The show’s dark third series gave us what might be its greatest ever run of episodes – and someone to root for at long last
The problem with end-of-year lists is you can only judge something on the material you have. A couple of years ago, Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen adaptation limped in at number 40 in our list. This is because, at the time the list was compiled, Watchmen had only just begun to air. By the time the finale came around, all the disparate pieces had slammed together in a truly incredible way. Watchmen will be remembered as one of the best shows of the decade, but we missed the boat.
I’m telling you this because, when this year’s list was being compiled, Succession was stuck in a holding pattern. The third series had landed hard, with season two’s cliffhanger ending ramped up to absurd degrees by a Covid-enforced delay. It arrived heralded by several big, weighty profile pieces in big, prestigious publications. Early reviews were breathless. Public screenings were met with something approaching full-blown Beatlemania. Succession was back!
