10 Binge-Worthy HBO Shows for Fans of Succession
You finished Succession and now every other boardroom seems a little less dangerous. That is the trouble with a show built from family warfare, corporate ambition and dialogue sharp enough to draw blood: it leaves a very specific gap in your watchlist. These ten HBO series are strong next picks because each shares a different pleasure with Succession, whether that is a fight for power, a rich ensemble, a ruthless workplace or a family whose public image is doing far too much work.
The shows here are not carbon copies of the Roy family saga. Industry takes you into a London investment bank where young graduates scramble for security and status; The White Lotus sends the moneyed into a resort where the staff can see through their performance; Veep turns political ambition into a machine that runs on panic and insults. The Sopranos and The Wire expand the question of who controls a system, while The Newsroom and The Righteous Gemstones shift the arena entirely.
Each entry explains its actual premise before discussing why it works and why it sits at this precise position.
For UK viewers, HBO Max is now available directly and through some Sky and NOW packages, but a show’s home can vary by title and licensing window. You will find everything from multi-season prestige dramas to a sharp, compact comedy, so choose the kind of power struggle you want before you commit to a new box set.
What connects these recommendations is the pressure that reveals who people become when money, reputation or family loyalty is at stake. You will get dark comedy, crime, political fantasy and workplace drama, so the ranking considers similarity without making it the only standard. A familiar theme can make a follow-up appealing, but the series still has to work on its own terms. If you are choosing by mood, start with the setting that sounds most appealing and use the countdown to see which show offers the fullest version of that pleasure.
If what you miss most is the business manoeuvring, start with the series at #1. If it is the wealthy characters behaving badly, try the resort satire near the top. And if you want the deeper family damage that gave Succession its bite, there are several classics below. Let’s get into it
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What counts as a good Succession follow-up?
We ranked these picks by how well they replace specific parts of the Roy family drama, not by pretending that every show is the same. The criteria include character writing, power dynamics, the quality of the ensemble, how effectively ambition creates conflict, and whether each series can sustain a binge without losing its point. A show can be a close thematic match and still rank below a more complete piece of television.
The countdown also balances tone. Succession is a comedy as well as a drama, so satire and comic timing matter alongside high stakes. Industry is more focused on junior finance workers; Game of Thrones turns succession into a fantasy war; The White Lotus makes wealth the subject of a dark holiday story. The best next watch depends on which part of Succession you want to find again.
10. The Newsroom (2012)
At the centre of Aaron Sorkin’s drama is Will McAvoy, a respected cable-news anchor whose public image changes after a blunt answer at a university event goes viral. His former romantic partner Mackenzie MacHale returns to produce a relaunch of the programme, bringing a newsroom team that wants to do more than chase ratings. The conflict runs through stories of the week, staff rivalries and the network’s commercial demands: can this group report with integrity while working inside a business that rewards attention? Jeff Daniels leads an ensemble that includes Emily Mortimer, Dev Patel and Olivia Munn.
The newsroom makes a useful companion to Succession because both series understand that a media company is a workplace full of egos, deadlines and power. Daniels gives Will a voice that can command a room and alienate it in the same breath, while the staff give the show its warmer, more collaborative side.
Why it ranks here: The Newsroom is #10 because its earnest view of journalism is the largest tonal step away from Succession, and its speeches can outpace the quieter character work of the stronger entries. It still belongs on this list for its media-industry setting and ensemble friction.
Who should watch: viewers who want media-industry drama, rapid dialogue and a team trying to argue its way towards better work.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max. Availability changes; check the live JustWatch UK listing.
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9. Big Little Lies (2017)
The first season introduces a group of mothers in Monterey whose children attend the same primary school. Madeline Mackenzie is outspoken and fiercely loyal; Celeste Wright seems to have an enviable marriage; Jane Chapman arrives as a newcomer with a son and a guarded past. A death at a school fundraiser frames the story, while the episodes circle back through the relationships and resentments that brought everyone to that night. The central conflict is the polished community’s effort to protect its image while private pressure, abuse and old wounds make that performance harder to maintain.
Like Succession, Big Little Lies is interested in people who have money, access and a public image to protect, but it moves from the family company into domestic and school politics. Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoë Kravitz make the ensemble feel distinct rather than interchangeable.
Why it ranks here: At #9, it ranks below The Newsroom in direct workplace similarity but above it in tension, ensemble texture and the way power hides inside ordinary conversations. Big Little Lies is still less focused on public ambition than Succession: its conflicts grow from family, status and gender rather than a corporation’s succession plan.
Who should watch: fans of ensemble mysteries, wealthy communities, sharp performances and domestic drama with real stakes.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max. Availability changes; check the live JustWatch UK listing.
8. Game of Thrones (2011)
Across Westeros, noble families compete for the Iron Throne while a danger gathers beyond the realm’s northern border. The story begins with the Stark family at Winterfell: Ned is summoned to the capital, Catelyn tries to protect her children, and their choices pull them into a struggle involving the Lannisters, the Baratheons and Daenerys Targaryen across the sea. The central engine is succession itself—alliances, marriages, inheritance and force determine who can rule. The show’s fantasy world adds dragons and ancient threats, but its political conflict is recognisable to anyone who watched a family fight over who gets to lead.
The ensemble is enormous, but the early seasons make the stakes legible through a handful of families with incompatible ideas about duty and power. Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey and Emilia Clarke give the saga memorable centres, while the scale allows a decision in one kingdom to reshape another.
Why it ranks here: It sits at #8 because it is the grandest match for the succession theme but the least like Succession in setting, scale and day-to-day tone. The White Lotus and Boardwalk Empire keep power struggles closer to familiar institutions, and the episodes above them are generally more compact.
Who should watch: viewers who want family power games, fantasy world-building, high-stakes alliances and an epic rather than a weekend-sized commitment.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max. Availability changes; check the live JustWatch UK listing.
7. Boardwalk Empire (2010)
Set in Atlantic City during Prohibition, Boardwalk Empire follows Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, a political treasurer whose official position lets him build a criminal empire alongside the town’s business interests. Michael Pitt’s Jimmy Darmody returns from war and tries to claim a place in the world Nucky controls, while Margaret Schroeder becomes entangled in the power and money around the boardwalk. The series moves through changing alliances among politicians, gangsters and law enforcement. Its main conflict is the price of keeping authority: Nucky must manage people who want his territory, his influence or a chance to replace him.
Steve Buscemi makes Nucky charming enough to bring people close and calculating enough to keep them there. The period production is lavish, but the show’s real pleasure comes from watching a carefully balanced network of loyalties shift under pressure.
Why it ranks here: Boardwalk Empire ranks #7 because its political-criminal power structure is compelling but less sharply comic than the shows above it. The Righteous Gemstones makes family succession more personally absurd, and The Wire offers a wider institutional portrait with greater social precision.
Who should watch: anyone who likes period crime, political manoeuvring, morally flexible leaders and carefully staged betrayals.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max. Availability changes; check the live JustWatch UK listing.
6. The Righteous Gemstones (2019)
The Gemstones are a famous televangelist family whose enormous church empire brings money, adoration and constant family competition. Jesse, the eldest son, expects to inherit his father Eli’s authority; siblings Judy and Kelvin have their own ambitions and grievances, while Eli tries to keep control of a family whose public message is much tidier than its private life. When old secrets and new schemes threaten the ministry, the family’s struggle over succession becomes a string of comic crises. The show’s central question is what happens when a dynasty treats faith, celebrity and inheritance as parts of the same business.
Danny McBride, Adam DeVine, Edi Patterson and John Goodman give the Gemstones a combustible chemistry: affection is real, but it rarely stops anyone from making a terrible decision. The series shares Succession’s dysfunctional heirs, expensive surroundings and obsession with who gets to speak for the family.
Why it ranks here: It lands at #6 because it is the list’s funniest family-dynasty match, but its comic excess is less precise than Veep and its dramatic structure is less consistently sharp than the classics above it. It beats Boardwalk Empire for direct family succession conflict and a breezier binge, while Veep takes #5 for tighter writing and a more relentless satirical engine.
Who should watch: fans of dark family comedy, ridiculous heirs, celebrity religion and sibling arguments that get wildly out of hand.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max. Availability changes; check the live JustWatch UK listing.
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5. Veep (2012)
Selina Meyer begins as the Vice President of the United States, a role that gives her a title but often very little influence. She and her staff—including Amy, Dan, Gary and Mike—spend each season trying to turn access into actual political power, survive crises and keep Selina’s ambitions alive. The conflict is workplace and electoral: every policy problem can become a personal embarrassment, and every colleague might be an ally for one meeting and a rival by the next. Julia Louis-Dreyfus anchors the series as a leader who wants history to remember her, even when the staff are busy managing the next catastrophe.
Veep is the closest match here for Succession’s dialogue-as-combat. The insults are fast, the staff dynamics are transactional, and a supposedly serious institution becomes a stage for people trying to look competent while making their next move.
Why it ranks here: Veep ranks at #5 because it is the sharpest comedy on the list, but the political farce is less emotionally layered than The Sopranos and less directly about family succession than The Righteous Gemstones. It beats those entries for precision, pace and dialogue, while the top four build more expansive worlds around their power struggles.
Who should watch: viewers who want vicious workplace comedy, rapid insults and political ambition without a sentimental filter.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max and NOW TV. Availability changes; check the live JustWatch UK listing.
4. The Wire (2002)
The Wire begins with a Baltimore police detail investigating a drug organisation led by Avon Barksdale and operated on the street by Stringer Bell. Detective Jimmy McNulty’s decision to draw attention to the case sets a slow, difficult investigation in motion, bringing police, prosecutors, dealers and neighbourhood residents into the same story. Across its seasons, the focus expands to the docks, city hall, schools and local media. The central conflict is not simply one detective against one criminal; it is the struggle between people trying to change a system and institutions that keep rewarding the habits that protect themselves.
David Simon’s drama takes patience, but its ensemble makes the city feel larger than any single hero. Dominic West’s McNulty is only one perspective among many, while Idris Elba, Wendell Pierce and Michael K.
Why it ranks here: The Wire is #4 because it is the most ambitious institutional drama here, but its patient structure and sprawling cast make it a less immediate Succession substitute than the two family-led classics above it. It outranks Boardwalk Empire for social depth and sustained ideas, and it gives the list a sharper view of how power operates beyond one boardroom.
Who should watch: viewers ready for patient, richly connected crime drama and a city-wide story about institutions.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max and NOW TV. Availability changes; check the live JustWatch UK listing.
3. The Sopranos (1999)
Tony Soprano is a New Jersey mob boss whose panic attacks push him into therapy with Dr Jennifer Melfi. That private appointment sits beside his criminal work, his marriage to Carmela, and the ordinary pressures of raising Meadow and A.J. His crew expects loyalty and command, while his family expects a husband and father who can be present at home. The series keeps those worlds in conversation: Tony wants to control both, but violence, anxiety and self-deception keep spilling across the boundary. Its central conflict is whether a powerful man can understand himself without changing how he treats other people.
James Gandolfini makes Tony funny, frightening and painfully recognisable, often within the same scene. The therapy sessions give the show a distinctive way to examine the stories Tony tells about himself, while Edie Falco’s Carmela makes the family’s compromises as absorbing as the criminal plot.
Why it ranks here: The Sopranos reaches #3 because its family writing and lead performance remain extraordinary, but The White Lotus is more structurally playful for a modern binge and Industry is the closer match for Succession’s corporate arena. It beats The Wire in concentrated character work and the way private life drives the drama, even though The Wire is broader in scope.
Who should watch: fans of antiheroes, family drama, dark humour and stories that take their time with a complicated lead.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max and NOW TV. Availability changes; check the live JustWatch UK listing.
2. The White Lotus (2021)
Each season of The White Lotus follows a new group of guests and workers at a luxury resort over roughly a week, with a death framing the story from the start. In the first season, newlyweds Shane and Rachel arrive alongside Tanya McQuoid and the Mossbacher family, while staff members Armond and Belinda try to keep the guests satisfied. Money, race, status and private insecurity shape what people say to one another. The central conflict is a holiday fantasy colliding with the people who have to work inside it, as each character’s behaviour reveals more than their carefully managed self-image.
Mike White’s writing turns polite resort conversation into a pressure test: a compliment can be a threat, a complaint can expose privilege, and a guest’s small irritation can become a worker’s exhausting shift. The rotating cast gives each season a fresh social ecosystem, while Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya became a singular thread across the early instalments.
Why it ranks here: It takes #2 because it is the strongest modern HBO companion for readers who loved Succession’s wealthy people, social discomfort and sharp dialogue, yet its anthology reset means the emotional through-line is less continuous than Industry’s workplace story. It outranks The Sopranos for a sharper, more contemporary binge structure and a playful mystery engine.
Who should watch: viewers who enjoy social satire, resort mysteries and polished ensembles.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max, NOW TV and Sky Go. Availability changes; check the live JustWatch UK listing.
Before we reveal our No. 1 pick…
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1. Industry (2020)
Industry follows a group of young graduates fighting to keep their jobs at Pierpoint, a high-pressure investment bank in London. Harper Stern arrives with talent and a complicated past, while Yasmin Kara-Hanani, Robert Spearing and their peers discover that a permanent desk is not a reward for hard work so much as a contest over performance, access and nerve. Eric Tao manages the team with a mixture of mentorship and threat. The series tracks the deals, friendships and betrayals that form as the new recruits try to survive the bank’s hierarchy, where a mistake can damage a career and a successful trade can make someone indispensable.
Myha’la’s Harper gives the show a restless centre, and Marisa Abela, Harry Lawtey and Ken Leung make the workplace feel like a web of people who are both competing and dependent on one another. The financial jargon is part of the texture, but the drama remains legible because each trade affects a relationship or a person’s standing.
Why it ranks here: Industry takes #1 because it most closely reproduces Succession’s blend of corporate power, career ambition and personal betrayal, but from the precarious position of junior employees. The White Lotus is the stronger class satire and The Sopranos the richer family tragedy; neither matches its workplace manoeuvring as closely.
Who should watch: viewers who want contemporary finance drama, ambition and office politics.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max, Sky Go and BBC iPlayer. Availability changes; check the live JustWatch UK listing.
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Conclusion
The best Succession follow-ups do not all copy the Roy family; they give you another way to watch ambition turn personal. Industry brings the fight into a London investment bank, The White Lotus makes wealth look uncomfortable under resort lighting, and Veep translates status anxiety into rapid-fire comedy. The Sopranos and The Wire remain essential for viewers who want a deeper look at family damage or the systems that reward power.
Our #1 is Industry because it puts workplace manoeuvring, career pressure and shifting alliances closest to the particular engine that made Succession so compelling. The White Lotus is the best choice for dark social satire, while The Righteous Gemstones is ideal when you want family dysfunction played for bigger laughs. Which series did you watch after Succession, and which belongs higher on this list? Share your ranking with us.
Think about which part of Succession you want to revisit: the workplace chess, the family damage, the social satire or the speed of the dialogue. This list offers a different answer for each mood, and its top spot is the closest match to the show’s engine rather than a claim that the other series are lesser in every respect. A very different pick may still become your favourite.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What should I watch after Succession?
Start with Industry if you want a modern workplace drama about ambition and power inside a London investment bank. The White Lotus is a strong next pick if you miss the show’s wealthy characters and sharp social observation. For family tension, try The Sopranos or The Righteous Gemstones; for fast, vicious comedy, choose Veep. The best follow-up depends on which element you want again, so use the premise and tone to choose rather than expecting a direct copy.
Which HBO show is most similar to Succession?
Industry is the closest thematic match on this list because it centres on ambition, hierarchy and power in a high-pressure business environment. It follows young finance professionals rather than an established media dynasty, so the characters are fighting to secure a place instead of inherit one. The White Lotus shares the class satire but has a more episodic resort setting.
Is Industry connected to Succession?
No. Industry is a separate HBO series created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay. It is set at a London investment bank and follows young graduates entering high finance. The shows are often recommended together because both use workplace status, money and shifting alliances to create character conflict, but they do not share a story world or characters. The similarity is thematic rather than a shared story world, so you can start this series without watching the other one first.
Is The White Lotus a comedy or a drama?
The White Lotus is a dark comedy-drama and social satire. Its resort setting and awkward conversations create humour, while the death framing and private conflicts give each season a mystery and dramatic tension. The balance varies by season, but it is best approached as an ensemble story about wealth, status and the staff and guests who collide. Check the rating and a current content guide if you are sensitive to its more intense scenes; the tone can be very different from a lighter HBO drama.
Which show has the most family power struggles?
The Sopranos and The Righteous Gemstones put family relationships at the centre, though they approach them very differently. The Sopranos is a crime drama about Tony Soprano balancing his criminal organisation, marriage and children. The Righteous Gemstones is a broad dark comedy about televangelist heirs competing for influence in their father’s ministry. That choice reflects the criteria in this countdown: story control, character work and how satisfying the viewing experience is as a whole.
Where can I watch HBO shows in the UK?
HBO Max launched in the UK in March 2026. Some eligible Sky and NOW customers can access HBO Max through their existing packages, and some programmes may also appear on other services or digital stores. Check the exact show in the platform catalogue or on JustWatch UK before subscribing, because rights and packages can change. Search the exact programme title rather than assuming every HBO show remains in the same catalogue; UK streaming rights and bundles are title-specific and can change.
Is The Wire similar to Succession?
The Wire is less like Succession in tone and setting, but it shares an interest in how people operate inside powerful systems. Its story widens from a Baltimore police investigation to institutions including city politics, schools and the media. Choose it when you want a patient, city-wide drama rather than a family company story. The similarity is thematic rather than a shared story world, so you can start this series without watching the other one first.
Is Veep worth watching after Succession?
Yes, especially if the dialogue and workplace power games are what you miss. Veep follows Vice President Selina Meyer and her staff through political crises, elections and constant attempts to increase her influence. The comedy is more openly absurd and faster than Succession, but it has a similar pleasure in watching ambitious people weaponise a meeting. The similarity is thematic rather than a shared story world, so you can start this series without watching the other one first.
How many seasons does Game of Thrones have?
Game of Thrones ran for eight seasons. It follows rival families competing for the Iron Throne while a danger grows beyond Westeros. The show is a much larger fantasy commitment than Succession, with a broad ensemble and a different tone, but the family alliances and succession conflicts make it a fitting pick for viewers who like political manoeuvring. That distinction is useful when choosing what to expect, because the format shapes both the pace and the kind of story the series can tell.
What is the best short show for fans of Succession?
Veep is the quickest tonal pivot if you want a sharply written comedy, while The White Lotus offers self-contained seasonal stories. Industry has multiple seasons and a continuing cast, so it is the best match rather than the shortest commitment. For a one-weekend watch, look up current episode counts and runtimes before choosing. That choice reflects the criteria in this countdown: story control, character work and how satisfying the viewing experience is as a whole.
More Places to Find Great Movies and TV Shows
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JustWatch UK lets you compare title availability by service and format. Check the HBO Max TV catalogue
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