Kellen Pies ‘24, Copy Editor
HBO’s family-drama Succession has garnered a plethora of critical attention since its first season in 2018, with an 8.9/10 on IMDb and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95 percent. The show stars Brian Cox (Logan Roy) as the head of Waystar Royco, a multimedia behemoth of a company. Jeremy Strong (Kendall Roy), Kieran Culkin (Roman Roy), and Sarah Snook (Siobhan Roy) star as Logan’s three children who compete for the top spot at Royco throughout the series.
The show also features perhaps its strongest performance in Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans, Siobhan Roy’s significant other who aims to rise to the top of Royco. The series is a perfect mix of satire comedy and layered family drama, with a cast so deep in character that it is hard to argue against the claim that Succession is one of the best television shows ever created. “Succession was so good and I loved how the characters developed,” said senior Michael Chantiny.
Its fourth season, released in 2023, has met the same acclaim as previous outings of the show. Rotten Tomatoes critic Joe Reid said, “Every episode—every scene, practically—is cracking with tension, or a new angle on characters we feel like we know so well, or the opportunity for a laugh.” It is no secret that Succession’s fourth season, and especially its prediction-defying series finale, is on par with, if not better, than the show’s previous seasons.
On Dec. 11, the 81st annual Golden Globes nominations were revealed, and Succession unsurprisingly mopped up the competition with nine nominations in the TV Drama Series category. This is rather expected of Jesse Armstrong’s masterpiece, as Succession has a rich history of success at both the Golden Globes and The Emmys. In 2020, Brian Cox won Best Actor in a Drama Series, along with the show winning Best Drama Series. In 2022, after the show’s third season, Strong won Best Actor in a Drama Series, and Snook grabbed a Best Performance From an Actress in a Television Series award. The show once again won Best Drama Series that same year.
This year’s Golden Globes were held on Sunday, Jan. 7, and Succession dominated television with four wins, with The Bear and Beef as runner-ups with three wins. Culkin won for Best Actor in a Drama Series, Macfadyen won for Best Supporting Actor in Television, Snook won for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and the show’s fourth season won Best Drama TV Series at the 2024 Golden Globes. Although these results were unsurprising, the cast members were still grateful for the show’s success. Culkin especially acknowledged his surprise and gratitude for being up on the stage accepting his first award: “…I’ve been in here a couple of times, it’s nice, but I sort of accepted I’d never be on this stage…” Culkin also showed his appreciation for cast members and the creators of Succession: “…I thank everybody in Succession…this isn’t mine, this is one for the team.” Armstrong, Snook, and Macfadyen had equal appreciation for their deserved awards, and it only feels right that Succession performed as well as it did at this year’s Golden Globes.
In the world of the Academy Awards, Succession has garnered a whopping 48 nominations and 13 wins up until its fourth season. This year’s Emmys were held on Jan. 16, and Succession dominated once again, with 27 nominations and six wins, making it one of the most continuously winning shows of the last decade. The six winners included: Mark Mylod for Outstanding Direction for a Drama Series (Connor’s Wedding), Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, Culkin’s win for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Snook’s win for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and finally Macfadyen for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The same three actors that won during the Golden Globes won during the Emmys—a true testament to the talent that Succession’s cast has.
With four wins in the Golden Globes, and six in this year’s Emmys, Succession was 2023’s most successful show with 10 total wins across the board. Although its reign over television last year was expected, it is still satisfying to once again see Armstrong’s masterpiece gain the critical acclaim it deserves.
Lyon Life 