who own media conglomerate Waystar Royco. It is a multi billion dollar firm that invests in Media, Parks, Cruises, Movie Production Studios, and others. The oldest and patriarch Logan Roy(Brian Cox) has been experiencing a decline in his health, while his power hungry son Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) attempts to take control of the firm as CEO. The season also chronicles the rest of the family’s relationship and involvement, with the company and family.

So at its core, this is a brutal, yet utterly engrossing family drama, that also acts as a black comedy and satire. The first episode takes place on Logan Roy’s birthday, on within the first 10 minutes we get a feel of who Logan is as a person. As the runtime for the first episode continues, we are introduced to the family members, as well as friends and colleagues, and the conflict is quickly arisen.

The whole season, for the most part in shot in New York. We get beautiful shots of corporate skyscrapers, and ridiculously expensive houses and apartments. Given that Waystar Royco is a multi billion dollar family business, the whole family is loaded. Some might find the series pretentious, with how blatantly ignorant these characters are, and that they aren’t exactly, likable individuals. However everyone in the show is very well developed, and each represent a certain theme that is conveyed to the viewer.

The performances across the board are terrific, with highlights such as Strong, Cox, Culkin, Snook, and Braun. Even the ones I have mentioned pitch on. I cannot recall a bad apple in terms of the cast. The score is beautiful, and is executed at the right moment, to achieve an emotional punch.

Succession is quite simply, very consistent. Consistent that is in characters, story, direction, acting, and the result is staggering. It’s one of the best pilot seasons I’ve seen in awhile, and well worth a watch.