Succession; Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily

“If you’re fretting that Succession (Sky Atlantic/Now) might now be running out of road, or steam, or those biting one-liners that hit like rubber bullets, don’t. Based on the four episodes I have seen, it has plenty of surprises, fanged vipers and toast-dropping shocks up its exquisite Tom Ford sleeve.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Everything we want and need is still here. Tom is now an official turncoat rather than the turncoat-in-waiting he – the feeble, needy chickenshit – has always been. His greatest concern now is whether he will stay within the fold if and when he and Shiv divorce. That conversation, if his shadow entreaties and Logan’s noncommittal grunts can be honoured with the term, is as fine an example as you will see of the exquisite agony of embarrassment Succession (or Jesse Armstrong, its creator) has made its own.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Everything Succession’s fans love is here: the acid dialogue, the private jets, the horror its characters feel whenever they are forced to brush up against the real world. One memorable scene involving a karaoke bar and eldest son Connor (Alan Ruck), a brat so spoiled that his hobby job is running for the presidency, is purest Succession. When the series’ inciting incident comes, it is beautifully done. The cast have been doing this for long enough to wear their parts like meltingly soft cashmere jumpers, and they rise to the moment.”
Ed Cumming, Telegraph

“Phew. Succession is back and Sky Atlantic’s dynastic drama is its reliably vicious self. Creator Jesse Armstrong has made it clear that he isn’t going to over-stay his welcome with repetitive storylines by making this fourth season also its last. Mind you, a critical minority has already suggested that this was becoming the case as Brian Cox’s media mogul Logan Roy dreamt up ever more ruthless ways of thwarting his children’s ambitions.”
Gerard Gilbert, The i

“That word ‘adventures’ might be of interest to the trading standards people. This was like watching an unashamedly embarrassing dad on holiday with a much-loved son whom he lost in a custody battle. They squabbled and bickered and bantered, and I didn’t believe a word of it.”
Roland White, Daily Mail

“The pair are revealed as genuine friends and genuinely charming together. The programme makers, presumably realising they have something a little better than usual, get out of the way and let them just be. Soon, the bond between them is so irresistible that at times it brings you to the brink of tears. Their relationship is partly simple friendship, partly that of two skilled professionals passionate about what they do, who slide into singing and dancing as easily as they do conversation, and partly a sweet father-son dynamic, which is the bit that really lifts it out of the commonplace.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“It’s not hard to see inside the minds of the BBC’s commissioning editors: ITV has enjoyed great success by sending Gordon Ramsay, Gino D’Acampo and Fred Sirieix on their travels. And by featuring two of its stars, this must have seemed like a good way of exploiting the popularity of Strictly. But after 57 minutes of watching the opening episode of Anton and Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily, I felt like I’d already been on holiday for a fortnight with this pair – and not in a good way.”
Gerard Gilbert, The i