If you think the Lannisters, of Game Of Thrones infamy, are a terrible bunch, you haven’t met the Roys.

They would be the family that owns one of the world’s largest media and entertainment conglomerates, and the stars of Succession, a show that critics seem to agree is a home run.

Streaming exclusively on Showmax, Succession is currently at number 32 on IMDB’s Most Popular TV chart, and has an 82% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

It has been hailed as everything from “my favourite show of the summer… the only thing I’ve been able to think about” by Vox, to “King Lear for the modern media age” by the Telegraph.

The Guardian, who can be rather tough to please, warned:

The writing is savage, the dialogue sharp and foul-mouthed. Although funny in places, it is also scary, as any drama peopled by monsters ought to be.

Yeah, monsters would be an apt term for the Roys.

Succession tracks the lives of the family, as they contemplate their future once their ageing father (Brian Cox) begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate under his control.

Appropriately for a show about the 1% of the 1%, Succession’s credits boast an embarrassment of riches. Creator Jesse Armstrong was nominated for an Oscar for In The Loop, and a Writers Guild of America award for his work on Veep. He also won a BAFTA for Peep Show and a Writers Guild of Great Britain Award for The Thick Of It, in case you weren’t suitable impressed.

Adam McKay, who directs Succession’s first episode and doubles as executive producer, won the Oscar for The Big Short, and topped the box office with Talladega Nights, with Will Ferrell, who is also an executive producer here.

Slate’s review said “it’s amazing … electric, funny, fun, and occasionally, tragic…  You should be watching it”, but back to the Guardian for a second:

Above all, Succession is reassuring, in that it seems to argue that wealth and power offer no respite from the obligation to live one’s life in mortal fear… The next time you are annoyed by the arrogance of some ageing media mogul, try imagining him in the middle of the night, confused and alone, pissing all over an expensive carpet. I find it helps.

Here’s a little teaser trailer via Showmax:

You can find a longer trailer here, if that piques your interest.

As we mentioned earlier, Succession is streaming exclusively on Showmax. You can start watching now by signing up for a FREE 14-day trial, and DStv users can also add Showmax to their bouquet for free (that’s nada – just sign up).

Otherwise, the month-to-month subscription costs R99, which gets you all-you-can-eat access to a huge online catalogue of TV shows, movies, kids’ shows and documentaries.

No ads, cancel any time you want, and there’s no contract – that’s how telly is supposed to be.