With Succession coming to an end after its fourth and final season, fans are clamoring to find something else to fill the corporate-sized hole in their TV schedules. The Roy family and their never-ending quest for money, power, greed, and recognition have kept fans glued to their screens in awe of the heinous, awful ways they live and act. Who will take over the company Waystar Royco among Logan Roy’s four arguably not-so-capable children, or will it be someone else entirely? This has been the overarching question the entire way through.
Thankfully, there are similar shows that can help fill the void once Succession officially comes to an end. Each has its own spin, but the central themes are the same: a family or group of people looking to leave their mark in the corporate world, and willing to do anything to protect their businesses, reputation, and wealth.
Yellowstone (2018-Present)
Best described as Succession meets Sons of Anarchy, the setting in Yellowstone is a far cry from the bustling corporate world of New York City where Succession is set. Rather, it’s on a cattle ranch on a Native American Reservation. The two shows, however, share the same story about a headstrong patriarch dealing with his troublesome children. John Dutton II (Kevin Costner) is the owner of the ranch, and he’s often at odds not only with his children but the people who want a piece of his rustic empire. What’s more, his troubled kids each have their own ideas of how things should be done, and inflated egos fueled by their privileged and often cold upbringing.
John Dutton II is just as ruthless, if not more so, than Logan. He and the people who work for him aren’t afraid to resort to violence to protect their assets and family business. Meanwhile, the kids are just as troubled as the Roy kids on Succession. Given how many spin-offs Yellowstone has spawned, including 1883, 1923, and several other upcoming projects, there’s plenty to keep you busy watching.
Stream Yellowstone on Peacock.
Billions (2016-Present)
Also set in the corporate world, and taking place in New York City, Billions similarly follows a ruthless businessman who luxuriates in his opulent lifestyle and isn’t afraid to bend the rules to fuel it. While Bobby “Axe” Axelrod’s (Damian Lewis) kids are still young on the show, he faces opposition from others. They don’t want to take over his role but rather want to take him out of the hedge fund business altogether, believing that he uses more than just aggressive tactics to pad his pocketbook. His number-one rival is Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), the U.S. Attorney.
Axe and Logan Roy share a lot of similarities in the fact that most of what they do is for their own personal gain. Logan does worry about the future of his company, however, as it relates to his reputation, while Axe, fueled by childhood insecurities, worries about winning at all costs. Like Logan, there are people who get in his way, from his own employees to rival business owners like Michael Prince (Corey Stoll), who took over as lead in the sixth season.
Stream Billions on Amazon Prime Video
Industry (2020-Present)
Delving into the corporate world from the perspective of young up-and-comers, Industry tells an opposite rags-to-riches story to Succession, but it’s in the same vein. Rather than a long-time company head looking to make his exit plan, Industry is about recent graduates who are preparing to solidify their positions in the financial business. However, the prestigious investment bank they all dream of working for only has a limited number of positions, which means the students must compete against one another to secure the few that are available. They might not be siblings, but they are as cutthroat and underhanded toward one another as the Roy siblings are toward each other as well.
Each of the many main characters on Industry has their own secrets, strengths, and weaknesses. The powers that be skillfully navigate those to figure out who truly is the best person for the job, just as Logan has done through the entire series Succession.
Stream Industry on HBO Max.
The Righteous Gemstones (2019-Present)
A black comedy like Succession, The Righteous Gemstones takes the idea of family-owned businesses and succession plans to the realm of religion. The Gemstones are a family of televangelists led by patriarch Eli (John Goodman) who are supposedly doing God’s work. However, their opulent lifestyle, funded by church donations, strongly indicates that there are selfish reasons behind their career paths, even if their followers don’t quite see it.
Like Logan Roy, all of Eli’s kids are immature and unfit to take over, spoiled by the riches they have become accustomed to in their lives. Despite belief to the contrary, they have little knowledge of how to actually run a business, nor the drive to do so without the comfortable financial cushion under them. Through the seasons, Eli not only has to deal with his impulsive, arrogant children but also trouble from other family members, including his brother-in-law who opens a satellite church. The Gemstone Salvation Center is effectively Waystar Royco in the form of megachurches.
Stream The Righteous Gemstones on HBO Max.
Riches (2022)
The theme of a business founder who is faced with the need to build a succession plan is found once again in Riches. In this British drama, Stephen (Hugh Quarshie) has built a cosmetics empire that has made him not only extremely successful but also a strong face in the Black-owned business space. But when he has a heart attack, he is faced with an important decision: who will take over? Naturally, as with Succession, the family members fight over who is the right person for the job.
In this series, it’s children from two separate marriages who come face-to-face, each wishing to stake claim to what they believe is rightfully theirs.
Stream Riches on Amazon Prime Video.
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