Succession: Complete Series Blu Ray Review (Warner Bros.)

Succession is a 2018 television drama series written, produced, and created by Jesse Armstrong (Downhill, The Day Shall Come, Babylon, The Old Guys, Peep Show, and Fresh Meat). It was directed by Mark Mylod (The Menu, Game of Thrones, Shameless, What’s your Number?, Entourage, and Minority Report), Andrij Parekh (House of the Dragon, Watchmen, and Brave New World), Shari Springer Berman (American Splendor, Shameless, Ten Thousand Saints, Cinema Verite, and Girl Most Likely), Lorene Scafaria (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Hustlers, and The Meddler), Adam McKay (Vice, The Big Short, Anchorman franchise, Step Brothers, The Other Guys, and Saturday Night Live), Adam Arkin (The Offer, Get Shorty, Masters of Sex, Chicago Hope, Justified, and Sons of Anarchy), and 7 others. It was produced by Will Ferrell (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The Campaign, The Other Guys, Get Hard, Anchorman 2, Daddy’s Home franchise, Spirited, and Step Brothers). It lasted 4 seasons on HBO Max. The Roy family which includes Kendall (played by: Jeremy Strong from The Gentleman, The Big Short, Black Mass, The Judge, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, and Parkland), Roman (played by: Kieran Culkin from The Cider House Rules, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Home Alone franchise, Father of the Bride franchise, Igby Goes Down, and She’s all That), Connor (played by: Alan Ruck from Speed, Twister, Spin City, Freaky, The Exorcist, Class, Young Guns II, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), and Shiv (played by: Sarah Snook from Steve Jobs, Winchester, Jessabelle, and Spirited) is the most powerful family around, they control the biggest media and entertainment company in the entire world. Their whole world changes when their father Logan (played by: Brian Cox from X2: X-Men United, Manhunter, Braveheart, Chain Reaction, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Kiss the Girls, The Boxer, Super Troopers, Deadwood, Red Eye, and Bourne franchise) decides to return to the company after stepping down for his retirement!!!!This might sound silly considering all the awards and appreciation it has gotten over the years but Succession really surprised me when I finally checked it out after getting it for coverage. I always thought it looked interesting but I never checked it out when it originally aired on HBO during it’s successful run in television. Creator Jesse Armstrong really captured the powerful world of media and greed here in Succession. Veteran character actor Brian Cox was the main reason that made me want to give this TV show a shot to be honest. He gives his best performance in his impressive career as Logan Roy. The powerful creator of this media company that basically controls everything in the world. He was burned out of everything and he almost retired for a little bit. Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy is a snake in Succession. He’s the one that was supposed to get all the power but when his father returns, it all goes away. He’s the black sheep of the family and he’s very different compared to his siblings. Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy is a real interesting character. At first, he wants nothing to do with her successful family and she would rather get into politics. She probably has the craziest arc when it comes to the Roy family. She gets brought in and after that, she kinda becomes a monster. Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy damn near steals every scene that he’s in. He proves that he’s the most talented actor in the Culkin family in this. Macaulay might always be the most famous brother but he doesn’t come close when it comes to the actual acting skills. Roman is hilarious and he just does whatever he wants despite it getting him in trouble all the time. He later on learns that he actually wants the power in the family but it’s too late after all the damage that he’s done in the past. Alan Ruck as Connor Roy always feels like that odd man out when it comes to this ambitious family. He doesn’t fit with the others at all. Ruck is great here as the complete opposite of the Roys.Matthew Macfadyen (Deadpool and Wolverine) as Tom Wambsgans is fantastic as the outsider that gets into the dominant family through marriage. He’s an interesting guy because the stronger family members punk him for awhile but he still punishes lower family members like Cousin Greg. His chemistry with Nicholas Braun is amazing, those two characters play off each other in the most hilarious and cruel ways. He plays the game better than anyone in Succession. This family has so much power that they control who is the president and the news is always what they say. The rest of the amazing supporting cast includes Nicholas Braun (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Peter Friedman (Single White Female), J. Smith-Cameron (Waco: The Aftermath), Scott Nicholson (Longlegs), Dagmara Dominczyk (They), David Rasche (Burn After Reading), Fisher Stevens (Super Mario Bros.), Arian Moayed (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood), Eric Bogosian (Talk Radio), James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential), Hope Davis (Captain America: Civil War), Holly Hunter (Broadcast News), Justin Kirk (Weeds), Sanaa Lathan (Love and Basketball), Cherry Jones (24), Judy Reyes (Scrubs), Adrien Brody (The Pianist), Griffin Dunne (An American Werewolf in London), and Danny Huston (X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Succession is an excellent look at the power in the world. A rich family takes control of most of media but they all struggle within. It’s crazy look at their rise and downfall when it comes to the public eye. No one can really be trusted in Succession, it’s a suspenseful drama with all kinds of twists. It’s one of the highest quality dramas of all time when it comes to this type of series. The finale is full of twists and it gets you. I already want to revisit Succession after reviewing this set. There’s nothing like this. It’s just that good, the replay value is off the charts, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros TV!!!! These 1080p (1.78:1) transfers are amazing on all 39 episodes. I’m actually kinda surprised that it didn’t get a 4K home video release because it just looks top notch. It has English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks on every episode on this 12 disc set. It has French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks for the first season. All of the dialogue is crisp, the drama is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles for the entire series. It has French and Spanish subtitles for the first season. It has an “Inside the Episode” and “Controlling the Narrative” for the episodes for the complete series. They range from 2 to 4 minutes depending on the subjects discussed. It has interviews with Jesse Armstrong, Brian Cox, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong, Adam McKay, Nicholas Braun, and so many others. They chat about the episodes, storylines, characters, and all the crazy situations here. It’s a nice little quick inside look into the show for every week. Each season on it’s last disc, it always has additional extras. Season 1 has the little over 8 minute “Succession Wedding”. It has interviews with the cast and crew. They give a very detailed look into the wedding and finale for the television show. It has the almost 2 minute “Invitation to the Set”. It has interviews with the cast and crew. It’s a fast inside look into the production. “Meet the Roys” is almost 3 minutes. It has interviews with the cast and crew. It’s a fast inside look into the characters. It has six different “Character Recaps” that are all almost 2 minutes featuring Tom Wambsgans, Shiv Roy, Logan Roy, Kendall Roy, Connor Roy, and Cousin Greg. It has the little over 3 minute “Who Said It? with Nicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen. This is hilarious, these two have great chemistry. It has the little over 3 minute “Who Said It? with Sarah Snook and Alan Ruck. These two have lots of fun playing this game. It has the little over 3 minute “Roy Family Food Chain”. It has interviews with the cast. It has the little over 3 minute “Advice for your Character”. The cast sits down and they chat what they would change about their roles. It has the almost 5 minute “The Best of Logan Roy”. It has some of the greatest and most hilarious moments from the lead character. It has the little over 3 minute “Who Said It? with Brian Cox and J. Smith-Cameron. These two have a blast playing a game trying guess lines from a variety of HBO shows. “Who Said It? with Nicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen. These two are gold together. This is very funny, this combination is always hilarious. It has the little over 3 minute “Scene Swap” with Tom and Greg. This is very entertaining seeing both actors trying to play each other roles here. It has six different “Character Recaps” from the last season that are all almost 2 minutes featuring Tom Wambsgans, Shiv Roy, Logan Roy, Kendall Roy, Connor Roy, and Cousin Greg. It comes with a slipcover. It’s in DVD packaging for some reason. I noticed a decent amount of major studios have been doing that for complete series sets lately. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!