It is normal to think that reality is stranger than fiction and, in the case of succession, that idea is not altered. Although the series has caught the attention of millions of people, its dynamics, marked by personal tensions, can be found beyond the fictional story. There are even a handful of families that gave rise to this production of HBO.
Reviewing: succession It premiered in 2018 as a series that revolved around an axis: the Roy Family and the business empire it manages. From that first season to the last, which concluded on Sunday, May 28, 2023, each installment has been growing steadily. What produced this? A kind of modern classic, a proposal that is being praised by critics and that, perhaps, with the passage of time, will position itself as a benchmark for television.
Jesse Armstrong he managed to compose a kind of portrait of a part of the world economic elite. Meanwhile, HBO has been adding awards season after season and each installment contributed to continue this construction, inspired by some recognized families. Which is it? We see it below.
The families that inspired succession
Although it may seem that everything that happens in succession It takes place in a small room, the important thing in this series is not so much its context, but the tensions that are generated between the members of the Roy Family. With their actions, values and anti-values, they mobilize and give rhythm to the series. According to a work by BBC Worldseveral of these personalities are inspired by the following families.
The Murdoch Family
It is one of the most obvious and common references, both in followers and critics. The main parallel can be found between Logan Roy, played by Brian Coxand rupert murdochmain referent of the empire newscorp, in which different media are found. It is public that, for years, Murdoch has been trying to find among his children an heir capable of bringing to fruition the immense business ship that belongs to the family.
The Hearst Family
That last name manages companies such as the following: San Francisco ChronicleMagazine esquire and the chains ESPN and A+Ecompanies that it shares with Disney. It is estimated that his fortune, according to data from Forbesis estimated at 21 billion dollars. According to the cited media, “the Hearst dynasty began in 1887, when William Randolph Hearst received the newspaper from his father The San Francisco Daily Examiner and built it into an empire with more than 20 million readers, through the purchase of other publications under the Hearst Corporation brand.
The Mercer Family
Through its different characters, both main and secondary, succession He has thrown different references to the most important economic elite in the world. A kind of essay on families that, when paying a bill, don’t have a major problem. The Mercer Family is another one that is represented in this series. Part of his fortune was amassed by robert mercera billionaire who started making money from investing in the stock market.
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The Sulzberger Family
In 2019, a year after it was released succession, Vanity Fair indicated that this family was one of those who had inspired the series. Who are they? The Sulzbergers are the owners of the newspaper The New York Times. The parallels between this family and the series are established both by wealth and by the editorial controversies that both have gone through.