HBO’s Succession has set so many viewing records and left critics and audiences raving with each memorable, surprise-filled episode this season, the closer we’ve got to the series finale of the acclaimed dynastic drama.
I’ve certainly been more invested this season than in the past, perhaps because the ten-episode fourth season is the last one we’re getting from creator Jesse Armstrong. But, also, because the show’s writing has been better than ever, the one-liners have been particularly memorable, and the drama has been especially sharp and fraught with tension since that major death a few episodes back.
It also doesn’t hurt that we’re seeing a real-life version of Succession’s myriad storylines playing out in the form of Rupert Murdoch’s headline-making stewardship of his Waystar Royco-like media empire at Fox News.
Succession Season 4 — which currently has a near-perfect 98% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes — and a nearly-as-strong 91% audience score — really is shaping up to go down as one of the greatest TV series of all time. With a certainly much better final run of episodes than shows like Ted Lasso and Game of Thrones. And while we won’t have any more Succession to enjoy after tonight, here are some recommendations for similar shows to check out for fans of the cutthroat capitalism and the same sort of scheming familial drama at the heart of Succession. In no particular order:
- Billions: Showtime’s hit drama is all about the confluence of wealth, influence, power, and corruption in New York City. The show is currently filming its seventh and final season, and Showtime describes the latest turn of events in the story thus: “As Mike Prince takes his place on the Axe Cap throne, Chuck Rhoades is determined that no one should have that much wealth — or that much power. With stakes higher than ever, all the power players seek out new alliances as kingdom goes up against kingdom.”
- Yellowstone: This Paramount drama, starring Kevin Costner and set to end at the conclusion of Season 5 this fall, is basically Red State Succession. Just replace media baron Logan Roy with Costner’s rancher John Dutton, and swap out the steel and glass of New York City with the wide open spaces of Montana.
- The White Lotus: This HBO drama from creator Mike White is a social satire that follows the kind of guests at a different exclusive resort each season who you might imagine are also the target demographic of Succession’s ATN news channel.
- Bloodline: I always felt this 3-season Netflix drama from the creators of Damages never got the appreciation it deserved, thanks to a stellar cast and top-notch writing. The synopsis from the streaming giant — “Set in the Florida Keys, Bloodline centers on a close-knit family of four adult siblings whose secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep brother returns home.”
- Drops of God: Finally, we come to Apple’s new Drops of God, which is in my opinion one of the best TV shows available right now anywhere. This is a quiet, engrossing drama of cinematic scope and quality that has a succession narrative at its core. A French wine expert has just dies and wants to leave his lavish estate to either his estranged daughter or his prized student. The winner must accomplish a series of tests — and, I promise you, this is much more engrossing and bingeable than it sounds. Drops of God offers viewers a rich, full-bodied narrative with notes of passion, beguiling old-world beauty, and the all-encompassing search for one’s identity.
