Several fantasy TV shows have tried to lay claim to being the new Game of Thrones, but the real replacement for the HBO drama is Succession. When Game of Thrones ended in 2019, it left behind a huge void in the television landscape. Having become one of the biggest show of all time and arguably the defining TV show of the 2010s, finding it’s true successor was always going to be a difficult task. That’s the case not only for HBO (although giving its viewing figures, it is a more pertinent issue there), but for every network and streamer.
One of the key tasks for anyone heading up TV content at the likes of Netflix, Amazon, and beyond has been to uncover the next Game of Thrones. This started even before it ended, but that drive has increased since. Whether it’s The Witcher, Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, or HBO’s actual spinoff, House of the Dragon, everyone wants a piece of the market left behind by Game of Thrones.
All of those shows – and others that have been heralded as the new Game of Thrones – are fantasy, which Succession notably isn’t. And yet, across shows both current and upcoming, none fills the void of what Game of Thrones did best quite as well as Jesse Armstrong’s show does. Succession may not have dragons and ice zombies, but it is the real new Game of Thrones.
Succession Repeats What Really Made Game Of Thrones Great
As noted, many of the would-be Game of Thrones replacements are fantasy shows, but what they also have in common is being incredibly expensive. Amazon is reportedly spending $1 billion, all in, on Lord of the Rings; Wheel of Time season 1 will could reasonably cost up to $10 million per episode based on similar shows. It’s easy to see why execs may believe that fantasy + money = Game of Thrones, but Succession does a much better job of capturing what truly made the series so great.
While Game of Thrones’ fantasy elements were important (and sadly sometimes underplayed), and its battles were undoubtedly spectacular and cinematic, what made it so great was the simplest of TV techniques: characters in a room together, with well written dialogue that’s brilliantly performed. Succession is similarly built around those core aspects; the show isn’t flashy, but get the Roy family members scheming against one another, or an F-bomb or 50 from Logan, and it can deliver fireworks.
This goes hand-in-hand with the core narrative drives and themes of both shows. At their core, Succession and Game of Thrones are about family and power. Perhaps never more evident than in season 3, Succession’s characters are essentially the Lannisters of Game of Thrones: morally dubious (at absolute best) people who love and betray one another, all in the singular pursuit of power. Like the characters in Westeros lived by the pursuit of the Iron Throne and the power that came with it (or the real power that resides behind it), Succession is about who will replace Logan at the top of the food chain. Each show explores that power: what people will do to get it, who really wields it, and how corruptive an influence it truly is.
It’s easy to see where certain characters may fit. Logan, the head of the family, played by a respected British acting veteran, is Tywin Lannister with extra curse words. The way he plays his children off against one another, and builds each up with promises, resembles Tywin’s own manipulations; the treatment of Kendall, in particular, can feel similar to how dismissive Tywin was of Tyrion. And yet Succession mixes it up to keep things complicated: in Succession season 2, that relationship is really Ramsay Bolton and Theon Greyjoy. Kendall is worn away, broken by the hell Logan puts him through, until he becomes Reek. Succession perfectly succeeds because it takes its core cast of characters, but gives them all different shades to play as one is one top and then the next, the wheel spinning round and round. With its feuding family, interpersonal politics, and inspection of power, greed, and the corrosive nature of both, it perfectly fits with Game Of Thrones’ best elements.
Succession Has Replaced Game Of Thrones As The Emmys Favorite
It isn’t just in its story, characters, and themes that Succession is replacing Game of Thrones, but also in terms of awards season success. Across its run, and certainly once shows like Breaking Bad ended, Game of Thrones became the TV series to beat at the Emmys and similar shows. Game of Thrones won 59 Emmys from 160 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series for the entire second half of its run. The most awards drama in history, it left the question of who would claim the crown, and fittingly enough Succession seems to be the successor. Succession won Outstanding Drama Series at the 2020 Emmys (the first in a post-Game of Thrones world), heralding it as the new Academy favorite (it was also the most awarded drama, alongside Watchmen). While the prize went to The Crown in 2021, Succession wasn’t a contender due to its much delayed season 3; now that it’s back, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Succession re-take The Crown‘s crown in 2022. Given the Emmys love continuity, then Succession could win several more prizes over the coming years too.
Succession Can’t Compete With Game Of Thrones’ Ratings
Unfortunately for Succession, there is one all-important area where it simply cannot compete with Game of Thrones: the ratings. Game of Thrones wasn’t an immediate ratings giant, but did start strongly nonetheless, averaging around 2.5 million viewers in season 1, which grew to almost 4 million in season 2 (before things like DVR and HBO Go were factored in). By the time of Game of Thrones‘ series finale, it was pulling in almost 20 million viewers across HBO platforms, as well as many more globally. Succession’s pilot episode was watched by just over 500,00; by the time of Succession‘s season 2 finale, it was viewed by 1.1 million people. That’s grown again in season 3, but relatively marginally when compared to something like Game of Thrones.
Succession isn’t going to pull in 3-4 million viewers on a Sunday night, let alone reach 10-20 million; in part, that perhaps speaks to the nature of the show – it’s one critics love, that gets a lot of buzz on Twitter, but because it isn’t flashy or obviously great it may not get the same level of broader attention. It also, though, shows the problem with any new Game of Thrones, which is that the HBO series was TV’s last true monolith. Because of the rise of streaming and there being so much to watch, and so many ways to watch it, then it’s arguably no show will truly be the next Game of Thrones in terms of ratings, but in the way that should matter most – its quality – Succession is already there.
