The back and forth banter between the Roys is a credit to the writing and direction of the HBO series, which Succession creator Jesse Armstrong and director Adam McKay have frequently received nominations for. While it wasn’t nominated for nearly as many awards as Succession, USA’s legal drama, Suits shares quite a bit in common with Succession. Both feature heavily opinionated characters, sharp-tongued dialogue, and characters that have a tendency to make decisions that viewers will hate to love.
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Suits first premiered in 2011. It would run for nine seasons before airing its final episode in 2019. The legal drama stars Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Williams, Gina Torres, Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle, and Sarah Rafferty as the colorful members of a prestigious New York law firm. The eat or be eaten world these characters live in is made worse by the competition amongst the firm’s employees. Widely considered the best closer in New York City, Harvey Specter (Macht) has a frequent target on his back. Louis Litt (Hoffman) avidly tries to take the reputation away from Harvey, while also trying to prove himself to Jessica Pearson (Torres), the firm’s managing partner.
Succession operates similarly. Logan Roy (Cox) is the patriarch of the family and CEO of Waystar RoyCo. The series begins with a celebration of Logan’s 80th birthday, where his children think he will announce his retirement and name which of them will succeed him. Of his four children, Kendall (Strong) believes that he will be the one to take over as Waystar’s CEO. Instead, Logan announces that he will continue leading the company as CEO. Logan’s surprising announcement is only the first instance of disarray amongst Logan and his children. Kendall, Connor (Ruck), Roman (Culkin), and Siobhan or “Shiv,” (Snook) constantly undercut one another as their professional and personal lives merge. Throughout the series, even those that originally had no involvement in the company, begin to weigh what they think is best for Waystar.
How Suits and Succession unfold their stories is also done similarly. Succession uses Logan’s estranged nephew Greg Hirsch (Nicholas Braun) to introduce the Roy’s complicated world. Greg becomes employed by the Roys and becomes close to Shiv’s boyfriend Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen). Several Succession characters find themselves covering up or partaking in crimes, or betraying a friend or family member by doing what they think is best for Waystar. The threat of being caught is only part of what drives Succession’s narrative.
Suits pulls its viewers in with a similar tactic. In search of the firm’s next associate with his secretary Donna (Rafferty), Harvey meets Mike Ross (Adams), who stumbles into the interview with a briefcase full of marijuana. Prior to impressing Harvey and landing the job, Mike was paid by aspiring law students to take the LSAT for them. With a history of hiring Harvard graduates, Mike, who has never attended law school, couldn’t have been further from the candidate Harvey was meant to hire. However, he, Donna, and Mike design a plan that does everything possible to make everyone believe Mike is just like them. The truth behind Mike’s identity is a secret that looms over Suits for a majority of the show’s televised run. Mike’s former occupation and budding relationship with Paralegal Rachel Zane (Markle) frequently threaten to reveal Mike and Harvey’s dirty little secret.
Although Suits and Succession share many qualities, watching them doesn’t feel repetitive. Succession’s humor is dark, as the characters often crack jokes and make remarks that could leave viewers thinking, “I can’t believe they said that.” Suits, on the other hand, doesn’t have many of those moments. Any exchanges that would result in that reaction for Suits, are personally driven. They arrive in fits of anger and desperation as they begin to strike below the belt. While these exchanges are entertaining, they don’t compare to the grim humor used in Succession. What is so interesting about the way Succession uses that jarring dialogue is that it doesn’t feel like an out-of-place jab. It actually feels like something anyone would expect to hear from a wealthy, often out-of-touch character, such as the Roys. As someone from humbler beginnings, Greg’s reactions to these lines are spot on.
Both Suits and Succession are full of memorable characters, scenes, and one-liners that make each series bingeworthy. Succession is packed with deeply flawed characters who do everything in their power to avoid confronting those flaws. Yet, it’s impossible to not root for at least one of the filthy rich Roys. Unlike most of the Roys, Suits’ Harvey and Jessica are surrounded by people who can remind them that even though they represent millionaires, they can still afford to help out the little guy every now and again. Their flaws and troubled pasts are what remind them of that. Suits is designed to feel much more humane than Succession, but the utter outlandishness of Succession’s characters not only makes for entertaining television but is also unfortunately relevant in modern society. Each of these drama series provide two sides of the same world that is much more realistic than anyone hopes to admit.
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