Decoding Succession's Opening Credits
514,299
Published 2021-12-23
Let's take a look at Succession's opening title sequence and see how it elegantly establishes the core issues in the show itself.
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All Comments (21)
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Im obsessed with that last shot from the opening of the kids all looking at their dad as he walks away. That's the whole show.
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You don't need a billion dollars to have an insane family, it's actually surprisingly affordable lmao!!! Love it.
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Three Seasons in, and I've never skipped the intro! The theme music matches perfectly with the visuals of the Roys' unhappy childhoods. I also love how a different sibling is focused on in each season. In the first, it was Kendall, in the second, Shiv, and in the latest, it was Roman.
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I always thought of it as "two perspectives." Obviously Logan is the Super 8 footage and Kendall is the HD video. Just like with the score itself. Logan is the classical strings, Ken is the hip-hop beat. The old and new guard clashing.
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Give Matthew Macfadyen his f*cking Emmy! He has delivered his parts exceptionally brilliant, nuanced and phenomenal - throughout all 3 seasons!
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The very last shot of the opening credits (5:21) always felt to me like we see the Roy kids hung by a rope. As if their tragic fates were sealed from the beginning to be guilty of Logan Roy's children.
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Excellent analysis. One of the most revealing cuts for me is going from Logan's back at a table set out for the family at his estate, to his back at a board meeting in the office. Because this is a man that runs his family as a company - and thinks of his company as his true offspring. And Succession is indeed the true successor (ha!) to GOT, because power and family is also what GRRM was really fascinated with. Unfortunately B&W were too simple minded to understand more than "t*ts and twists".
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The very first shot of the intro is Logan resting his hand on his son's shoulder and then immediately awkwardly walking away. I love how subtle that detail says a lot about their father/son dynamic.
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“No sudden deaths.” Succession:”and I took that personally!”
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I raise a glass to this show for keeping opening credits alive. It's a dying art
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I always found the opening credits slightly heartbreaking. Something so sad about seeing the siblings as children and knowing their father was never really there for them, and he never truly will be. Those children have it all, but Logan will always consider his company as his greatest, most important achievement.
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Can't ever skip this intro because it sets the stage for every episode. The profound nostalgic sadness, every Roy children looking for their father as he distances himself... Never have I seen a show where the opening is as much a part of the storytelling as this one
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I never skip the opening to Succession. The main song by Nicholas Brittell is probably my favorite tv theme of all time. You said it well, this show is like a Shakespearian play, or a Greek tragedy. The opening is so good at getting you in this epic family drama mood, with all the beautiful omnious shots of New York City. Loved this analysis !
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“No sudden dea…” oh well.
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I've always noticed the focus on the swimming pool in the opening credits, particularly for season 2 - the Roy children said their father didn't swim but we see him in the water with the scars on his back
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I've always loved that they paid homage to David Fincher in the opening credits. I wonder how he feels about the show.
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I also wondered why Connor was depicted as a child in the opening, when he was Logan's son from his first marriage, and would have been in his twenties by the time Kendall, Roman and Shiv were born.
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the fact that it opens with logan and young kendall is so telling. he was always his number one boy.
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It's the only show where I watch the intro every single episode, and look forward to it.
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4:21 I love Greg so much. Every line from him cracks me up.
