The screenwriters and producers of “Succession” adhere to strict realism in depicting corporate intrigue, lust for power for its own sake, and the look and feel of life outside. In the bubble of the very rich, an unhappy family is unhappy in its own right, even with self-conscious jargon talk and heavy insults. Its understanding of the politics of high-class capitalists is also noted. Most are not true believers on the right like billionaires Charles Koch and Peter Thiel but are more like Logan or Rupert Murdoch: Sure, they’re on the right, mainly for good financial reasons. personal greed. But for Mr. Murdoch and Logan, creating alarming news and misleading propaganda about issues of little interest to them is a reverse programming business opportunity.
At a reception, when far-right presidential candidate, Jeryd Mencken, told Shiv Roy that he and her father had “ideological sympathies,” she laughed and said, no, “” He was interested in money, winning and gossip. In an early episode, Logan’s grandson Greg says he’s apprehensive about working for ATN because “it’s like going against my principles?” Logan’s executive son-in-law, Tom, doesn’t buy it for a second. “Your principles?” he says. “You have no principles.” None of the main characters do.
Writing realistic fiction about real individuals and events carries two contradictory risks: going overboard, which “Succession” has never done, and getting too noticed. The goal is to approach delicately but never touch harsh reality, in the way that maglev technology allows high-speed trains to magically hover an inch or two above the tracks.
The creator and host, Jesse Armstrong, made some huge choices that were completely different from reality. Our pandemic did not happen in the world of the characters. They hardly ever refer to real public figures or companies. Dates are not mentioned at all. A show about contemporary news and political media that avoids direct mention of race and racism or other cultural awakening or warfare. Major party presidential candidates played by actors 54 and 42 – very unrealistic these days but fine to me. And strangest of all, the words “Republic” and “Democracy” are almost never uttered, perhaps better to accuse the cynicism and corruption of the entire system.
The Roy family does and does not resemble its inspiration. Yes, Logan is an old, tough, legendary Anglophone immigrant who built a media empire, including a television channel providing 24/7 right-wing news and commentary. But he is very much like his own independent creation. For instance, Murdoch didn’t decide to sell his entertainment stake to a Netflixy startup owned by a Loki-like Swede, and most importantly, he didn’t build his business from scratch. ; he inherited it from his knighted father in the 1950s.
