Right now, Succession is one of the more popular shows on premium cable (at least, within my friend group). I've had friends from very different taste-groups rave about the writing, the acting, but more often than not they rave about the world. Specifically, isn't it so cathartic and devilishly fun to get access to the upper-upper echelon of society and watch them tear themselves apart?
Honestly, for me the answer is no. Ultimately what Succession focuses on is a group of people who have no discernible values, integrity, or personality beyond the desire to maintain or accrue money and power. There is some sad, dark humor that comes from their ineptitude to do so - but I find the humor is canceled out by the sheer repetitive, blunt ruthlessness with which they treat each other and everything. Relationships only degrade, temporarily propped up by Machiavellian alliances, nothing important is learned about characters' inner-demons, weaknesses, or strengths other than how it plays out in their battle to keep a generic media company running under their control.
To me this isn't cathartic, or funny, or more importantly - it's not compelling storytelling. There's no character involvement of anyone outside the immediate family or at broadest, there's no one outside the upper-upper echelon world. So, we can reasonably expect that regardless of the "succession" or other calamitous situations that form the backbone of the show -- it will only take place in a small box made of mirrors. Meaning, the show has a claustrophobic setting -- everything just reflects and refracts off the similar main characters behaving in the same way to get at the same thing.
I get that there's an obsession with power that inherently makes this interesting to some audiences. But the power of the head of a media conglomerate really isn't the focus on the show, as far as I can tell. We don't witness the great actions they can instigate with the swish of a pen, it's more about making the swings of stock prices and who-gets-what-board-seat feel like great actions and forces. But, man, isn't that dry? And when it's only despicable, frantic, hopelessly egotistical people that are feeling these forces - who cares?
There's still a lot to like about the show. The actors bring a vitality to it, regardless. The aesthetic is a calm, cool, corporate sort of thing -- it doesn't focus on the ostentatious wealth and textures that come with it, rather it wants to imply that they're so rich we don't even need to get into that. It's well balanced between the various despicable family members, we definitely get perfect amounts of time with each one but in the end it just doesn't help me care. Or more specifically, I can't find a reason to justify my watching this show.
So, my next task is to understand why people like it so much more than me? Is it because they only need the fireworks of a destructive, uber-family to enjoy an hour of TV? I'm sure there are character arcs that'll form past ep 3 (as far as I've gotten), but they won't be arcs I'll care about. But, other people will.
And honestly, the old-man (and simultaneously lefty-liberal) voice in my head says: should we be worried that people are enjoying this show? If we're watching a whole show just to enjoy a family imploding because it's cathartic to our social and economic environment... well, that's a problem. If we're watching the show to want to feel the rush of being a soul-less, power-obese maniac... well, that's a different but equally problematic drive. Or if we're watching it to neither enjoy the schadenfreude nor be the surrogate, then why are we watching it? Because we feel it'll teach us something the upper society we live under? Or about American culture? We don't need to understand inequality and machinations in this way, do we? We already know it's wrong, it's destructive and oppressive. So, why get so close so as to be empathetic? Regardless of the reason, the vicious humor teaches us a lesson I don't think anyone needs to learn right now. To angrily laugh at characters whose own angry humor is their only defense says something about us -- and it's probably not a healthy statement.
I'm going to do a follow-up post tomorrow about this weird resurgence of the Classic White Patriarchy Show (Yellowstone, the Son, etc.).