5 shows to watch if you love Succession
HBOIf you’re needing to fill that Succession-shaped hole in your life, look no further – here are five TV shows to watch if you love Succession and where to stream them.
Jesse Armstrong’s Succession has come to a close with a powerful and dark feature-length finale that will go down in TV history as one of the greatest final flourishes. In our review, we said the Season 4 closer “gives the Roys their Peep Show ending: condemned to tragic inevitability.”
The HBO series has built a legion of fans over the course of its four seasons, managing to center on the same futile struggle for power without feeling tired or lacking. The stakes have remained high throughout, bolstered by impeccable casting and countless one-liners that are bordering on poetic.
Now that Succession has tragically come to an end, that doesn’t mean you have to let go of biting satire, high stakes drama, and hilarious cynicism – here are five TV shows to watch if you love Succession.
The Thick of It
If you’re after cutting one-liners, expert improv, and an out-of-touch segment of society screwing each other (and themselves) over for power, then The Thick of It is for you. The parallels are clear to see between the British political satire series and Succession, and that probably has something to do with the fact that Armstrong co-wrote numerous episodes.
The Thick of It satirizes the inner workings of modern government, a notable highlight being the Prime Minister’s Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), as he terrorizes the incompetent team behind the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship, aka DoSAC. They just love to make their lives “difficult, difficult, lemon, difficult.”
Where to stream it: Seasons 1-4 are available on BritBox
Industry
Though it doesn’t have the same comedic beats as Succession, HBO’s drama series Industry features brown-nosing and backstabbing, all in the name of power and financial gain. What’s more, there are two seasons available to stream right now, with a third in the pipeline.
HBO’s description of Industry reads: “Following a group of young grads fueled by ambition, youth, romance, and drugs, the series examines issues of gender, race, class, and privilege in the workplace as these impressionable young minds begin to forge their identities within the pressure cooker environment and sensory blitz of Pierpoint & Co’s trading floor, where meritocracy is promised but hierarchy is king.”
Where to stream it: Seasons 1-2 are available on Max
The Morning Show
For those who enjoy the chaotic newsroom setting of ATN and the agenda of those behind it, The Morning Show is worth a shot. Just like Succession, the series deals with topical events with a dose of dark humor, while also lifting the veil on a cutthroat industry. It also boasts a starry cast too, including Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, who’ll be returning for Season 3.
The synopsis explains that the series “explores the cutthroat world of morning news and the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning. Told through the lens of two complicated women working to navigate the minefield of high-octane jobs while facing crises in both their personal and professional lives, The Morning Show is an unapologetically candid drama that looks at the power dynamics between women and men, and women and women, in the workplace.”
Where to stream it: Seasons 1-2 are available on Apple TV+
Peep Show
We’re just going to get this out of the way: Peep Show’s premise is nothing like Succession’s. At all. However, the Armstrong-written series is a laugh-a-second watch with a treasure trove of iconic quotes and characters (shoutout to Super Hans). As such, Peep Show is widely regarded as one of the best comedies to have come out of the UK for a long time. And as we said in our Succession finale review, the two shows have a similar ending, with the characters “condemned to tragic inevitability.”
Here’s the Channel 4 synopsis for Peep Show: “Peep Show follows the lives of Mark Corrigan (David Mitchell) and Jeremy “Jez” Usbourne (Robert Webb), two very different, dysfunctional best friends who share a flat in Croydon, South London.”
Where to stream it: Seasons 1-9 are available on Tubi
The Sopranos
Yes, here is your reminder to go and rewatch (or start watching) the epic mobster series The Sopranos. Though it’s been more than 20 years since the world was first introduced to Tony Soprano, the show is still considered to be one of the greatest TV achievements of all time, having changed the landscape by putting a mob boss front and center as he juggles organized crime, personal relationships, and psychological struggles.
Much like Succession did with the Roys, The Sopranos examines the complexity of the antihero, while also depicting a ruthless struggle for power. Here’s the synopsis for HBO’s six-season masterpiece: “James Gandolfini stars in this acclaimed series about a mob boss whose professional and private strains land him in therapy.”
Where to stream it: Seasons 1-6 are available on Max
Succession Seasons 1-4 are available to stream on Max and Sky now. Check out more coverage below:
Season 4 cast | Season 4 release schedule | Season 4 runtimes | Is Succession based on a real family? | What time does Succession drop? | Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 | Episode 9 | Episode 10 | Ending explained