Succession in the Media

[peachmangosteen]

I love a show runner who knows when to end their show.

This makes me even more excited for this season. I suspect something will actually happen now lol.

[Msample]

You are assuming it was the showrunner’s choice and not driven by HBO and their  recent cost cutting spree. 

[aghst]

True, maybe they said he'd have to cut his budget.

Though Zaslav had said he wants to double down on HBO.

Well Succession is one of the most popular HBO shows so you'd think they'd want to keep it on the air as long as possible.

There's another article where Armstrong says he may be interested in doing a spinoff with one of the characters but Bloys, the head of HBO, said he didn't think a spinoff would make sense.

Quote

But the Guardian newspaper reports that Armstrong adds that he is considering a separate show, potentially to follow one of his central characters, or to concentrate on just one of the several main themes. 

However, the UK newspaper adds that HBO, which makes the show, might not feel the same way, with Casey Bloys telling Variety, “It doesn’t seem to me that there’s something in Succession where you would go, ‘Let’s follow just this kid’ or whatever.’”

 

https://deadline.com/2023/02/succession-creator-jesse-armstrong-spin-off-from-emmy-winner-end-season-four-1235271774/

[caitmcg]

On 2/26/2023 at 4:54 PM, Msample said:

You are assuming it was the showrunner’s choice and not driven by HBO and their  recent cost cutting spree. 

Well, not unless Jesse Armstrong is just lying about it to save face, given what he says in the New Yorker interview.

[BetterButter]

 

[BroncoChevalier]

Examining the details that make the show great

[caitmcg]

Alan Sepinwall has a a glowing review in Rolling Stone.

Quote

Given how much Succession has dominated both the Emmys and the TV conversation over its previous seasons, HBO surely would have let Armstrong keep making it for as long as he wanted. But he comes from the UK, where television trends more toward short runs that don’t overstay their welcomes. He no doubt could see what many of us saw in Season Three: that despite a spectacularly high level of execution on all fronts, Succession was just telling different variations of the same story, again and again. The kids go after Logan (Brian Cox) in some combination, he wins, and the game of musical chairs resumes. You can get away with that level of formula for a really long time if you’re as good at it as Succession is. Eventually, though, hitting these same notes over and over — “Different, but the same,” as Shiv (Sarah Snook) says in an upcoming episode — was going to fall flat, maybe as soon as this year.

Instead, Armstrong and company find a way to make this final season feel the same, but also very, very different. The notion of ending hangs over everything from the start. The season begins two days before the planned sale of Waystar Royco to Swedish tech mogul Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). Shiv, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), and Roman (Kieran Culkin), having been banished by Logan after their failed coup, already have plans in the works for a new business that they’ll fund from their shares of the sale. Logan leaves his latest birthday party early, the occasion making him painfully aware of how little time he has left to rule this planet.

Logan knows the end is coming, and so does Succession. Without spoiling what happens in the episodes sent to critics, the way that events unfold, and the impact that they have on Logan and everyone else, never plays like a rehash of what’s come before. Significant choices are made, by both the characters and the creative team, that cannot be taken back. It is full steam ahead to the end. Much of what happens is shocking and/or shockingly poignant, especially since it is a show about the absolute worst human beings alive.

Armstrong and company also continue to demonstrate a marvelously deft balance between the yuks and the tragedy of it all. The second episode features a rare scene of Logan and his four children in a room together, relitigating old grievances, and it’s as amusing and as sad as anything the series has done to that point. And there remains an enormous amount of nuance in showing the varying scales of awfulness between all these people. We are reminded, for instance, that while Roman is the most outwardly cruel and gross of the siblings, he’s also the only one of the four capable of demonstrating empathy, even briefly, toward people outside his immediate family. And Snook and Macfadyen do some absolutely incredible work at showing how Shiv and Tom are dealing with each other after his betrayal of her in the Season Three finale

Obviously, all of this could fall apart in the coming weeks, but Succession has, like The Wire and The Sopranos, historically finished seasons even stronger than they start. And these early episodes already put us at the loftiest of levels.

 

 

[AngieBee1]

Kieran Culkin talks with Esquire.

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a43399530/kieran-culkin-succession-interview-2023/?utm_campaign=socialflowTWESQ&utm_source=twitter&src=socialflowTW&utm_medium=social-media

[Artsda]

 

l

 

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Artsda

[Artsda]

 

[nb360]

This Wall St. Journal article is not about the Succession the TV show but the "succession" of Bernard Arnault, the richest man in the world and how he is grooming his five children to take on a leadership role in the family's company, LVMH (of Louis Vuitton and Tiffany's... among other things).

He seems to be a better father than Logan. :)

I have to believe that the show has helped their brand...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/bernard-arnault-worlds-richest-children-lvmh-ceo-f7a67a03?st=nyvtmgnxhpmty1h&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

[aghst]

Jeremy Strong sits down with Rog of Men in Blazers to discuss his character Kendall Roy.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rogs-hbo-succession-podcast-with-jeremy-strong/id908407811?i=1000611212421

 

I think this was recorded months ago, no references to the current season.

So it's more general discussion of his character and approach to his character.

It sounds just like that article from a couple of years ago that his hardcore method acting approach leaves him apart from the rest of the cast.

Yeah he takes himself a little too seriously but can't argue with the results.

Nor the results of other cast members who take a different approach.

[Artsda]

Jeremy is at the Met Gala.

 

 

[BlackberryJam]

It’s all working for me until we get to the Swatch.

[ProudMary]

On 4/24/2023 at 6:57 PM, Artsda said:

 

Interesting, and from what we've seen in the first five episodes to date, justified for both Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook to be moved up to the Lead Actor/Actress categories. So, Culkin and Strong will go head to head. What remains to be seen is where Brian Cox lands. Through Episode 5, he's appeared in 4 episodes. Will he appear in enough episodes to qualify for Supporting Actor? I'd hate to see him land in the Guest Actor category after being the main focus of the series for 3+ seasons.

Edited May 2, 2023 by ProudMary

[ProudMary]

Not surprisingly, there are some clever signs on the Writers' Guild picket line.

 

[realityplease]

14 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

Not surprisingly, there are some clever signs on the Writers' Guild picket line.

 

Not too clever of a picket sign, really.  If, as threatened, they "spoil" [the ending of] Succession, they might eventually get a contract nailed down - but never get hired in this town again.  And gain the disapproval & irritation of many, many Succession fans. 

Edited May 3, 2023 by realityplease

[sistermagpie]

47 minutes ago, realityplease said:

Not too clever of a picket sign, really.  If, as threatened, they "spoil" [the ending of] Succession, they might eventually get a contract nailed down - but never get hired in this town again.  And gain the disapproval & irritation of many, many Succession fans. 

I don't think the point is that it's a real threat. It's that as the writers they're the ones that create the shows people are hooked on and don't want spoiled. Too much money goes to CEOs and not the people creating the valuable thing.

[realityplease]

1 minute ago, sistermagpie said:

I don't think the point is that it's a real threat. It's that as the writers they're the ones that create the shows people are hooked on and don't want spoiled. Too much money goes to CEOs and not the people creating the valuable thing.

I agree.  All true that too much goes to CEOs & not the people creating the value. It's gotta be disconcerting to put so much thought, work & energy into a script, only to see so many with their hands on it, sometimes distorting or changing it, or practically everyone else being recognized (the directors, producers, actors, etc.) with awards or rewarded & well paid as a result of it, & many times, the writer overlooked or forgotten or their value diminished. 

So to change minds, make a clever threat that has teeth & goes to the heart of the matter. Not an idle threat or joke.  The Succession writers were paid for their work under the contract that existed at the time.  Both sides of the controversy to act in good faith.  Even as a joke or idle threat, not moving the needle.  

[sistermagpie]

2 minutes ago, realityplease said:

So to change minds, make a clever threat that has teeth & goes to the heart of the matter. Not an idle threat or joke.  The Succession writers were paid for their work under the contract that existed at the time.  Both sides of the controversy to act in good faith.  Even as a joke or idle threat, not moving the needle.  

I don't think signs on a picket line are there to change minds, though. They're just supposed to catch the attention of people walking by or taking pictures, which this did.

[realityplease]

Wasted opportunity if it catches attention but doesn't draw support for the cause.

[ProudMary]

Succession's series finale, airing Sunday May 28th will be 90 minutes long. From Variety:

Nicholas Britell Teases the ‘Succession’ Series Finale: ‘It’s 90 Minutes. It’s a Huge Episode, Like a Movie’

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, realityplease said:

Not too clever of a picket sign, really.  If, as threatened, they "spoil" [the ending of] Succession, they might eventually get a contract nailed down - but never get hired in this town again.  And gain the disapproval & irritation of many, many Succession fans. 

I posted one of the picket signs that referenced Succession for inclusion in this thread. There were other very clever signs online that were too political, some referencing Succession, that I knew better than to post here. People who are interested should check social media.

[Artsda]

 

[aghst]

HBO says no plans to spin off any of the Succession characters into a new show.

So don't place your hopes on a Disgusting Brothers show.

 

But maybe they could do a movie if Armstrong is willing and the cast hasn't gotten too old.

Edited May 26, 2023 by aghst

[Artsda]

 

 

Sarah also had her baby. 

 

 

 

[nb360]

You can buy the scripts! 

https://variety.com/shop/succession-scripts-jesse-armstrong-how-to-buy-online-1235627686/

But what I want are the scenes that didn’t appear in the final season, like Kendall’s jump into the water of Battery Park.

[ProudMary]

In the lead-up to Emmy nominations, I always enjoy these Actors on Actors interviews that are hosted by Variety. This episode with Kieran Culkin and Claire Danes is one of the best I've ever seen. (Full disclosure: I've also watched and enjoyed Fleishman Is in Trouble, the project for which Danes is considered an Emmy front-runner this season.) The two actors have a very relaxed camaraderie as they worked together on a film decades ago as teenagers.

 

[Macbeth1966]

On 2/26/2023 at 7:54 PM, Msample said:

You are assuming it was the showrunner’s choice and not driven by HBO and their  recent cost cutting spree. 

It's a real shame what is happening to HBO.  They spent a lot of money on this show  - especially with all of the location shoots.  Given the budget crunch these days - Succession probably wouldn't even make it into production.  And the 1st season ratings were not that great.  It started gaining steam with all of its nominations.

[ProudMary]

Emmy Nominations announced.

Obviously  the show is nominated for Best Drama Series.

Here are the acting categories with all nominees. 

 

Edited July 12, 2023 by ProudMary

[Jordan Baker]

I'm happy to see so many nominations for Succession, but I fear that the categories with multiple Succession nominees might result in the award going to a non-Succession nominee. For example, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, and Kieran Culkin are all nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series. I think they were all magnificent, but I would give the nod to either Kieran Culkin (my personal favorite) or Jeremy Strong (who is always, always good). But I think what will happen is that the award will go to someone else, probably Pedro Pascal. I didn't watch The Last of Us, although I understand that he was very good, but my heart belongs to Succession, and I really want to see Kieran Culkin or Jeremy Strong win.

Same for the Best Supporting category. I am all in for Matthew Macfadyen to repeat his win. But he has heavy competition, including among his own castmates. (I did see The White Lotus, which I thought was just OK.) I'm happy to see Alan Ruck nominated. He really did shine in the last season.

Fingers crossed for multiple wins.

[nb360]

Yes, I have a feeling that the multiple Succession nominations will work against them. I think Bob Odenkirk might win Best Actor for Better Call Saul. He’s been nominated multiple times but has never won. 

[aghst]

I wonder if Emmy awards lead to greater money for the actors.

Especially those who've won previously.

 

For the studio or show owners and networks, there might be prestige and future increases in market value.  I wonder if Emmy awards lead to more subscribers for HBO.

Otherwise, I don't understand the appeal for viewers.

(Similar for Oscars too.  Back in the day, studios spent a lot on full page ads in newspapers when a movie won an Academy award and they could put the Oscar logo prominently in the ads.  But now, nobody is reading newspapers to learn about movies, they're reading reviews or watching trailers online.)

For shows in the Prestige TV era, it seems more word of mouth and reviews that build momentum.  Succession benefitted from positive critical reception and word of mouth but the momentum had to build up, didn't get a big audience right off the bat.

[Artsda]

Amazing accomplishment by them all but I do wonder especially with Supporting and Lead actor if they'll split the votes. 

Now with the strike if it's not over by Emmy time there won't be a ceremony. 

[Artsda]

Hopefully he's ok and nobody else hurt.

 

 

 

[aghst]

A Real Pain, starring Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg (who also wrote and directed), is getting very good reviews.

I thought from the commercials that it was some kind of buddy comedy. But it deals with The Holocaust and is getting praised for dealing well with a weighty issue.

 

Jeremy Strong was doing a lot of press recently for playing Roy Cohn in The Apprentice, a controversial film about Trump's early years -- Cohn mentored him.