‘They Are Not Serious People’: On the Succession Finale

The show did not glamorize evil — it was a deep and insightful look into the psychological damage done by a parent who does not know how to love his children.

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Brian Cox as Logan Roy in Succession

HBO Max/Trailer image via YouTube

I think it would be easy to criticize the Succession series finale — the masterpiece that it was — for providing an ending that one did not want. I doubt many in the audience wanted Matsson to prevail in his takeover of Waystar Royco. I doubt many wanted Tom to (or predicted that he would) become the U.S. CEO. And I am sure some had a heart, or personal preference, for one of the Roy children — with some being on Team Kendall, some favoring Shiv, and still others on Team Roman.

But as I reflected on the ending and the way in which these brilliant writers and producers brought the greatest television series since Mad Men to a close, I was left with one inescapable conclusion: There was no ending that could possibly have been “satisfying” — because every single person on the show was a totally unacceptable option as a successor to Logan Roy. To love Succession and to love the characters of this show is to acknowledge — they are not serious people.

David L. Bahnsen

About the Author

David L. Bahnsen

David L. Bahnsen is the managing partner of a wealth-management firm and a frequent writer and public commentator on matters of economics, faith and work, and markets.

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