the Iron Curtain in Cold War Seven good reasons to watch media saga Succession; music and doomed love behind

Seven excellent things about Sky Atlantic’s new drama, Succession

1

IT’S SHAKESPEARE FOR PEOPLE WITH SHORT ATTENTION SPANS

Take one family of high socioeconomic importance but replace the kings and queens with a US media dynasty, the Roy family

(spot the not-sosubtle nominative determinism), mix in an ailing patriarch and some squabbling siblings. Where once you’d have King Lear, now you have HBO’s glossy new drama Succession, which is delivered in 10 readily digestible 60-minute bites.

2

IT’S WRITTEN BY JESSE ARMSTRONG

Having already picked apart the political establishment with The Thick of It and In the Loop, British screenwriter Armstrong now turns his attention to media barons. As an interesting aside, Armstrong once wrote a never-produced screenplay about Rupert Murdoch and a scramble for power among his family members. Just saying.

3

IT’S NOT ON NETFLIX

We’re big fans of the ’Flix, obviously, but it’s nice to see that Sky Atlantic is bouncing back from its rival’s recent dominance in the high-end drama stakes (and not before time, given Game of Thrones finishes next year). As another interesting aside, Rupert Murdoch is in the process of securing full control of entertainment company Sky, which runs Sky Atlantic. But Succession isn’t about Rupert Murdoch, so no issues there.

4

BRIAN COX HAS A STARRING ROLE

Far be it from us to do down Gary Oldman’s performance in Darkest Hour, but Cox also did a very decent turn as the PM in Churchill, to much less fanfare. Now perhaps he’ll get his dues playing another elder statesman, paterfamilias Logan Roy and founder of entertainment conglomerate Waystar Royco, whose dramatically failing health sets his wayward offspring at each other’s throats.

5

IT MILKS SIBLING RIVALRY FOR ALL IT’S WORTH

Putting adult siblings back in close proximity to their parents is sure to generate arrested development (hmm, someone should make a 30-minute comedy about that…) and the Roy kids: neurotic lynchpin Kendall (Jeremy Strong), poker-faced cardigan enthusiast Shiv (Sarah Snook), impish wild-card Roman (Kieran Culkin) and hapless stepbrother Connor (Alan Ruck) are dreamily dysfunctional.

6

IT’S PRODUCED BY WILL FERRELL AND ADAM MCKAY

Though Succession isn’t an out-andout comedy, there’s a low, simmering humour throughout, that might in some osmotic way, be the result of having Ferrell and McKay on producing duties. They were, of course, the pair behind (and in Ferrell’s case, in) Step Brothers, another landmark in adult-sibling silliness.

7

IT HAS A SURPRISE SCENE-STEALER

As Shiv’s needy, weedy, powerhungry fiancé Tom, British actor Matthew Macfadyen is Succession’s comedy gold. As he tells his wife’s nephew, in a brilliant, icky confrontation, “I may look really fun, but the thing about me is I’m a terrible, terrible prick.”

uccession is now on Sky Atlantic and Now TV