Dysfunction was always the name of the wicked little game when it came to the Roy family. And the toxicity that started at the top with dear old dad Logan couldn't help but spread throughout the family tree and ooze into the boardroom.
HBO's Succession ended its four-season run last May and has a rather monopolistic-sounding 28 nominations heading into the 2023 Emmys, which will be handed out Jan. 15, 2024, in the usual glamorous fashion after the ceremony was delayed four months due to the since-resolved WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
And the reason stars Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck, Nicholas Braun and J. Smith-Cameron are all nominated for their acting is that they've turned in jaw-dropping performances as parents, children, siblings, cousins, spouses and colleagues who never met a scathing, perfectly crafted burn they wouldn't gladly set fire to the whole house with.
And right up through the series finale's closing gut punch, any time the humanity would star to crack through, an opportunity to take a stab at someone's back usually proved the more tempting option.
Of course, the sheer enjoyment we received from this family's misdeeds is a testament to series creator Jesse Armstrong's writing (also Emmy-nominated) and the pitch-perfect cast.
Because while there was no character in this drama who didn't deserve to be swiped left upon immediately (you too, Cousin Greg), the actors' personal lives off-screen appear far less cutthroat.
At least, if anyone ever broached the topic of an open marriage on her wedding night or coerced an aspiring-playwright escort to marry him or accidentally sent a d--k pic to his dad during a meeting, they've kept it under wraps. (Though that would be quite a coincidence, wouldn't it?)
So before the Emmys are handed out (so far this awards season, Logan's not-quite-eldest boy, his only daughter, her cuckolded, contriving husband and the series itself won Golden Globes), scroll on to see what sort of mergers have been taking place for the series' delectable stars in real life:
(Originally published March 26, 2023, at 5 a.m. PT)