“Succession” and Gen Z
Ashley Pearson
On February 23, 2023 Succession show runners surprised fans by announcing that Season 4 of the Emmy-winning series will be its last. To many onlookers, this abrupt announcement made little sense—Succession enjoyed great success in 2022. Its third season received a leading 25 nominations at the 2022 Primetime Emmy’s Awards and the show’s fan base has grown considerably since the show’s premiere in 2019. In particular, Succession has garnered an unusually large following from Gen Z. Despite Succession being quite different from other shows popular with Gen Z, the show still maintains a consistent Gen Z audience through subverting the current popular streaming show model of instant gratification and fan service.
Gen Z is a generation that has grown accustomed to instant gratification. Netflix popularized rolling out several episodes or entire seasons of shows at once. Now, it is not uncommon for any show, including those premiering on streaming platforms in the same way as Succession, to be rolled out in such a manner. Unusually, HBO Max, the streaming service Succession originates from, thrives off the lack of instant gratification from its series rollout. Premiering every Sunday on HBO Max at 9:00 PM EST, Succession, and other HBO Max shows, have created communities united by anticipation that completely disregards the “binging” model that other platforms employ. It is perhaps because of this nostalgic model that Succession has found success with creating a community of Gen Z on social media. By employing this model, the show has become increasingly accessible to audiences. For example, spoilers are a much smaller problem amongst audiences because of the slow rollout.
Moreover, Succession avoids becoming a fast trend—something that is becoming increasingly unpopular amongst Gen Z audiences who desire consistency— easily consumed over a short period of time. Although Succession takes place during the technologically advanced 21st century, Succession does not cement itself during an extremely specific era. Meanwhile, other shows, such as The Tiger King, are associated with a very specific time and shared lived experience (during the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown). Therefore, it is also less likely that Succession will be seen as “old news,” and instead, as a timeless piece, representing the late 2010’s and 2020’s as a whole, that can be watched, and enjoyed, again and again in a similar fashion that Friends is a nostalgic piece representing the 1990’s.
Succession further subverts the current streaming show model through its lack of fan service—However, a quick search on Twitter about lead actor, Jeremy Strong, would say otherwise. The results are filled with edits akin to those made about Sydney Sweeney and draws a thin, blurred line between irony and genuine sentiments—a sense of humor that is extremely popular with those in Gen Z fandom spaces. It is increasingly difficult to separate the inactive social media users of the Succession cast from their characters. However, Gen Z desires to be closer than ever to celebrities and a lack of social media presence fuels curiosity surrounding the actors of Succession. Unexpectedly, the diverse cast of Succession, who employs a mix of breakout and seasoned actors, and the show runners who subverts popular public relations methods, has made the show appealing, particularly to Gen Z—who enjoy the irony of it all. It is through this introductory irony and curiosity that the show has garnered such a large Gen Z audience that, either ironically or genuinely, love the show.
