'Succession' Season 2 Teaser Trailer: There Are No Rules In A Ruthless Empire

Power, politics, money, and family. I was under the impression that was already the domain of Showtime’s “Billions.” And I’ll be quite honest I was quite reluctant to watch a show about white, privileged, affluent assholes who behaved like total sociopaths because, hell, see above, “Billions,” we already have one of that, and I’m a little bit tired of seeing white, rich psychos on TV; there are other stories to tell out there, and it would be nice to see other people represented out there. But that said, “Succession,” created by British writer Jesse Armstrong’s—creator of “Peep Show,” the BBC political satire “The Thick of It”—HBO show earned rave critical reviews last year, so I admittedly need to give it another shot.

I suppose the critical distinction of the show is in the title; it’s a series about family, dynasty, legacy and well, succession. Who will be next in line to run an empire? There are many family members in the queue, but there’s also a sick, but stubborn patriarch who refuses to cede his power.

“Succession” stars an ensemble cast featuring Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Hiam Abbass, Nicholas Braun, Peter Friedman, Natalie Gold, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck, Parker Sawyers,, and Rob Yang. Season one saw the pilot episode directed by Adam McKay (“Vice,” “The Big Short”) who is one of the executive producers on the show along with Will Ferrell (McKay won a DGA award for his efforts too).The series centers on the fictional Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of a global media empire who are fighting for control of the company amidst uncertainty about the health of the family’s patriarch, Logan Roy.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Set in New York, Succession explores themes of power, politics, money, and family. Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the tough, powerful, aging patriarch, is head of Waystar Royco, a family-controlled international media conglomerate. He is married to his third wife, Marcia (Hiam Abbass), a loving, formidable partner. The Roy family, which includes troubled former heir-apparent Kendall (Jeremy Strong), his outspoken, fun-loving brother Roman (Kieran Culkin), and his savvy but conflicted sister, Shiv (Sarah Snook), jousting for power as they struggle to retain control of their father’s empire. While the future looks increasingly uncertain, it is the past that threatens to ultimately destroy them.

There’s no specific date for season two yet, but HBO revealed tonight in the first teaser trailer that the season begins in August of this year. Of the season 2 synopsis, HBO says, “Beginning where season one dramatically left off, the Roy family struggles to retain control of their empire, and while the future looks increasingly uncertain, it is the past that threatens to ultimately destroy them.” Watch the first teaser below and let us know if you’ve been watching “Succession” and what you think.