Though Succession creator Jesse Armstrong maintains that the Roy family in Succession does not mirror any particular family, there are obvious parallels between its fictional characters and real-life power players such as Rupert Murdoch and his descendants and those seen on Succession.
Rupert Murdoch sold 21st Century Fox to Disney for $52.4 billion in 2019. There are other connections as well, though. Logan attempted to sell Waystar Royco to Gojo much like Rupert did with 21st Century Fox. But this parallelism does not stop there – there are other similarities as well!
Lachlan Roy
Succession’s Logan Roy may be fictional, but that doesn’t mean real-world events don’t influence the HBO show. Life imitates art; here, family feuds depicted on television are reflective of those happening behind closed doors.
Logan Roy and his children Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Connor (Alan Ruck) engage in a series of bitter power struggles throughout the season, fighting to secure his approval while employing cutthroat tactics to take down each other.
Succession creator Jesse Armstrong claims he did not model the fictional Roy children after any specific family; rather, he conducted extensive research into various media families before taking elements from real-life Roys into consideration when creating the characters for Succession.
James Roy
Succession creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong recently discussed what inspired the fictional Roy family. He mentioned there being numerous succession stories he wanted to draw inspiration from; one being that of the real Murdochs.
Waystar Royco, the fictional media conglomerate in The Blacklist, shares many similarities with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. It features conservative-leaning ATN network as well as several tabloids; moreover, Waystar Royco has had its share of scandals (such as an illegal hacking incident where both Rupert and James appeared before a parliamentary committee to testify) which made its presence known on-screen.
As his fictional counterpart Logan Roy, James is an international media mogul helming a massive conglomerate. His four children – Kendall, Roman, Shiv and Connor – all vie for control of his business empire. Additionally, James made headlines due to his hip-hop fanaticism and founding of Rawkus Records with some college friends; later named CEO of 21st Century Fox before they sold off most of its assets to Disney; yet instead founded his own private investment firm instead.
Kendall Roy
Succession creator Jesse Armstrong has made clear that Succession does not represent real-life dysfunctional billionaire families accurately; nonetheless, there are striking parallels between some members of the Roy family and some real counterparts portrayed on Succession. Kendall Roy played by Jeremy Strong is one of Succession’s most compelling examples of toxic family traits – expertly balancing traditional masculine qualities such as ambition and assertiveness with vulnerability and emotional fragility.
At the start of Season 1, Logan invites his children for a family therapy session that mirrors those held by Rupert Murdoch after the News of the World phone hacking scandal had shaken his empire.
Kendall stands out as an aggressive competitor for his father’s love and approval in the show, competing fiercely to earn it. He epitomizes prolonged exposure to micro-trauma, often succumbing to addiction and other forms of destructive behavior – qualities which combined with his hereditary toxicities make him the ideal candidate as the successor heir of Waystar Royco fortune.
Roman Roy
Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) is an insufferably arrogant brat who can’t take himself or others seriously. Logan Roy has raised three sons; Roman is third son and has quick wit and business acumen that puts him at odds with Kendall Roy, his older sister.
Roman could easily be read as an allegory for what’s happening to rich white guys today; however, that would be inaccurate; rather he is the embodiment of Succession’s story itself.
At times it can be challenging to relate to the Roys, but there are moments that make them relatable. Their hilarious bickering and then vicious backstabbing in their game for power make for captivating television; their lack of empathy or self-reflection gives them their edge; ultimately there can only be one victor — everyone loses.