*Warning: Contains spoilers for Succession and Peep Show.*
Succession, one of the greatest TV dramas of recent years, ended on Monday (May 29) with a startling final episode that rivalled any blockbuster finale.
The Roy family, father and patriarch Logan (Brian Cox), and his four children, Kendall, Siobhan, Roman, and Connor, were the subjects of the show.
Kendall (Jeremy Strong) felt he’d finally grasped the opportunity to head his father’s firm, Waystar Royco, only for his bid to fail at the last minute.
It was an exciting end to the American satirical drama-comedy series, which has been led since its inception by its creator, British TV writer Jesse Armstrong.
Armstrong, 52, was best known in the UK for his role on the classic sitcom Peep Show starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
And sharp-eyed Peep programme viewers observed that Succession featured repeated allusions to Armstrong’s debut programme. Did you catch them all?
Stefan Strauss
Stefan Strauss first appears on Peep Show in season six, when JLB Credit, the firm Mark works for, is experiencing significant financial troubles.
Strauss, who oversees JLB’s office in Frankfurt, Germany, arrives to close the Croydon branch and promises Mark a cut of the earnings.
In Season 2 of Succession, a figure with a very recognisable name appears during a Waystar boardroom meeting – yes, Stefan Strauss.
Both Stefans are two separate persons who aren’t intended to be the same person, but a well-placed throwback to JLB was too much for Peep Show specialists to ignore.
Techno Gandhi / Techno Gatsby
If you listen attentively to a lone said by Kendall Roy during season two of Succession, you’ll hear that draws a lot of inspiration from Peep Show’s Jeremy.
During a party at Greg’s apartment, Ken is asked how he’s doing and responds in typically witty fashion: ‘I’m looking for p***y, like a f*****g Techno Gatsby.’
This is a reference to Jeremy’s portrayal of himself as a ‘Techno Gandhi’ when he lets his little pal Ben to enjoy a bite of a poppadum ‘with a touch of chutney’.
Jaws the Shark
We never imagined talking about Jeremy Usbourne from Peep Show and Greg Hirsch from Succession in the same sentence, but here we are.
As it turns out, they both believe that the shark in Steven Spielberg’s legendary 1975 film Jaws is actually named… Jaws.
In the season six finale of Peep Show, Mark and Jeremy awaken on the morning of Elena’s wedding. Jeremy consumes whisky to help him cope with the anguish of getting over her.
He insists on staying on the sofa, drinking heavily, and watching Spielberg’s renowned thriller ‘until they capture Jaws the shark’.
When Mark questions Jeremy about the shark’s name, Jeremy responds, ‘Of course he’s called Jaws. Jaws is about to attack. The Shark Jaws. Make sure he doesn’t devour you with his massive Jaws.’
Greg compares working for Logan Roy’s ATN as ‘like Jaws, if everyone in Jaws worked for Jaws’ earlier in season four of Succession.
‘Seat-sniffer‘
Logan refers to his ex-wife’s new spouse as ‘the seat-sniffer’ in season three, a disparaging term meant to make Caroline’s husband sound like a monster.
But, way, way, way back on Peep Show, ‘seat-sniffer’ was Mark’s harsh nickname for Jeff Heaney, Mark’s major love rival in his attempts to romance Olivia Colman’s Sophie.
Angus Wright
Fans of Peep Show will remember Angus Wright’s face fondly. Angus appears late in the series, in the ninth and final season, and plays, well, Angus.
Angus is April’s boyfriend, a woman Mark had one night with in season two before running into her again several years later.
When Mark tries to date her, he discovers she’s already seeing Angus, a history professor. As Jeremy and Super Hans attempt to capture Angus, Peep Show antics ensue.
April and Angus continue their romance despite Mark and Jeremy’s intervention, and the programme concludes on that note.
Angus (the actor) wasn’t finished with Jesse Armstrong yet. Angus appears as Phillipe Layton in Succession’s season two conclusion, This Is Not for Tears.
Layton is one of Waystar Royco’s largest stockholders, and he advises Logan to take the blame for Waystar’s various corporate wrongdoing, which Logan refuses.
Peter Munion and Peter Mannion
This isn’t a Peep Show reference, but it is a scene from Succession that Jesse Armstrong used to pay homage to another British sitcom.
Armstrong co-created the first three seasons of political comedy The Thick of It with Armando Iannucci between 2005 and 2009.
One of the show’s primary characters is Peter Mannion, a cabinet minister for The Opposition who works in the halls of Westminster and other government offices.
When Peter Munion, the Roy brothers’ new stepfather, came, The Thick of It viewers would have done the Leonardo DiCaprio point at their TV screens.
Watch Succession on Sky. Watch Peep Show on Netflix.
Source My Celebrity Life.