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HBO’s Succession is one of the most compelling shows on television and it’s returning for a second season on August 11th. And I’m launching a new podcast to recap it with Tara Ariano! You can find the podcast at successionpodcast.com, where we’ve already recapped season 1, and you can support the show at successionkickstarter.com.
For those who aren’t aware, Succession chronicles the power moves of the Roy family and their patriarch, Logan Roy. Logan is the founder of a a gigantic media conglomerate called Waystar Royco which has generated obscene wealth not just for himself, but for his four children. While they each defend against outsiders that would threaten to infiltrate their circle, they must also contend with their biggest obstacle: each other.
Succession’s portrait of the Roy family is funny, biting, tragic, and heartbreaking. It offers so much fodder for discussion and we’re looking forward to breaking it all down with you.
On a personal note, this marks my first real collaboration with Tara Ariano. I first encountered Tara’s work over a decade ago, when I became a huge fan of her website, Television Without Pity, one of the first TV recap sites ever. TWoP managed to combine snark and insight into an irresistible package. It was essential reading for show watchers and showrunners alike (Famously, the site was referred to obliquely in an early West Wing subplot). It’s not an exaggeration to say that sites like Television Without Pity paved the way for some of the work I’ve done with my own TV recap podcasts.
Tara and the founders of TWoP also went on to create the Extra Hot Great podcast, a weekly general interest TV podcast which is a exceptionally well produced. Extra Hot Great manages to capture what makes television wonderful and transcendent but also, occasionally, truly terrible. Still, the podcast itself is always a delight and continues to this day.
In any case, I couldn’t be more excited to work with her on this new venture. I hope you have a chance to check out our first episode at successionpodcast.com. You can also support the show via Kickstarter at successionkickstarter.com.
Some other interesting links from the week:
- On Culturally Relevant, I talked with Dan Trachtenberg about directing the new Warframe cinematic trailer. It’s a great convo and I hope you’re able to listen and subscribe!
- On the /Filmcast, we had an intense and rewarding conversation about Quentin Tarantino’s latest, Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood. For more reading, I’d recommend:
- Jen Yamato’s piece on why Bruce Lee’s appearance is problematic
- Lindsey Romain’s write-up of how the film is a love letter to Sharon Tate
- Walter Chaw’s review at Film Freak Central
- I haven’t listened to Karina Longworth’s You Must Remember This series on Charles Manson yet but I’ve heard it’s excellent. The Manson episodes are available as their own separate feed.
- Speaking of Succession, Seth Abramovitch has a fantastic write-up of the show at The Hollywood Reporter. Note that it contains plot details from season 2.gre
- Gregory Shill explains how our legal system has forced us into a society where people have to drive everywhere.
- Maxwell Strachan has written a thorough history on the rise and fall of Mic. It’s a good microcosm of the challenges facing publishing today.
- Kera Bolonik has an epic yarn in The Cut about how a law professor was duped into believing he had fathered a child. This story is mind-blowing with some crazy twists and turns. I’ll be interested to check out the TV movie version of it.
- I can’t resist a story about how motion smoothing is a terrible scourge on society, and Bilge Ebiri has written one.
- Jane Mayer has written an extensive piece for The New Yorker taking a closer look at the case of Al Franken. Also worth checking out: Mayer’s interview with Fresh Air. See also this Jezebel piece by Anna Merlan for an alternative point of view.