Succession is a worthy endeavor as a television show. Some people have apparently said it’s convoluted, or hard to relate to, but I think that the writing eases viewers into this pointedly unrelatable world in such a way that it’s neither. 

Cousin Greg is a kind of audience-surrogate. He is an outsider to the wealth and power, and his immersion is both human and comedic. His evolution kind of mirrors ours as the series progresses, and we adopt a thinking more similar to that of a character we might see in the show.

In the first episode a little boy is offered a million dollars, if he scores a home run. He does not. 

It’s a nice demonstration of the show’s cut-throat nature and shows a willingness, if not eagerness, to disappoint. Such high figures when lost seem detrimental to viewers at this early juncture. But then in negotiations later on we hear bigger numbers thrown out, in the twenties of billions range, and slowly we integrate into the player’s perspective.  

Some people take issue with the show for coming, as it’s seen, after a long series of others glamorizing ‘rich problems.’ 

But this show does not pander, and most of the characters are outwardly and shamelessly bad. And yet it’s not preachy either. It walks the very fine line between the two trains of thought on how to dramatize ‘rich problems’ and does it beautifully. 

Season one is a great introduction, season two doesn’t slow down a bit and is just as good if not better, and season three so far seems to be carrying the torch. Only an episode in, it’s hard to tell, but it seems a perfect continuation in style, and that’s all the assurance I need.

A lot of the shows that have come out of pandemic production seem to be lacking a certain authenticity, quite understandable given filming regulations, but episode one seems right on target, and I happily await the rest of the season.

This show doesn’t miss a beat. It’s not awkward except when it’s intended to be, and even these make for some of the best moments. It is probably the best television has to offer right now, so give it a watch.