Every week on HBOs Succession , the drama surrounding the Roy family and their media conglomerate, Waystar Royco, often reduces me to fits of laughter. The Roys bumble their way through scandals, doing whatever the exorbitantly rich persons equivalent is to slipping on a banana peel.

Whenever someone who struggled with the shows first season wonders if its worth sticking it out, I always emphasize that the show is hilarious and cleverly self-aware. It mirrors real life while not directly replicating it , finding the perfect middle ground between reality and escapism. Even the most uncomfortable moments and devastating revelations are also wickedly funny, like when the Roy siblings trade lacerating insults in mocking voices, instead of actually talking about their feelings and being real humans because they do not know how.