What Up Yo.
I had no idea how involved I would become in this story.
And that counts for every episode right up until the brilliant last 10 minutes of the season one finale.
These are the facts;
HBO is losing its number one money maker , Game of Thrones.
It needs a new series that will keep the same amount of viewers subscribing.
They have been in this place before. When The Sopranos and Sex In The City ended.
They needed content that would draw viewers in.
Not for six months, not for year…but for 5 to 10 years.
They delivered us Rome.
My favorite series to come out of any cable, network or online network ever.
Rome’s first season is a the masterpiece.
This could have brought them years of episodes and fans, but after season one, they had spent close to $200 million building the shows sets in Italy.
It costs so much that when they saw the readings weren’t sky-high, they decided to cancel the show while they were shooting season two.
Problem is Bruno Heller has a six series arc planned for the series. So instead of completing season two as written, he rewrote it and stuffed all the storylines he could from the upcoming 5 seasons into the remaining 8 episodes.
The second season isn’t a mess, it’s collateral damage. It’s rushed. It is not the masterpiece that was season one.
HBO went on record a year after the second season finished airing and confessed it was a mistake to cancel the show.
You’re fucking right it was HBO.
However, without dipping their feet in the pool of high-priced, long format television series such as Rome, we would never have seen Game of Thrones come to life.
Now…
With Thrones about a year away from being complete, HBO is setting their sights on a new series that will have viewers glued to the television.
I don’t have the stats to claim that Westworld didn’t do the business they hoped for.
I can just say Westworld is no Game Of Thrones.
Nothing is Game Of Thrones, except Game Of Thrones.
I write all of this because I am afraid the network will not follow through with this promising powerhouse of a series.
I see “Succession”, I see a powerhouse.
A monster.
I see the Roy family,
I see the vision the creators, had.
But it wasn’t until the final episode of season one that I fully understood how high-octane, gasoline-drenched rock and roll the vision behind this series is.
Episode one alone drags you whether you like it or not into the Roy family.
We meet everyone,
Actresses and Actors have to assume the roles of characters that writers create.
They lend themselves fully to the process of becoming the characters when the cameras role.
If you are a good performer, you understand this is not about you…this is about the story.
The grand story.
You are a color in a large painting, if you will.
But it’s the painting that they, The actresses and actors, must always keep in mind.
This is why I am a fan of the method. Becoming the color whether the cameras are rolling or not.
Now, when HBO’s Succession started, I tuned in primarily to watch Brian Cox tear up the screen as Logan Roy, head of the Roy Family Dynasty.
Other than Brian Cox, I wasn’t that familiar with many other performers in the series.
And there are a ton of them you need to watch.
So let’s begin…
We have the oldest son, Kendall Roy, determined to fill his father’s shoes and step out from under his shadow which is the size of Texas.
He is played by the remarkable Jeremy Strong.
I first became aware of Jeremy Strong watching the wildly underrated Aaron Sorkin film, Molly’s Game.
You cannot take your eyes off of him. Every disgusting line he delivers in that film lands like a punch from Ali.
When I realized it was him playing the oldest son I knew immediately Jeremy Strong did not come to fuck around.
Jeremy Strong came with his game face on.
As did the rest of the cast.
From the great Brian Cox as Logan Roy, to Kieran Culkin as the wild and youngest son of Logan, Roman Roy.
From Alan Ruck as Connor Roy, the oldest son, to Sarah Snook as Siobhan “Shiv” Roy…they are all on fire.
Sitting on the edge of 2018, having watched mostly everything noteworthy…I return to the first series I saw this year as the best series of 2018:
Succession.
It’s incredible.
