How To Make Sure You're Up To Speed On Succession In The UK

Don't mourn the end of the heatwave, because the best part of early Autumn (let's just accept it) has already begun: the glut of new and brilliant TV shows to keep you firmly planted on the sofa. And one of the best? HBO's Succession — the biting drama that tells the story of a ruthless family behind a colossal media conglomerate. The series premiered back in 2018 and has been a massive success both in the UK and U.S. It won big at the 2020 Emmy Awards, picking up prizes for acting, writing, directing, and best drama. Intrigued? You should be. Here's how to watch Succession in the UK.

Succession was created by HBO, meaning it’s available to UK viewers on NOWTV. If you want to get a snap of the action you’ll need to create a NOWTV account and get the Entertainment Pass. You can try out the streaming service with a seven day free trial so if you’re really committed to the cause you may be able to get all up-to-date in just a week. You also have the option of buying series one and two on Amazon Prime. The first two series also premiered on Sky Atlantic, with series two finishing in 2019.

But if you've never heard of Succession before today, here's a quick primer: it's created by The Thick of It's Jesse Armstrong and boasts Will Ferrell as a producer, as the Radio Times reports. The show follows the Roy family, as the Guardian recaps, who control media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar Royco. In the second series Logan Roy celebrates half a century in the business, only to have his children betray and backstab him. As he basks in his children’s conflict and competition, they attempt to negotiate a takeover with a rival company, when a whistleblower leaves them in hot water.

According to the Guardian, creator Jesse Armstrong once wrote a never-produced film about the Murdoch family, and Succession emerged from its ashes. But what do the critics think? Well, the series has a more than respectable 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It also walked away with Outstanding Drama Series at the 2020 Emmys. After series two the Atlantic wrote, “Succession Is Better Than Ever,” and the Guardian gave it top spot as the thing to watch from 2019, having previously given it five out of five stars and describing it as a "brilliant dissection of a dysfunctional dynasty."

The killer storyline and dark humour is what’s brought and kept fans but the cast of Succession are also incredibly recognisable. The Roy family patriarch, Logan Roy, is played by Brian Cox (not the scientist), whose filmography spans decades; you might recognise him from his role as Ward Abbott in two films from the Bourne franchise. Hiam Abbass plays Logan's wife, Marcia; she recently starred as Freysa in Blade Runner 2049. And as for the warring kids? Kendall is played by Jeremy Strong, known for his role as Vinny Daniel in The Big Short. The Dressmaker's Sarah Snook plays Siobhan, while Fargo's Kieran Culkin (yes, brother of Macaulay) appears as Roman. And if you can't quite place Alan Ruck, who plays Connor, allow me to make the big reveal: back in the '80s, he played Cameron in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

After winning big at the 2020 Emmys and creating a such a hype around season two, fans will be pleased to hear the Succession has been confirmed for a third season, though the pandemic has created complications with filming it. Speaking about the new series, Deadline reported that Jeremy Strong said “we’re hoping sometime this fall-winter as soon as things are safe. I know there’s plans in the works. I’m certainly ready to get back to it.” So, if you don’t want to be left out of chats about the biggest show right now then you can get on board.