So it has been announced that this season of Succession which premiered on March 26 will be the last. On the one hand, you are sad. On the other hand, it's important that it ends when the creators want it to after they feel they've finished the story they have to tell, so we accept that. What worries me, however, is something else. I think BoJack Horseman ended last year, Better Call Saul and Atlanta ended last year, and Succession ending this year. In my opinion, these are probably the 4 series that reached a qualitative peak in American television in its mature golden era, i.e. on the ground created by The Sopranos, The Wire, etc. in the early 00s. As these series end one after the other, I feel like they haven't been able to be replaced by something equal. I look back over the last five years and find it hard to find anything that breaks new ground for television fiction, something that can enter the pantheon of Great Series, series that not only made television more cinematic but saw the medium of television as opportunity to do something original and pioneering. Fleabag could perhaps fit into this category, the first seasons of Fargo the same, probably the first season of The Terror. But if we look at the last 3-4 years, quality TV is coming out, no doubt, but I haven't seen TV series that really stand out. Or, rather, the ones that really stand out to me are shows that don't so much resemble classic prestige/peak tv fiction, but play with the boundaries between fiction/non-fiction in unexpected and meta ways, like Who Is America , How to with John Wilson or The Rehearsal. Anyway, it's a big issue, and basically it has to do with whether we're entering an era of gigantization of American television as an industry, with all the new players in streaming (and especially Disney of course), but also an era of retreat of the television medium as creative field where the original, the new, etc. are produced. and after Succession, what?
Succession Last season
Review by @steemychicken1 · 1221d · of Succession
Comments · 2
Sometimes it feels like a lot of these streaming services are going full-steam ahead in the quantity over quality strategy. It’s sad that Succession is coming to an end but as you said it’s best to quit at the top rather than to hang on until you’re at the bottom. I can’t think of a show that is worthy of carrying on the tradition of the golden era of television. Most recent stuff is giant supernatural or fantasy-related series, and when it comes to a more quality realistic show the only one that comes to mind is The Crown but that show does have its fair share of snoozer episodes. The TV landscape might have to collapse into a true and complete fiery mess before something great can rise from the ashes. Hopefully that wasteland doesn’t last too long