LOS ANGELES 鈥� Oscar nominee Jesse Armstrong鈥檚 new 10-part HBO series, Succession, is a fictionalized tale of the lust for power, the ills of politics, the uncertainties of family and the passion for money in a powerful family. It鈥檚 a made-up tale, but Armstrong was heavily influenced by reality as he researched the desire for power, from the political upheavals of the Roman Empire to the media world of William Randolph Hearst.
鈥淚n the writers鈥� room, we talked about everyone from Robert Maxwell, the British press baron, to Hearst. We even talked about the Queen and Charles, who has waited so long for his succession. So there are loads of succession stories to draw on,鈥� Armstrong says.
One of the continuing themes Armstrong discovered as he watched the power plays occur over the centuries was that often when the line of succession appeared to be very distinct, the leader would find a way to delay leaving the throne of power and linger on long after anyone expected 鈥� or wanted.
The hitch in Succession, debuting tonight, comes when media magnate Logan Roy (Brian Cox) 鈥� on his 80th birthday 鈥� throws his family a curve and, instead of stepping down as the head of one of the largest media companies in the world, decides to stay on indefinitely as CEO of Waystar Royco.
This is stunning news for his son, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), who was in line to take over the business. The surprising decision complicates a major deal he鈥檚 been negotiating for the purchase of a digital media venture. The conflict surrounding the decision also affects Roy鈥檚 other children, Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Connor (Alan Ruck). They raise major objections over the decision, including Roy鈥檚 plan of how an eventual successor will be chosen.
All of this plays out in highly dramatic style with a touch of dark comedy that reflects Armstrong鈥檚 writing credits. He earned an Oscar nomination in the Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay category for In the Loop, a political satire about American and British operatives who try to prevent a war. There鈥檚 also the influence of Adam McKay, the man behind projects from Drunk History to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, who is both a producer and director on the series.
鈥淚 think the keynote for the piece was realism,鈥� says Armstrong. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the comedy of real life. Sometimes with very rich people and very successful people, their life is a glossy life, without bumps, without mistakes, without errors, without them tripping up when they come out of the shower, or getting in the wrong car.
鈥淭hose things can happen to super rich people, too. Throughout the show, I think we tried to say what would it really be like if you were one of these the son of one of these very, very wealthy families. So the drama and the comedy comes from the same root, which is the real.鈥�
Succession is primarily about family, even it just happens to be a very dysfunctional one. McKay stresses that having the family run a media empire was important because there is so much change going on in that arena. If the family had made their money with a more stable business, there would be far less drama in the cutthroat business dealings being made.
