If you’ve spent any time on a sofa in the last twenty years, you’ve probably noticed that HBO has a "vibe." It’s that specific, high-gloss, slightly depressing but utterly addictive feeling. You finish an episode and feel like you need a shower and a five-year plan at the same time. People love to group Euphoria, Succession, and Entourage together because they all showcase the "Top 1%" of something—whether that's wealth, fame, or just sheer, unadulterated drama.
But honestly? Comparing them is kind of like comparing a sparkling water, a stiff scotch, and a neon-colored energy drink laced with something illegal.
They all share the same DNA. They all exist in that "prestige" bubble where the lighting is perfect and the moral compasses are broken. Yet, the way they actually function—and what they say about us—is wildly different. Most people think these shows are just about "rich or famous people doing bad things." That's a lazy take. To really get why these three define the HBO blueprint, you have to look at the messy, sweaty reality beneath the polished cinematography.
The Succession and Entourage Paradox: Wealth vs. Worth
There’s a popular theory floating around Reddit and film school bars that Succession is basically just Entourage for people who read the Financial Times. It sounds right on the surface. You have a tight-knit group of people navigating a world most of us can't afford, dealing with high-stakes deals and ego-driven meltdowns.
But the "vibe" is polar opposite.
In Entourage, fame is a playground. Vincent Chase and his buddies are living the ultimate male fantasy of the early 2000s. Success is easy. It’s a "victory lap" show where the biggest problem is usually whether a movie gets a green light or if Ari Gold has a heart attack. It’s escapism at its most pure—and, let’s be real, its most shallow.
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Then you have Succession.
Logan Roy’s world is a prison built of gold bars. Where Vince Chase wanted to bring his friends along for the ride, Kendall, Shiv, and Roman are trying to claw each other's eyes out just to get a seat at a table they already own. Money in Succession isn't for buying jet skis; it’s a weapon used to inflict psychological trauma. While Entourage was about the joy of making it, Succession is about the absolute misery of having it all and realizing it didn't fix your soul.
Why Euphoria Succession Entourage is the Secret HBO "Trifecta"
If you look at the timeline, these shows represent a massive shift in how we view the "American Dream."
- Entourage (The 2000s): "If I work hard and stay loyal, I can be a movie star and hang with my bros."
- Succession (The 2010s/2020s): "The systems are rigged, my dad hates me, and capitalism is a death spiral, but at least the suits are Piana."
- Euphoria (The Gen Z Pivot): "The world is ending, everything is hyper-visual, and I’m just trying to feel something—anything—through the haze."
Euphoria takes the visual decadence of its predecessors and applies it to the smallest, most intimate stage: the high school hallway. It’s arguably more "prestige" than the others because of its sheer technical audacity. Remember that carnival tracking shot in Season 1? It’s a two-minute, one-take masterpiece that follows almost every main character through a maze of booths and rides. It’s the kind of flex HBO usually saves for a battle in Game of Thrones, but here, it’s used to show a teenager having a panic attack near a Ferris wheel.
The "Prestige" Problem: Is it Reality or Just Really Good Lighting?
One of the biggest gripes people have with Euphoria is that it doesn't look like any high school on Earth. No one is wearing a stained hoodie from a 5k run in 2018. Instead, they’re decked out in Maddy Perez’s $900 I.AM.GIA sets and enough body glitter to be seen from orbit.
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This is where the connection to Succession and Entourage becomes undeniable.
All three shows use "aesthetic armor." In Entourage, it was the chrome of the SUVs and the mid-century modern mansions. In Succession, it was "quiet luxury"—the $500 baseball caps with no logos that screamed I am too rich to care about brands. In Euphoria, the armor is makeup and fashion. Costume designer Heidi Bivens didn't just dress the characters; she created a visual language where a wing of eyeliner is basically a suit of armor.
Critics like Samuel Getachew have argued that this glamorization is dangerous. They say Euphoria functions as a "road map" for self-destruction rather than a warning. It’s a fair point. When you make addiction look like a neon-lit A24 movie, the "cautionary tale" part can get lost in the sauce. But that’s the HBO gamble. They bet that you’re smart enough to see the rot beneath the glitter.
Breaking Down the Character Archetypes
If you sat Kendall Roy, Rue Bennett, and Ari Gold in a room together, they’d probably just stare at their phones in silence, but their roles in their respective stories are weirdly similar.
- The Reluctant Protagonist: Rue (Euphoria) and Kendall (Succession). Both are addicts—Rue to substances, Kendall to his father’s approval. They are both stuck in a loop of "recovery and relapse," trying to find a version of themselves that isn't defined by their craving.
- The Chaos Agent: Maddy Perez and Roman Roy. They use cruelty and wit as a shield. They are the most quotable, the most meme-able, and often the most deeply wounded.
- The Enabler: Eric Murphy (Entourage) and Tom Wambsgans (Succession). The guys who just want to be "in the room" and will tolerate a staggering amount of abuse to stay there.
The Industry Connection: The 2026 Perspective
In 2026, we’re seeing the "child" of these three shows in the series Industry. It’s been called "Succession meets Euphoria," and that’s not just marketing fluff. It takes the corporate brutality of the Roys and mixes it with the "Gen Z chaos" of Rue’s world.
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It’s about young people in high-finance London who are using sex and drugs to cope with the fact that they are expendable cogs in a machine. It proves that the euphoria succession entourage formula isn't dead; it's just evolving. We no longer want the pure escapism of Entourage. We want to see the struggle. We want to see characters who have the world at their feet but still can't find a reason to stand up.
Actionable Insights: How to Watch Like a Pro
If you're planning a rewatch or diving in for the first time, don't just let the pretty pictures wash over you. There’s a strategy to getting the most out of these "prestige" benders.
- Watch for the "Negative Space": In Succession, the most important things are often what isn't said. Look at the body language during the board meetings. It tells a different story than the dialogue.
- Track the Fashion Shifts: Notice how Jules’s style in Euphoria moves from "Sailor Moon" pastels to darker, more utilitarian looks as her trauma deepens. Fashion isn't just a vibe; it's the plot.
- Compare the Mentors: Look at how Ari Gold (Entourage), Logan Roy (Succession), and Ali (Euphoria) attempt to guide the younger generation. One uses money, one uses fear, and one uses brutal honesty.
The era of "Gold Age TV" might be shifting, but the fascination with how the "other half" lives—whether that's the 1% of wealth or the 1% of emotional intensity—isn't going anywhere. These shows are mirrors. They’re just mirrors with really, really expensive frames.
To truly understand the evolution of these themes, your next step should be to watch the Season 2 bottle episodes of each—specifically the "Intervention" episode of Euphoria and "Connor's Wedding" in Succession—to see how these shows handle a "peak" crisis moment without the usual distractions of their flashy settings.