And that is exactly what makes the show so good.
There is no doubt that no matter what the characters do or say, they will have their fan base. There is a certain charm about antiheroes that often makes them even more interesting than the heroes, so there is usually no shortage of fans.
Especially on a show like Succession, where all the main characters are played by young, conventionally attractive adults.
If you’ve been watching Succession from the beginning, you probably already know that there’s no point in looking for morality behind the characters’ actions.
Even though they’re deeply hurt, troubled by their parents, and abused to the point of becoming abusers, they’re all villains in their own way.
The power-hungry Kendall, with his unhealthy addictions and need to control everything, neglects his children. Shiv is an amazing manipulator who seems to stand for all the good in the world but is insensitive to everyone but herself.
Roman, perhaps the most perverted Nazi supporter, with a soft and emotional side to him, but still horrible.
The fact that all of them are even a little bit likable in the eyes of the audience is a sign of the amazing work done by both the writers and the actors.
They may be the worst people you’ll ever meet, but they’re still people who are hurt, tired and devastated.
Their characters are complex in the sense that you want to empathize with them, but you also want to slap them in the face at times.
This complexity is what doesn’t fit well with the Stan culture, which seems to leave no room for characters to not be the best versions of themselves.
Characters are not allowed to fail, nor are they allowed to be morally gray. There is nothing wrong with rooting for someone on the show, but it is important to acknowledge them as a whole.
One thing fans usually fail to understand is that the superiority they wish for in their favorites would actually make them boring and uninteresting.
And no one would be interested in watching a show full of that anyway. Luckily, Succession was able to keep up the suspense all the way to the series finale, which will air on HBO on May 28. Tune in to make sure you don’t miss a thing!
