"After the end of Game of Thrones, it had been speculated that due to streaming, there might never be another show that would be watched communally again," says Jeva Lange. "To be fair, Succession isn't that; its audience is only a fraction of the size of the fans who were devoted to Westeros. Still, if I had access to the entire season of Succession, I don't think I could honestly resist binging. Instead, the slow drip of episodes is driving me pleasantly crazy. And when I skip an episode, with the flippant self-assurance that I'll just stream it later, I'm reminded of the community I'm missing out on (I pity anyone who didn't experience the real-time response to Kendall's rap). The Emmy Awards ceremony last month felt a little like a eulogy for this kind of collective watching experience, as if an unspoken concession was being made to the dominance of streaming. And indeed, some of the most experimental and exciting shows this decade have only been possible because of internet platforms. Still, with this season of Succession, I've been reminded what I love about being forced to watch television at the same pace as everyone else: the joy of laughing at roughly the same time, wincing at the same faux pas, and collectively praying for the soul of Cousin Greg."
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TOPICS: Succession, HBO, Alan Ruck, J. Smith-Cameron, Costume Design