I agree with everything you said. But also Succession is fantastic.

Both of them compete for my favorite show this year.

If you’ve already watched Succession, I feel confident you’ll be a fan of The Bear. If you’ve already watched The Bear, you really owe it to yourself to give Succession a shot. I know that makes it sound like The Bear is the better show, and maybe it is, but while being similar in many ways, they each have their own “charm”. For example “The Bear” may be happier, but that doesn’t make it a “happy” show.