Succession

Like Game of Thrones or Yellowstone, Succession manages to create a unique, self-contained world with its own rules and ecosystem. Moreover, this is complemented by masterfully written, tangible, physical, fragile and strong characters full of different moods, conflicting attitudes, great interactions and moving ideologies. How deep and far the creators went in the psychology of each character and their anchoring in the imitation of the modern-day corporate high-profile world is quite impressive and a unique feat. It's been a fantastic ride, without exception all four seasons have been good, but I'm inclined to think not to add any more. For one thing, it's not really helped by some of the shocking twists in the last season, and secondly there's been enough of the negative stuff already. That is, unlike the series mentioned above, where you could find your favorite good and bad characters, Succession has a completely unique position in that NO character here is like or worthy of any kind of cheering. And watching 40 episodes of a battle of spineless turds can be too much of a mouthful at times, even for a jaded viewer. (20.04.2024)

Watching Succession, you feel as if Paul Greengrass was behind the camera and Martin Scorsese wrote the dialogue, with the actors free to improvise at will. A heavy-weight corporate and family drama against which Billions is just slicked up tinsel for IT geeks. There's dirt, mud, malice and real intrigue. The first season hasn't reached a boiling point yet, but one can assume the next will. (14.03.2024)

While the firs season benefited primarily from an interesting and novel idea of how raw and authentic the corporate world of billionaire families can be and introduced us to characters in a very peculiar way that made you keep looking for signs of some good (without finding any), the second season focuses primarily on the characters and further develops their inner and outer worlds, their interaction with each other and their individual ideological characteristics. A freak show of slick suited and costumed elegance, driving Mercedes and sailing yachts, where the daily stress and hustle is dealt with in a kill or be killed way, because the winner gets everything. A corporate series with by far the most flamboyant and layered characters far and wide. All credit to the creators because they have given enormous care to each character and the result is also enormously good accordingly. (11.04.2024)

The third season lacks the originality of the first and the intense drive of the second. The middle feels a bit inconsistent to the point of being muddled, and some of the family etudes are not as interesting or entertaining as the usual corporate chessboard brawl. While the finale hits it again at level 100, and Tuscany, not to mention Lake Como, are a nice twist to the mostly New York backdrop of iron and concrete, the high point of the series so far has been elsewhere. Still, it's top production quality and a brilliantly layered series with an uncompromising appeal to the superiority and power of the rich. (15.04.2024)

The wildest season of the series with several over-the-top twists, indiscriminately fantastically staged, and a shocking finale, ending with the most gruesome vote in corporate history, with a perfect punchline that makes clear sense and, dare I say, couldn't have fit together any better. A screenwriting masterclass. (20.04.2024)