Are You Not Entertained?
This issue begins with a story about one of our favorite actors, a man who stars in one of our favorite shows. Brian Cox can play just about any part: he’s the cool and calculating villain in the Bourne movies, the world’s most famous cigar smoker in Churchill, the learned uncle in Braveheart and the delightfully outmatched heaster in Rushmore. Now he stars in “Succession,” the acclaimed HBO show about a business in which the family in charge plays for keeps. It returned for its third season on October 17. If you haven’t watched it yet, do it now. You won’t be disappointed.
How one watches a show like “Succession” is far different than ever before, as the entertainment world has been utterly reshaped by the advent of digital streaming. When this magazine was first published back in 1992, first-run movies and top-tier entertainment were the domain of the movie theater. You would only see a new movie on a big screen, and taking the show home (perhaps as a rental from Blockbuster, that?) was for the most part only an option after it made its rounds through the theaters. And original programming for cable and network television back then was largely dismissed as inferior to more serious offerings from Hollywood.
Today, we watch just about everything at home and on the go, whether it’s on our home televisions or our mobile digital devices. Furthermore, the original content being dished out by companies operating outside the Hollywood mainstream is outstanding and everywhere. Thanks to such companies as Netflix, Disney, Apple, Amazon and many more, some of the best entertainment now comes straight to you without your having to ever leave home. And if you think it’s not a big deal, consider this: Netflix, the king of the streaming world, is spending $17 billion on content this year alone. Can anyone challenge them? See Marshall Fine’s superb report, which begins on page 56.
As this issue went to the printer, the Cigar Aficionado editorial team was preparing to welcome thousands of cigar lovers to our first Las Vegas Big Smoke since 2019. If you haven’t been to Vegas in a while, you’ll find it a considerably new place, and we have the inside story on the hottest new property in town, the new and posh Resorts World, with three hotels and a stunning new cigar lounge. Turn to page 76.
There’s far more in this issue, including the story on Land Rover’s new Defender, insights on the forgotten region of Scotch whisky and our latest chapter of My Favorite Cigar, in which we reveal what’s in the humidors of some familiar (and new) faces. And you’ll also read about young PGA star Xander Schauffele, who lit up a victory cigar after Team USA won the Ryder Cup in convincing fashion in September.
We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoy watching “Succession.”
