After three seasons that have helped it become one of the great television phenomena of recent years and a new flagship series for HBO, rivaling even ‘Game of Thrones’ itself, ‘Succession’ continues to unleash passions after the premiere of its fourth and final batch of episodeswhich started on March 27.
The return of the Roys to the small screen, in addition to making a fandom that continues to praise the production of Jesse Armstrong fall in love again, has once again reignited one of the most widespread debates about the production: the true source of inspiration that served as a breeding ground to shape the leading family.
concoction of strains
The list of wealthy lineages that have been considered is practically endless, and includes sagas such as that of the Maxwells, the Hearsts, the Sulzbergs and, above all, some Murdochs who have always been seen as the real equivalent to the Logan Roy clan. However, in 2018, Armstrong ruled out that Rupert’s troupe was the only muse of ‘Succession’.
The showrunner, who wrote an unproduced script about the Murdochs, He branded the idea of the single referent as reductionist during a conversation with The Guardian:
“It’s not bullshit to say that it’s not based on the Murdochs. It could be a small-town vision; since it’s a media family, it must be the Murdochs.”
Rather than limit himself to one, Armstrong embraced multiple lineages of magnates to fashion his cathode magnum opus, beginning with the Sinclairs; a family related to the Trumpist alt-right which, according to the scriptwriter “you are buying most of the local television networks from which most Americans get their news”.
Another essential piece to design their characters is found in the already deceased Summer Redstone, who came to control the CBS and Viacom networkswho, among other things, was known for his many much younger ex-girlfriends and who, according to what was said, ended his days in a Los Angeles mansion communicating through an iPad on which he played recordings of his voice saying “Yes”, “No” and “Fuck you”.
For Armstrong, “The Redstone stuff can be tragic or good, depending on whether you’re a human being or a screenwriter.”but took on a new dimension when combined with the story of the Roberts, owners of Comcast and who fought a tough battle with Rupert Murdoch to gain control of Sky TV. There is no doubt that the United States is not short of real counterparts to the Roys, and Armstrong was clear from the beginning, as was the need to imbue your creation with a sense of humor.
“We had a lot of places to steal from in terms of political dynasties and dysfunctional families. If you leave out the comedic element, the mean and bad decisions, the bullshit corporate structures and put-downs, then you’re doing PR for them. Comedy it’s got to be a part of the way you portray those people. If you’re interested in how fucked up the American political climate is, you don’t have to be a super-sleuth to realize that the media has been instrumental in creating it.” .
Curiously, from the start of ‘Succession’ to its final stretch, the administration of the White House has changed hands, but the climate to which Armstrong refers continues to be very similar. One more point in favor for you the HBO production maintains its validity beyond what is strictly television.
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