Succession:
The Complete Series
review by Bobby Blakey
I love shows that take on corporate takeovers, politics and crime like Billions, West Wing etc. When the series Succession hit HBO in 2018 it didn’t take long before it began not only dominating the airwaves but racking up accolades and awards. After four seasons the series came to an end going out on top. Now you can bring the entire series home on Blu-ray and revisit all the scheming and betrayal of this powerful dysfunctional family.
Succession follows a highly dysfunctional dynasty. When the aging patriarch of one of the world’s largest media conglomerates considers retirement, his family members position themselves for a takeover. But tensions rise as corporate battles threaten to turn into a family civil war in this sharp, scathing, binge-worthy series.
I have been late to the party on this one but have been wanting to dive in for some time. The series takes in real life story elements from numerous powerful families in government and media to bring this fictional version to life. A I made my way through the first season; I had some trouble really getting invested mostly due to there not being a single likable character in the entire
series. Even the closest and most innocent Greg played by Nicholas Braun often comes off as so whiny and confused that he annoys in a different way.
Thankfully as the series goes forward, they offer just enough drama and backstabbing that it takes the characters down different more interesting directions. This does allow the horrible nature of them all to kind of get sidelined to work directly into the story. Make no mistake they are all still the worst family and the constant back and forth does wear thin after a while. Thankfully there is always enough meat to pull you back in at every turn and the brilliant performances from everyone in the cast elevate this show to the worthy powerhouse it is.
I will say I did enjoy the later seasons more than the initial outset thanks to the creative and new ways they dealt with the family and their inner conflicts. It does get convoluted at times with it seemingly a nonstop back and forth gets tiresome. They were smart to reign it into four seasons as I am not sure it could have sustained much longer despite how great they all are in it. I know it seems like I am bashing it, but it is a good show. It just doesn’t offer up any redeeming characters and screams so much real-world insanity it is just infuriating. This is the kind of thing that would be fantastical in its fable storytelling if it wasn’t so close to so many truths.
Step into the world of corruption, betrayal, media, government and dysfunctional families with Succession: The Complete Series available now on Blu-ray from Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment.