Prestige TV

It feels like at any point in time, there's one show that's THE show. You know what I'm talking about. The show that everyone's watching, and if you aren't watching all your friends are saying you "need to watch it". The Sopranos, Lost, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and most recently Succession. All these are "Prestige TV", which is a fancy name for a drama that TV snobs embrace (and HBO probably produces).

Prestige TV asks for an hour of your undivided attention, and in exchange you hopefully get an incredible drama. The best acting, writing, directing, music, editing; these shows fire on all cylinders. Generally they're slow, and thoughtful, and not necessarily exciting. But the good ones always reward your time (sometimes they fumble at the endzone).

Anyways, this blog post is about three shows I've finished recently: The Leftovers, Barry and Succession. They're all fantastic but have varying degrees of popularity. I wasn't compelled enough to make individual blog posts, so instead we're doing a mashup.

The Leftovers

If you're a TV snob, you've heard of The Leftovers. If you're anyone else, this might seem like a random show. The Leftovers is always on "best shows of all time" lists, but it never breached the zeitgeist. Reddit loves this show, and after watching it, I love it too.

The Leftovers is the most thoughtful show I've seen. One day 2% of the population vanishes out of thin air. With 98% remaining, the world moves on. But that random 2% is certainly enough to fuck up the lives of individuals. It's not an examination of how the world adapts, but how people adapt. Do they move on? Do they forget? Do they spend their lives fearing another vanishing?

The vanishing, or the "Sudden Departure", is a looming mystery. However, The Leftovers is a mystery show that doesn't care about its mystery. Being unable to explain the vanishing is what makes it scary. If your partner, your daughter, and your son vanished, what would you do? The show examines this extensively through many lenses and perspectives. It's about grief, loss, and the lies we tell ourselves so we can cope.

Shout out to Christopher Eccleston for his performance as the reverend Matt Jamison. Each season has an episode dedicated to his character and they're always my favourites. The show often isolates its characters, revealing their motivations and baggage. The Leftovers is the perfect example of Prestige TV that didn't pop off, and I'm just doing my part to raise its visibility. Watch this show if you like good TV.

Barry

Is Barry technically Prestige TV? Not really. Did I watch Barry and do I want to write about it? Yes.

The episodes are only thirty minutes and it's a comedy, but if you've seen season 4 and you still try to tell me Barry isn't Prestige TV, you're crazy. The show takes the audience on a journey. Season 1 is like 90% comedy, 10% drama. Season two is more fifty/fifty. Season three is nearly 90% drama and season 4 is its own beast entirely. I'm undecided whether I'm a fan of the drama shift, because I love the early seasons, but I do love how crazily unique it is.

Even in season one, Barry's technical execution stood out. Bill Hader knows what he's doing, and I want to see him direct a horror move. When Bill Hader started helming directing, Barry skyrocketed. The cinematography is so crisp. Sarah Goldberg who plays Sally Reid is criminally underrated, and the other main cast crush too.

I've realized the thing that makes me LOVE Barry are the 30 minute episodes. Some Prestige TV shows do not fill out the hour runtime well. Do I have a child's attention span? Has tiktok rotted my brain? Is it my fault I'm tempted to go on my phone? Yes, yes and yes. But Barry doesn't have these problems. With only 30 minutes, the show moves so fast. Every scene is necessary, and perfect, and exciting. It's just nice to have Prestige TV quality with the runtime of a sitcom.

Succession

Succession is the reigning king of Prestige TV. A show that thrived through pure execution alone. It doesn't have the biggest stars, it's an original IP, and the plot itself isn't super intriguing. Took until season 3 for the show to gain mainstream respect, so you know it must slap. The hype is warranted. It's hyped because it's really really good.

The plot is a classic TV setup, watching assholes be assholes to each other. It's one of those shows where you hate everyone but you secretly root for them anyways. Business politics, family politics, real politics, it's all about leverage and positioning. A family member betrays another, followed by a glimpse of power, which leads to overconfidence and an inevitable downfall.

Personally, I did not watch Succession for the plot. I did not care who carried Logan's legacy, or who went to jail, or whatever. But I will absolutely watch for the interpersonal drama. I would watch just for 30 seconds of Tom fucking with Greg. Succession feels like a showcase of the best actors on earth having a field day.

I'm not the first person to praise Succession, and I don't really have anything new to add to the conversation. I just want it to be on the record that I liked it. Also put it on the record that I love Kieran Culkin, cast him in everything and give him the Emmy. Succession isn't a show I'm obsessed with, but I have to respect the pure artistry and talent involved. To me, Succession is the definition of Prestige TV. You can't get more Prestige than Succession.