Jesse Armstrong’s Succession (HBO, 2018–2023) is the great American TV drama of its era — a Shakespearean comedy of inheritance that disguised itself as a satire about media moguls. Across four seasons, Logan Roy (Brian Cox) tortures his four children (Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong, Alan Ruck) into wanting his approval and then denying them it.
The writing is unmatched: every episode is a chamber piece masquerading as plot. Season 3’s birthday-party episode and Season 4’s wedding episode are arguably the two best TV episodes of the decade.
Jeremy Strong’s Kendall is a generational performance — a man who’s been broken by his father and keeps trying anyway. Kieran Culkin’s Roman is a study in deflection through humor. Sarah Snook’s Shiv is the show’s quiet tragedy. Brian Cox’s Logan is monstrous and human in equal measure.
The finale ends exactly as it should.
