Succession, an award-winning HBO show which first debuted in 2018, has caused much speculation regarding whether its characters are based on real media tycoon families. It follows Logan Roy and his family as they struggle to control his media empire Waystar Royco.
Jesse Armstrong has drawn inspiration for her show from several billionaire families, which have provided some key figures of its characters. Here is a glimpse at some of these families that helped shape some of its primary figures.
Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire media mogul behind News Corp (which owns The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers) is one of the world’s most powerful media owners. Murdoch made his entrance into American journalism by purchasing and turning San Antonio newspaper into sensationalist tabloid that soon dominated afternoon market in that city. By 1980 he had expanded into book publishing through Harper & Row and Collins (later to be combined into HarperCollins).
Murdoch’s British media empire has contributed significantly to a rise of right-wing populism both in Europe and America. Through his outlets, Murdoch has elevated marginal demagogues while mainstreaming ethnonationalism. Furthermore, they have politicized notions of truth itself.
Biographies and critics alike have noted Murdoch’s predilection towards profit as his driving motivation; therefore, his political affiliations and inclinations move in tandem with NewsCorp’s bottom line, giving him great influence over public opinion and helping him obtain government favors such as relaxing national regulations that limit his media empire (Arsenault & Castells 2008).
The Sulzbergers
Jesse Armstrong stated that Succession’s characters do not follow any particular family but draw inspiration from them, with Rupert Murdoch’s three sons (James, Lachlan and Elisabeth) often fighting over control of his media empire as an analogy for Logan Roy (Brian Cox).
As with the Sulzbergers, the Murdoch family are prominent members of the Jewish community who have an impressive record of charitable works and involvement with social issues. Additionally, they’re widely respected for their business acumen and relentless drive for success.
Succession’s fourth season saw ATN executive Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfayden) making an unethical decision when he called Wisconsin for Jeryd Mencken; similar decisions by Fox News to call Arizona for Joe Biden have caused strong public outrage and both networks eventually changed their decision after facing outrage from critics.
Disney
Succession creator Jesse Armstrong wanted to depict “a variety of compelling tales about high business and media dynasties”.
Rupert Murdoch also experienced many health scares similar to Logan Roy during his time as CEO, according to Vanity Fair. These included hemorrhagic stroke, multiple hospitalizations, broken back surgery, seizures, two bouts of pneumonia, atrial fibrillation and prostate cancer that would recur over time.
Kendall, Roman, Shiv and Connor of the Roy family share similarities with Murdochs’ six older children despite receiving an elite upbringing – each character is driven by greed, lust and pride; similarly, Pierce family are another powerful media dynasty which shares similarities with Roys.
GoJo
Fans know Gojo to be one of the most powerful sorcerers in the series, yet we rarely see him or any of his family members. Although there’s considerable potential in his clan, unfortunately their strengths weren’t highlighted properly within the narrative.
Clan Ancestor A was blessed with both the Limitless Cursed Technique and Six Eyes abilities – rare gifts he used to balance out the world. For this reason he is often considered among the most powerful sorcerers ever.
Gojo stands out with his unique way of tying bandages around his eyes, similar to how Black individuals would wear durags; it forms part of his identity while simultaneously showing his open-mindedness.
