Succession

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 3, 2018
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 111 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 89 out of 111
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 111
  3. Negative: 6 out of 111
Watch Now

Where To Watch

Buy on

Review this tv show

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling

User Reviews

view
per page
  1. break2bits
    Aug 5, 2018
    4
    Not a great show. It's not funny enough to be a good black comedy and lacks the emotional core that would make it a worthwhile drama. The characters are basically all stereotypes. Tom and Shiv are the only characters nuanced enough to be believable. For all the time spent characterizing the ultra-wealthy the show doesn't actually have anything of any substance to say about them or theirNot a great show. It's not funny enough to be a good black comedy and lacks the emotional core that would make it a worthwhile drama. The characters are basically all stereotypes. Tom and Shiv are the only characters nuanced enough to be believable. For all the time spent characterizing the ultra-wealthy the show doesn't actually have anything of any substance to say about them or their world. Instead the show embraces a kind of safe cynicism and tears down each of the overly simplistic "types" — rich and poor, liberal and conservative — that stand in as characters. It gets 4 points for having a relatively engaging narrative, but fails to cohere into anything more than an appeal to the audience's desire to experience vicarious luxury.

    And they waaaay overuse the show's dumb theme song — for some reason it shows up multiple times in every episode in addition to the opening titles. I can't imagine what these scripts look like: "Something dramatic happens. Cue piano music with a hip-hop beat so our idiot viewers know something dramatic happened."    … Expand
  2. Eman0221
    Jul 3, 2018
    6
    This show was marketed and positioned as HBO's version of "Billions." Instead, its the Corporate America version of "Death of Stalin, In the Loop/Thick of it, and Veep, but its just not as funny, sharp, and witty. Unlike those shows, the unlikeable characters in this one just aren't engaging enough. Just tiresome and boring. We get it, they're terrible, spoiled, entitled people. So what?This show was marketed and positioned as HBO's version of "Billions." Instead, its the Corporate America version of "Death of Stalin, In the Loop/Thick of it, and Veep, but its just not as funny, sharp, and witty. Unlike those shows, the unlikeable characters in this one just aren't engaging enough. Just tiresome and boring. We get it, they're terrible, spoiled, entitled people. So what? What is the hook here? Why should we care? Should we laugh? Hate them? Feel pity? The show doesn't seem to give a clear purpose other than hate and maybe laugh. That gets old fast.

    Will continue watching and holding out hope that it'll get better towards the end of the season, but I'm not holding my breath.    … Expand
  3. OlivierPiel
    Jun 5, 2018
    5
    Very underwhelming. Each character is more clichéd than the next: The Murdoch old-lion figure, who still has all his cunning despite his decrepit health, the anointed heir who has daddy issues, the immature bouffon of a little brother who prefers to laugh at everyone than accept taking responsibilities for his incompentence, the older brother who retreated to a ranch to avoid the rat race,Very underwhelming. Each character is more clichéd than the next: The Murdoch old-lion figure, who still has all his cunning despite his decrepit health, the anointed heir who has daddy issues, the immature bouffon of a little brother who prefers to laugh at everyone than accept taking responsibilities for his incompentence, the older brother who retreated to a ranch to avoid the rat race, the daughter that went into politics to prove she can do it alone, the consigliere who thinks he is part of the family...
    Probably as realistic as an episode of Dallas or Dynasty in the 80's.
    HBO, this is summer, but come on....    … Expand
  4. Dudefella
    Mar 19, 2019
    4
    If you're a liberal who doesn't hate being pandered to, you'll probably enjoy this.

    I could feel the writers begging for someone to make a supercut of every instance a character says "F*** off." I really wanna believe nobody took the bait and they were forced to use an anonymous YouTube account and make their own.

    A great cast wasted on poor writing.
  5. drlowdon
    Aug 27, 2023
    6
    When Logan Roy, owner of a huge global media and entertainment conglomerate, falls ill his children fight for control of the company.

    Succession is very well written and the cast is great, but as this first season grew to a close I realised I didn’t really care what happened to any of these awful, scheming characters.

Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Best TV Season of 2018
41
#41 Most Discussed TV Season of 2018
41
#41 Most Shared TV Season of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 29
  3. Negative: 1 out of 29
  1. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Jun 15, 2018
    80
    Succession is elevated by Cox’s turn.
    Read full review
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Liam Mathews
    Jun 8, 2018
    70
    Succession, HBO's new drama series with a comedy pedigree, is a combination boardroom and family drama spiked with acidic humor that will make you grateful for your own dysfunctional family. You all may be broke and screwed up, but that's better than being a Roy.
    Read full review
  3. Vanity Fair
    Reviewed by: Richard Lawson
    Jun 5, 2018
    65
    Any discomfort we feel about enjoying the show means Succession has succeeded, stoking a needling internal (and now external) conversation about the masses’ ideological relationship to the oligarchs pulling levers above our heads. If that is indeed what the show is trying to do, a begrudging hats off to Succession.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »