After four seasons of business deals and betrayal, Succession has finally reached its end. But don’t cry because it’s over, smile because you participated in the zeitgeist. And onto the next thing, anyway.
While many will be mourning Jesse Armstrong’s drama, and Twitter users will have to find another dysfunctional family to fight over, there is no shortage of TV to satisfy your residual cravings, whatever that very specific interest may be.
If you’re looking to make use of your Economics A Level, try… Industry
I suspect the business deals that raged throughout Succession were not exactly the stuff of complex economics. But if learning about stock prices and acquisition deals has lit something inside of you – like, I don’t know, the desire to read Freakonomics – you could try HBO and BBC’s London-based drama, Industry, about the drug-induced highs and many emotional lows of fictional investment firm Pierpoint. Co-created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, the drama centres on entry level grads, played by Marisa Abela (who will soon star as Amy Winehouse in a biopic, directed by Sam Taylor Johnson), Myha’la Herrold and Harry Lawtey, as they battle various industry distractions: terrible bosses, an endless supply of drugs and a volatile stock market.
Industry is available on BBC iPlayer
If you’re looking for more whip-smart insults and succession drama, try… The Great
A young bride arrives in Russian court to marry a despicable emperor. Her duty? Have children. Her ambition? Change the course of how the country is run. Tony McNamara’s anachronistic romp through Russian history, in which a masterful Elle Fanning plays Catherine the Great and Nicholas Hoult plays her rotten husband Peter, is now on its third season, and better than ever: hornier, more scandalous, ruder. The Australian writer, behind the Oscar-winning The Favourite, crams the show with razor-sharp insults and somehow balances it with heart. Even better, there’s actual sex in this series.
The Great is available on 4OD, and the third season is coming to the UK this summer
If you’re looking for a more light-hearted laugh at rich people, try… Loot
In Apple TV’s original series, Loot, a billionaire’s divorcee Molly (played by the always-watchable Maya Rudolph) struggles to find a life for herself outside of her failed marriage. Should she expand her charitable endeavours? Should she attempt to better herself as a person? Or should she just enjoy her trips to the spa? Both Succession and Loot circle around the same lesson – money doesn’t make you happy, and it may even make you miserable – but you’ll likely have a lot more fun with the latter. It doesn’t hurt that Adam Scott gives a smarmy, Bezos-esque turn as Molly’s ex-husband.
Loot is available on Apple TV+
If you want to know the true story, try… The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty
I’d first start with, uh, reading this cover story by Vanity Fair, about the sprawling Murdoch empire. But then you can switch the TV back on and try the three-part BBC documentary, The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty, about the family that inspired Succession. The truth is tawdry stuff, and it will intrigue and enrage, a feeling encouraged by a carousel of (in)famous faces which include Nigel Farage, Alan Sugar and Alistair Campbell.
The Rise of the Murdochs is available on BBC iPlayer
If you’re looking for a glossy office-based drama, try… Suits
Every six months, I consider becoming someone who identifies as a smart office dresser. The type of person who wears blazers or shirts or – stick with me here – ties. (This usually lasts six seconds, as I am nothing if not realistic about my ironing capabilities.) Such aspirations are largely, if not fully, because of shows like Succession in which terrible people wear clothes that are, if not always stylish, weirdly efficient. There’s just something about the sound of a brogue clipping the floor as you head off to the photocopier that raises the spirit. Anyway, there is a lot to pick from if you share this penchant for well-dressed corporate employees. You could find murderous ones in supreme legal drama Damages, comedic ones in Boston Legal, but let’s go for a very obvious project: Suits. This is also about lawyers – very good-looking ones! – and stars Meghan Markle. They argue about cases and hm, resolve cases, but mostly this is just a snappy, addictive show about people who make an effort to go into the office. I guess we can classify it as fantasy, then.
Suits is available on a number of platforms, including Netflix and Amazon
If you want to cleanse your mind of terrible people, try… Platonic
There is no shortage of TV about nice people. You may have heard of Ted Lasso, about a very sweet football coach who does very sweet things in Richmond. Or Abbott Elementary, about very sweet teachers who work with very sweet kids in Philadelphia (at least this one’s got actual jokes). For a less saccharine feel-good factor, our money’s on Platonic, a buddy comedy with a stellar cast (Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen) about friends reuniting in mid-life. It likely won’t change your life – no TV show will – but it’s a pleasant, sharply-written diversion this summer. After the shot of Succession, Platonic offers a gentle chaser.
Platonic is available on Apple TV+
Henry Wong is a senior culture writer at Esquire, working across digital and print. He covers film, television, books, and art for the magazine, and also writes profiles.
