The Best Books, Movies, Video Games, and Podcasts to Check Out After Watching ‘Succession’

Shakespearean in the depth of its family dynamics and populated with some of the most hilariously awful people ever imagined, Succession was deservedly a phenomenon over the course of its four seasons. Watching the Roy children simultaneously scramble for their share of the Waystar RoyCo empire while navigating the emotional wreckage of their lives (caused largely by their demonic father) was great fun—but now that it’s over, you need more.

If you’ve already burned through all the series that scratch the same itch, here are some books, video games, movies, and podcasts that will keep the very bad vibes going.

The best books for fans of Succession

One thing that made Succession so entertaining was the depth of its characterization and worldbuilding, and the best way to replicate that is with a deep dive into a great book. Here are some of the best read-a-likes.

King Lear, by William Shakespeare

The ultimate tale of a father destroying his family through hubris (and a definite influence on the show), King Lear is the story of an ancient king who divides his kingdom among his daughters based on how flattering they are toward him, while trying to cling to his dignity and position. It goes about as well as you might expect (the official title is The Tragedy of King Lear, after all), and the schemes of the king’s daughters and the absolutely dank insults traded throughout the play will make you miss Succession a little less.

The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

If you showed up to Succession to watch Logan Roy consistently belittle, humiliate, and manipulate his children, The Brothers Karamazov is the ideal classic novel for you. Fyodor Pavlovich, an awful person and compulsive liar, has three legitimate sons, Dmitri, Alexei, and Ivan. He’s variously ignored them and treated them terribly, so the life of each son is a reaction to their father in different ways. Just like Logan Roy’s monstrous fatherhood, everything in this dense philosophical novel is driven by the poisoned relationship between the truly terrible Fyodor and his sons.

The Man Who Owns the News, by Michael Wolff

As one of the most obvious inspirations for Logan Roy and the Roy family, it behooves any Succession fan to know more about Rupert Murdoch and his family. Wolff’s book predates our current political environment and the latest rounds of Murdoch family drama, but it’s still an eye-opening look at the man and how he built the most influential media empire of the modern age. Fans of the show will see some clear parallels between plot developments and Murdoch’s real life, and come away with a deeper understanding of both.

The Inheritance, by Trisha Sakhlecha

The Inheritance is perfect for fans of Succession who want to repeat the thrill of descending into the madness of a wealthy, infighting family. When Raj Agarwal announces he will sell his immense petrochemical business and divide the fortune among his children—but speculation over exactly how he will calculate that division over the course of a vacation on a Scottish island drives his family to cutthroat maneuvers and revelations that soon spiral into chaos. Fans of the show will love it.

Trust, by Hernan Diaz

This challenging, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel isn’t as straightforward as Succession, but as you untangle its multiple narratives, it delivers a similarly dark, complicated story of money, betrayal, and relationship dynamics. The story involves a novel-within-the-novel about a wealthy man whose fortune survives the crash of 1929 but slowly loses his beloved wife to mental illness, a memoir by the real-life investor who furiously believes the text was slanderously based on his life, his wife’s diary, and the work of a journalist digging into the true story behind it all. It’s dense and layered, but at its core is a story about money, trauma, and emotional corruption that Succession fans will find rewarding.

The best movies for fans of Succession

Want more glitzy corporate offices, lavish multi-million dollar homes, and wealthy people dressed in clothes without labels? Then these movies are the ideal way to sustain yourself after finishing the latest re-watch of Succession.

The Celebration (1998)

Titled Festen in its original Danish, The Celebration is a film in the stark Dogme 95 tradition about a family gathering to celebrate the 60^th birthday of its wealthy patriarch, Helge (Henning Moritzen), whose daughter, Linda (Lene Laub Oksen), recently took her own life. When his eldest son, Christian (Ulrich Thomsen), stands to make a toast, he accuses Helge of abusing both him and Linda as children. Helge is a worse monster than Logan Roy in some ways, but the way he treats his children will give you those Roy family vibes. Stream The Celebration on The Criterion Channel.

The Godfather (1972)

The classic story of the Corleone family is actually a succession story. When mafia godfather Vito Corleone is gravely injured at the beginning of a war between families in 1950s New York, his hotheaded son Sonny (James Caan) is the obvious choice to step into his shoes. But as the violent, twisting story unfolds, it’s his youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), who evolves into the cold, calculating leader the family needs. At its core, this is a story about a family that can’t escape the shadow of their powerful, corrupt patriarch. Stream The Godfather on Paramount+ or rent it on Prime Video.

The Game (1997)

It’s a bit of a swerve, but there’s a reason the opening credits to Succession look exactly like the opening sequence of The Game. In the film, wealthy investment banker Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is facing down his 48^th birthday—the age when his father committed suicide—when his younger brother, Conrad (Sean Penn), gifts him a ticket to a mysterious game. The game proceeds to invade and dissect every aspect of Nicholas’ life, eventually forcing him to face the emotional devastation of his father’s legacy. It’s a wild ride, and easy to imagine Kendall getting this exact gift a few years after the show’s end. Stream The Game on The Criterion Channel or rent it on Prime Video.

The Favourite (2018)

If you want to see more people twisting themselves into tortured knots to gain the favor of a powerful and possibly sociopathic figure, The Favourite is the historical fiction you’ve been looking for. Set at the beginning of the 18^th century in the court of the ailing Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), it follows the increasingly insane rivalry between two women who vie for influence over the queen, which translates into real power over the country. It’s as messy and uncomfortable as watching Logan Roy humiliate his children or force his employees to play Boar on the Floor. Stream The Favourite on Prime Video.

Mountainhead (2025)

Want more Bad Billionaire hijinx? Go straight to the source: Written and directed by Succession creator Jesse Armstrong, Mountainhead is the story of four billionaires (well, three billionaires and one almost-billionaire) who go off the deep end while at a lavish, isolated estate in Utah. As artificial intelligence and deepfakes churn disasters around the world, the four begin to plot how to profit from the growing chaos and possibly seize control of the world before turning on each other. It’s a nice dive into the emptiness and greed of the super wealthy that fans of Succession will definitely vibe to. Stream Mountainhead on HBO Max or rent it on Prime Video.

The best video games for fans of Succession

Sadly, no one has coded a game where you can go around screaming expletives at the Roy children, but you can at least replicate some of the key joys of Succession in video game form. Here are some of the best ways to do that.

Crusader Kings III

It’s set during the Middle Ages, but Crusader Kings III offers a gaming experience surprisingly similar to Succession. This complex role-playing strategy game sees you playing as either the head of a powerful dynasty or an ambitious but impoverished member of a powerful clan. Using your various skills, you have to manage your holdings, your fractious allies and family members, and deal with powerful enemies who want to take everything that is yours. Sound familiar?

Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC, macOS, Steam

Yes, Your Grace

There’s a reason Succession maps so well onto medieval monarchies—Logan Roy is essentially an aging king clinging to a sinking kingdom. In Yes, Your Grace you literally play as King Eryk of Davern, and you must make decisions that will determine the fate of your kingdom, including members of the royal family. There’s even a succession crisis you have to deal with, as the king hasn’t sired any male children, throwing the future of the kingdom into chaos. If you make poor decisions, your ending won’t be any happier than those of the Roy kids—but you could be the Tom Wambsgans of the game if you play it smart.

Platforms: Xbox, PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam