I’m about to articulate one of the most controversial opinions of 2023, so do whatever you need to brace yourself: I’ve never really got Succession. Before you start, yes, I can see that it’s good. Yes, I can see that it is sumptuous, dense and brilliant, and that at its best it has some of the finest dialogue not just on TV now but on TV ever. I know it’s a thinly veiled portrait of the Murdochs and it’s whip-smart and Machiavellian.
But, sometimes, watching it I feel as if I’m being cornered at a party by someone telling me about a non-fiction book I “have to read” while I watch other people laughing and having fun. It feels clever in the same way that putting your hand up and saying the right answer in a classroom is clever: in a smug and self-satisfied way. Truly, over three seasons, I’m not sure Succession has ever matched the dagger-like family dynamics of the Christmas episode of Peep Show that preceded it. I know you like it when Logan Roy growls “Fuck off”, but it’s no “Cauliflower is traditional!” and it never will be.
