Overheard a bartender call 'Succession' a rich people soap opera and it stuck with me

I was grabbing a sandwich at this place near me, The Rusty Nail in Minneapolis, and the bartender was going off about how Succession is just a soap opera with expensive suits. At first I wanted to argue but then I thought about how many episodes end on a cliffhanger or a dramatic reveal. Anyone else feel like the line between prestige TV and soap gets real blurry sometimes?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles72011d ago

Oh man, that bartender nailed it. I remember watching an episode with my buddy and we both realized we were totally hooked on whether Logan would sell the company like it was life or death.

the_brian11d ago

Man, I totally get that. That episode hits different when you're watching with someone who's just as invested. It's wild how a show about a media company can make you feel like you're the one on the edge of that decision.

nelson.wren11d ago

Three episodes of Succession in and I was wondering if I was supposed to care about any of these people. I get the appeal, but calling it a 'rich people soap opera' is honestly too generous. Soap operas have stakes that feel real to regular folks, like who's cheating on who and whose baby is whose. With Succession, the big tension is whether a billionaire gets to own slightly more of a company or slightly less. I watched that whole Kendall rap scene and thought, this is what people are losing their minds over? The show is fine, but the way people talk about it like it's this deep commentary on power instead of just a well shot melodrama is the funny part to me.