Critic Reviews

Its eagerness to condemn the country’s terrifying trajectory, along with its efficiency and artistry, is what makes the drama great — the fun it has doing so is what makes it one-of-kind.

The thing to embrace and appreciate with Succession in this second season is just how superbly and seemingly effortlessly structured it is with its grandiose plotting; other than making us care about the Roys, that's the next-level miracle. The Emmys did recognize Succession but not nearly enough, by the way. This series is doing something special and the rich rewards will be coming.

Succession keeps moving forward in ways both surprising and hilarious, and Season 2 solidifies the series as one of the best shows in HBO history.

[Season 2] takes the show to a level of insight and theatricality that rivals anything else on television this year. ... In case it’s unclear: Season 2 is extraordinary. Jesse Armstrong, the show’s creator, finds new levels of horror to mine in Succession’s autopsy of the ultrarich, but he also finds pathos, which elevates the show even further.

The writing is so creatively foul that it fills the gap left by its sibling in crudeness, Veep. ... Succession is skilled at steadily and surely raising its characters up to multidimensional horrors. ... Its boldest move is to refuse to give these monsters any sort of comeuppance, but that unrelenting bleakness works in its favour and makes it all the more convincing.

Despite the strength of its ensemble cast, Succession is a feat of writing above all. ... Succession aims to show us that the world of these capitalist monarchs is cruel, funny, and desperately sad, and on the strength of this first episode succeeds entirely.

It relaunched with all cylinders firing and spitting. There was no quality drop.

The show’s presentation remains impeccable; Mark Mylod and the other directors capture the bizarre largesse of the characters’ lifestyles while keeping the focus squarely on the high-intensity dialogue.

After a two-year break, the new escapades of the über-rich, ultra-entitled but brilliantly funny bellends at Waystar Royco make for even more extraordinarily entertaining and incisive TV drama than ever.

“Succession” is crisper, funnier, and more confident than ever. ... It may be rocky waters for the Roy family, but it’s smooth sailing for the show about them.