10 HBO Shows to Watch If You Miss Succession
Finding a good show after Succession can be surprisingly difficult: you may want the money, the ruthless family politics, the comedy, or simply characters who make every conversation feel like a negotiation. The ten recommendations below follow your ranking exactly. We start the countdown at your #10 and leave your #1 pick for last.
These are not ten copies of Succession. They are ten different answers to the same viewing itch: power changing how people love, work, compete and behave. You will find finance, corporate founders, political offices, media companies, family businesses, dark comedies and prestige dramas.
Every entry begins with the premise, so you can meet the main characters and understand the conflict before the opinion. Then we explain what works, why the series holds this particular rank and who is most likely to enjoy it. Streaming availability is linked to current UK listings because rights change.
Keep this list handy if you are searching for shows like Succession, corporate drama, HBO dramas, dark comedy, workplace satire, prestige television or a new series to binge. Choose based on whether you miss the boardroom, the family mess, the jokes or the uneasy feeling that everyone is negotiating. Let’s get into it 👇
Succession left a very particular gap: an ensemble of vivid people, a world shaped by money and influence, and scenes that could switch from funny to devastating before anyone had time to recover. HBO has spent decades building dramas and comedies that trust viewers to sit with complicated characters. This list moves across that catalogue, from family businesses and political offices to crime stories, resort satire and a funeral home.
Not every recommendation is a direct tonal match. Some share Succession’s interest in class and entitlement; some offer an ambitious workplace; others are worth choosing because they provide the kind of confident writing and character detail that makes a long series feel lived in. We identify the main characters and the first conflict in each entry, then explain what kind of viewing experience follows.
The countdown follows your ranking: Six Feet Under opens at #10, and The White Lotus holds the final #1 spot. That order gives greater weight to how strongly a show answers the specific “what next?” question, as well as to its ensemble, story engine and ability to balance humour with consequences. A classic can be excellent without being the closest successor, and the ranking makes that distinction clear.
If you are deciding where to stream, open each JustWatch UK link before you start. HBO and Max branding differs by country and platform, and the service carrying a series can change. We avoid promising a particular subscription and instead point you toward the current regional listing. The entries below are spoiler-light introductions for both longtime HBO viewers and anyone arriving from Succession.
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10. Six Feet Under
Nate Fisher returns to Los Angeles for Christmas and discovers that his father Nathaniel has died, leaving him and brother David a family funeral home to run. Ruth, their mother, tries to hold the family together, while Claire, the youngest, is looking for a life outside the business. Nate would rather not settle down; David already works at the home but keeps parts of his identity private. The Fishers must care for the dead and each other while facing money, relationships and their own fear of change.
Each episode opens with a death, but Alan Ball’s series is more interested in what the living do next. Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall and Frances Conroy anchor a family drama that balances dark humour with real feeling. Its patient pace gives small choices room to accumulate across seasons.
Why it ranks here: It begins the list because its family writing and emotional reach are remarkable, but its reflective funeral-home setting is furthest from Succession’s business conflict. It is a rewarding change of pace rather than the closest tonal match.
Who should watch it: Choose it for a long, thoughtful family saga about grief and everyday life.
Where to watch: UK availability changes, so check the current JustWatch UK listing before you press play.
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9. Boardwalk Empire
Enoch “Nucky” Thompson is a powerful political boss in Atlantic City during Prohibition. He controls local government and profits from alcohol trafficking, but new rivals threaten both his business and his authority. Jimmy Darmody, a veteran with ambitions of his own, is among the people trying to build a future around Nucky’s empire; Margaret Schroeder becomes connected to Nucky’s private world. The ongoing conflict is how long a political machine can survive when every alliance has a price.
Steve Buscemi gives Nucky a quiet authority that can make a polite exchange feel like a warning. The show’s historical setting and production design create scale, while the crime story keeps its attention on who controls the city and the money moving through it. Its ensemble is full of people who want to rise, escape or bargain.
Why it ranks here: It ranks ninth because its power structure and period detail are strong, but the sprawling crime plot is less intimate than the family dramas higher up the list. It beats the entry below through a more sustained view of how politics and business intertwine.
Who should watch it: Watch for Prohibition-era crime, political corruption and a large ensemble.
Where to watch: UK availability changes, so check the current JustWatch UK listing before you press play.
8. Barry
Barry Berkman is a Cleveland hitman who travels to Los Angeles for a job and wanders into an acting class led by Gene Cousineau. He begins to imagine a life outside contract killing, and acting student Sally Reed offers a glimpse of a different kind of future. But Barry’s criminal associates, including handler Fuches, keep pulling him back into violence. The central conflict is not simply whether he can become an actor; it is whether he can build a new identity without confronting the harm he has caused.
Bill Hader balances awkward comedy with sudden danger, and Henry Winkler gives Gene a vanity that is funny until it is not. The acting class provides a comic world, but the series keeps returning to consequence. Its tonal shifts can be startling, and that risk is part of the point: Barry wants his past to become a role he can stop playing.
Why it ranks here: It sits eighth because its dark humour and character change are bold, but its crime plot makes it a less direct successor to HBO’s workplace and wealth stories. It beats the newsroom title below by making the comedy-darkness balance central to the premise.
Who should watch it: Good for viewers seeking dark comedy, crime tension and an antihero with a second-life fantasy.
Where to watch: UK availability changes, so check the current JustWatch UK listing before you press play.
Before #7
7. The Newsroom
Will McAvoy is a respected cable-news anchor who loses his familiar routine when former producer Mackenzie McHale returns and asks him to rebuild the programme. She wants the staff to report news with more purpose; Will has to adjust his on-air persona and relationships. Producer Jim Harper, newsroom colleague Maggie Jordan and the rest of the team face deadlines, political pressure and the compromises required to keep a network show on air. The central conflict is how much an idealistic newsroom can change within a commercial institution.
Jeff Daniels plays Will as a man whose certainty can inspire or alienate the people around him. The series treats stories behind the broadcast as workplace drama: editors argue about what matters, producers race the clock and anchors manage their public identities. Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue gives scenes a brisk, speech-driven energy.
Why it ranks here: It lands at #7 because its newsroom is a clear institutional setting and its cast is engaging, but its speeches can make the characters’ positions more explicit than Succession’s subtext. It ranks above the series below on workplace relevance and ensemble conflict.
Who should watch it: Pick it for newsroom stories, fast dialogue and ideals under pressure.
Where to watch: UK availability changes, so check the current JustWatch UK listing before you press play.
6. Big Little Lies
Jane Chapman arrives in Monterey with her young son and meets Madeline Mackenzie and Celeste Wright, mothers whose children attend the same school. A dispute among the children brings the women into one another’s lives, while a murder investigation frames the story from the beginning. Renata Klein and Bonnie Carlson become part of the same tightly observed community. Each woman is managing a different public image and private problem; the central mystery is how the friendship group reached a deadly event.
The coastal setting looks polished, but the series keeps returning to the distance between appearance and lived experience. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley lead an ensemble that lets silence and small social gestures carry tension. Its mystery gives the first season a strong binge engine, while the women’s relationships supply the real emotional movement.
Why it ranks here: It ranks sixth because its ensemble and class-aware setting make it one of HBO’s most absorbing dramas, but the murder frame and domestic focus sit further from Succession’s corporate power than the titles above.
Who should watch it: Choose it for a mystery-led character drama, strong performances and a close-knit ensemble.
Where to watch: UK availability changes, so check the current JustWatch UK listing before you press play.
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5. The Righteous Gemstones
The Gemstones are a famous televangelist family whose ministry brings money, status and influence. Jesse, Judy and Kelvin each want a larger role in the family enterprise, while their father Eli tries to hold authority over the church and the adult children. Their public image promises faith and generosity; behind the scenes, jealousy, bad decisions and rival preachers threaten both the family and its brand. The season-by-season story often begins with a scheme or scandal that forces the siblings to compete and regroup.
Danny McBride’s comedy is broad in its behaviour but specific about family rank. John Goodman gives Eli weight, while Edi Patterson and Adam DeVine make Judy and Kelvin more than the supporting children. The show’s mix of slapstick, crime and family rivalry gives it a different comic texture from Succession, but it shares an interest in how a legacy business turns siblings into rivals.
Why it ranks here: It earns fifth place because it connects family inheritance, money and religious power with a lively ensemble. It ranks below the Sopranos and Veep because its comedy is deliberately more outrageous and its emotional detail less restrained.
Who should watch it: Best for viewers who like family business satire with big comic performances.
Where to watch: UK availability changes, so check the current JustWatch UK listing before you press play.
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4. The Sopranos
Tony Soprano is a New Jersey crime boss trying to manage his crew, his wife Carmela and their children while experiencing panic attacks. His doctor, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, becomes a confidante outside the criminal world, creating a space where Tony can describe fears he would never share with his associates. The ongoing conflict is the split between his roles: Tony wants to be a provider and a powerful boss, but violence and dishonesty shape both his family and his business.
James Gandolfini makes Tony funny, intimidating and vulnerable without dissolving the harm he causes. The therapy sessions give the series an unusual way to examine masculinity and self-deception; the family scenes show how little insight changes behaviour. Its dark humour and antihero focus helped define the prestige drama that followed.
Why it ranks here: It ranks fourth because its character study and performances remain foundational, though its mob world has a different rhythm from Succession’s corporate satire. It beats the titles below through depth and cultural influence.
Who should watch it: Watch for landmark character drama, family conflict and a morally complicated lead.
Where to watch: UK availability changes, so check the current JustWatch UK listing before you press play.
After #3
3. Veep
Selina Meyer is the vice president of the United States, trying to turn her office into a platform for future power. Her staffers Gary, Amy, Dan and Mike handle the public fallout from every plan, while Jonah keeps finding a way to be present in the most inconvenient room. Selina’s political goals change with polling and opportunity; the team’s job is to keep up without losing its own careers. The conflict is a constant battle over access, messaging and status.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus makes Selina’s craving for approval the source of both her authority and comic weakness. The staff form a workplace ensemble whose ambition changes with every job title. Like Succession, the show uses sharp dialogue to reveal how people treat each other when everyone is trying to get closer to power.
Why it ranks here: It sits third because it is the best pure political comedy on the list and shares Succession’s fluency with status games. It ranks below Industry and The White Lotus because its satire is more consistently farcical and less interested in sustained emotional damage.
Who should watch it: Choose it for rapid workplace comedy and political ambition.
Where to watch: UK availability changes, so check the current JustWatch UK listing before you press play.
2. Industry
Harper Stern joins Pierpoint as a graduate recruit in London, where young bankers compete to stay on after the trial period. She is talented but has little room for mistakes, and the firm’s deals test her judgment as much as her financial skill. Yasmin Kara-Hanani, Robert Spearing and their colleagues face their own class and career pressures; managers Eric Tao and others decide who receives mentorship and access. The first seasons make survival in the institution an ongoing contest.
Myha’la Herrold and the ensemble make the world feel competitive from the ground up. Industry shows not just that money can buy influence, but how people learn the rules of a room when they do not all enter with the same protections. Its work scenes carry tension, and its characters bring lasting consequences home.
Why it ranks here: It earns #2 because it is the closest workplace cousin to Succession and consistently strong at showing financial power as personal pressure. The White Lotus beats it through broader social satire and a more distinctive seasonal reinvention.
Who should watch it: Best for viewers who want contemporary finance, ambition and changing alliances.
Where to watch: UK availability changes, so check the current JustWatch UK listing before you press play.
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1. The White Lotus
Each season of The White Lotus follows guests and employees at a luxury resort, with a new location and ensemble. The guests arrive expecting comfort and attention; the staff have jobs, families and limits of their own. A death hinted at early gives each season a mystery, while the main story watches relationships shift around class, money, sex and entitlement. The resort becomes a temporary world where people with very different levels of power are forced to share space.
Mike White’s writing turns awkward holiday interactions into precise social comedy. Guests reveal themselves through small complaints, while employees calculate what they can say to customers who control their livelihood. The performances make even an apparently carefree vacation feel unstable. It shares Succession’s fascination with wealth but builds a fresh story each season, making the show especially easy to sample and discuss.
Why it ranks here: It takes #1 because it combines class satire, ensemble writing, visual pleasure and binge-friendly mystery more completely than any other HBO choice here. It beats Industry’s finance specificity with a wider view of privilege, and outlasts Veep’s jokes with more tonal range.
Who should watch it: Choose it for HBO-style social satire, an ensemble cast and a new resort story each season.
Where to watch: UK availability changes, so check the current JustWatch UK listing before you press play.
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Conclusion
The strongest shows on this list understand that power is personal. A career, family business, political office or restaurant can become a place where people bargain for love and respect as much as money. That is why Succession fans often enjoy series with sharp dialogue, shifting alliances and characters who cannot separate ambition from identity.
For finance and corporate life, try Industry or Billions. For family rivalry, The Bear, Yellowstone or Arrested Development offer very different temperatures. For satire, Veep and The White Lotus turn status into comedy. Our #1 wins because its world, characters, performances and ongoing conflict make the best overall match for the specific reason behind this watchlist. Tell us what you would move up or down, and which show we missed.
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Before FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I watch after Succession?
Start with the #1 pick if you want the closest match to this article’s ranking criteria. Industry is a strong choice for finance and workplace hierarchy; The White Lotus is better for class satire; Veep suits viewers who mainly miss the sharp jokes. The rest of the list gives you more specific options by mood. For the quickest decision, match the show to the element you miss most: family conflict, workplace manoeuvring, class satire or rapid dialogue. The #1 choice is the strongest overall fit for this list, while the other entries serve narrower moods.
Which show is most similar to Succession?
The closest match depends on what you liked. Industry shares the financial setting and ruthless career ladder. Billions focuses on wealth and legal power. For family rivalry and social satire, Yellowstone, Arrested Development or The White Lotus offer different versions of that tension. Similarity is a matter of emphasis. A shared subject does not guarantee a shared tone, so look at the premise and cast dynamics in the entry before choosing. That will tell you whether you want a close thematic cousin or a change of pace.
Are these ranked from worst to best?
Yes. The list follows the titles in the order you supplied. Your first title remains #1 and appears last in the countdown; the tenth title begins at #10. Each entry includes a reason for its exact position. The countdown begins with your #10 selection and ends with your #1. We explain the trade-offs at each position, including when a title is excellent in its own right but less aligned with the core theme of this particular list.
Where can I stream these shows in the UK?
Streaming rights vary by title, season and subscription. Each ranked entry links to a JustWatch UK search where you can check the current subscription, rental and purchase options before watching. The linked JustWatch UK search is the most practical starting point for current options. Check the exact season and format, since a service may offer only part of a series or list it for digital rental rather than as part of a subscription.
Which show is best for a quick binge?
Limited series and short seasons are easiest to finish quickly. Check the JustWatch UK page linked in each entry for season availability and current providers. If you want a longer character journey, choose one of the multi-season dramas. A shorter run can make a show easier to finish, but the best quick binge also needs a clear story engine. Use the premise notes to decide whether you want a contained mystery, a single workplace season or a longer ensemble you can spend time with.
Which show has the strongest workplace drama?
Industry and Billions focus on finance; The Morning Show centres on a broadcast newsroom; The Bear puts its crew in a restaurant kitchen. House of Lies and Veep use workplace politics for comedy. The strongest choice depends on whether you want realistic professional pressure, comic office politics or relationships that spill from work into family life. The article points out those distinctions so you can select the workplace rather than just the genre label.
Are these recommendations spoiler-free?
The descriptions cover each show’s starting situation and ongoing conflict without revealing major endings. They may mention an early inciting event needed to explain the premise, but avoid late-season twists. We include the setup and early conflict because readers need enough context to decide whether a show is for them. Later turns, finales and major character outcomes are left out, so you can start with the central question still intact.
Can I watch these without having seen Succession?
Yes. The shows work on their own. The article explains the main characters and conflicts, and the comparisons are there to help you decide what to watch next. Each recommendation introduces its own characters and story, so no previous knowledge of Succession is required. The comparisons refer to themes and tone only; they do not depend on having memorised the Roy family’s business history.
Which show has the best ensemble cast?
That depends on whether you prefer drama or comedy. The White Lotus, Industry, The Bear and Veep each build a distinctive group whose characters want different things. The entries explain the cast dynamics before recommending them. Look for the entry whose supporting characters have goals beyond reacting to the lead. A strong ensemble gives each conversation more than one agenda, which is one of the qualities Succession fans often want from a new drama or comedy.
Why does the #1 show rank above the others?
The top spot goes to the show that best combines a clear premise, memorable performances, sustained character conflict, entertainment value and a close fit with the reason a Succession fan is searching for another series. The top-ranked title wins because its premise, character dynamics and tone line up most closely with the purpose of this watchlist. The comparison also accounts for what it does better than the other nine choices, while recognising the different strengths that make those shows worthwhile.
More Places to Find Great Movies and TV Shows
IMDb is useful for cast and episode details. Rotten Tomatoes gathers critic and audience reviews, while Metacritic compares reviews across publications. JustWatch UK tracks current streaming and digital rental options.
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