Meet the real-life mogul clans who put the Succession stars in the shade
As HBO’s acclaimed satire Succession begins its fourth and final season this week, fans will be asking: “How will it all end?” The story of the machiavellian media mogul Logan Roy, played so menacingly by Brian Cox, and his power-hungry children has been must-see viewing for anyone interested in the machinations of high-profile billionaires and their damaged families.
Said to be inspired by the dramas of media dynasties such as the Murdochs and the Redstones, Succession has been justly lionised for its biting wit and savage characterisations. But what has been more overlooked is that the show’s creators, led by Briton Jesse Armstrong, have envisioned a credible world of superrich movers and shakers by scaling down the action from the operatic behaviour of real-world counterparts.
In satire the usual rule is to exaggerate reality, but the narrative lines of the Murdochs and Redstone families over the years have meant dramatic amplification was not really a viable option.
In Logan Roy is a King Lear-like figure who sets his offspring against one another for the prize of taking
