As the fourth and ultimate season of HBO’s Succession approaches, it’s the proper time to take a look at the real-life inspiration behind the collection and its characters. While solely loosely impressed by the Murdoch household and its huge media empire, Succession nonetheless inhabits a world that’s Murdochian to its core, from its New York City setting to its right-wing information community to its familial conflicts and unending succession controversies. As we check out how Waystar Royco compares to News Corp and the way the core Roy relations relate to the Murdochs, we’ll see how surprisingly correct the present could be, even though it’s a satire.
Waystar Royco vs. News Corp
As an organization, Waystar Royco is extra intensive and extra diversified than News Corp, which has at all times been primarily a media firm. Waystar owns theme parks and a cruise line, that are entities that Rupert Murdoch has by no means had a lot curiosity in. Murdoch’s News Corp has dipped its toes into some tech ventures, akin to its disastrous 2005 acquisition of MySpace, however for probably the most half, it controls TV networks, newspapers, web sites, magazines, streaming providers, and a e-book writer. News Corp used to personal the twenty first Century Fox film studio however offered it to Disney in 2019.
Despite these variations, the 2 corporations have a lot in widespread that it’s inconceivable to conclude that News Corp isn’t the largest inspiration for Waystar Royco. Waystar’s conservative information community ATN is clearly primarily based on Fox News, the fictional e-book writer Northstar Publishing is akin to News Corp’s Harper Collins, and the right-wing tabloid New York Globe is modeled after the New York Post. Logan Roy’s obsessive pursuit of Pierce Global Media, a first-rate competitor to Waystar Royco, bears many similarities to Rupert Murdoch’s profitable acquisition of Dow Jones (writer of The Wall Street Journal) in 2007.
Logan Roy vs. Rupert Murdoch
Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and Rupert Murdoch are each patriarchs of highly effective enterprise households who immigrated to America (Roy is from Scotland, Murdoch from Australia). While Roy appears to have come from extra humble beginnings, Murdoch’s father based the media empire that Rupert would inherit and develop right into a behemoth. Both have a number of divorces beneath their belts (Roy has been married thrice, Murdoch 4). Politically, each are outstanding conservatives with ties to the Republican Party. And maybe most significantly, each have a handful of youngsters (Roy has 4, Murdoch six), lots of whom work within the household enterprise.
Perhaps the largest discrepancy between Logan and Rupert is that Logan is brash and loud-mouthed, whereas Rupert by most accounts is extra soft-spoken and unassuming. While Logan appears primarily excited by wielding energy and increasing his enterprise empire, Rupert is extra of a newspaperman who has utilized different enterprise ventures to assist maintain his papers afloat.
Kendall Roy vs. Lachlan Murdoch
Lachlan Murdoch is the eldest son of a media tycoon and is commonly named as a doable successor to his father, very like Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong). Lachlan presently serves in a number of influential positions throughout the Murdoch empire, together with co-chairman of News Corp and CEO of the Fox Corporation. Lachlan has been within the household enterprise since he was 18, though he took a multi-year hiatus earlier than finally returning to the News Corp orbit. This sabbatical from News Corp might have impressed Kendall’s departure from Waystar Royco.
Although Lachlan has by no means waged an aggressive battle towards his personal father as Kendall Roy did in Succession, he’s nonetheless a reasonably apparent inspiration for the Kendall character. Much like Kendall, he’s typically assumed to be the inheritor obvious however has confronted some powerful competitors from his youthful siblings.
Roman Roy vs. James Murdoch
Like Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin), James Murdoch is a youthful sibling with a historical past of rebelliousness and controversy. James was tied up in maybe the largest misstep in Murdoch household historical past: the News International telephone hacking scandal. James was eviscerated by the UK authorities and fellow members of the press for an obvious lack of concern about misconduct occurring at newspapers he was not less than nominally tasked with overseeing. The degree of blame he acquired for the scandal damage his standing because the frontrunner to succeed his father.
While Roman is seen as extra of an outsider on account of his embrace of the unorthodox and anti-establishment (within the present, he embraces a right-wing, MAGA-esque presidential candidate), James is a insurgent on account of his extra centrist or liberal political beliefs (he and his spouse have been outstanding supporters of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential bid). Nonetheless, each Roman and James share the distinguishing trait of being a wild baby whose propensity for revolt might damage their possibilities of in the future reining over their father’s empire.
Shiv Roy vs. Elisabeth Murdoch
Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) and Elisabeth are very totally different individuals, with maybe their solely similarity being that their fathers personal media empires. Elisabeth based the TV manufacturing firm Shine Group, which was chargeable for reveals akin to The Biggest Loser, Lilyhammer, and MasterChef. Shine was bought by News Corp in 2011 for round £415m. Since then, Elisabeth has began a second manufacturing firm referred to as Sister, which produced Chernobyl and has a 9/11 drama within the works starring Succession actor Jeremy Strong.
Shiv’s resume largely revolves round enterprise and politics, with little in the way in which of TV-producing credit. Shiv’s husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew MacFadyen) could also be loosely primarily based on Elisabeth’s first husband, public relations government Matthew Freud (great-grandson of Sigmund). Although Elisabeth was at one time rumored to be a possible successor to her father, she has largely carved out her personal profession path away from News Corp.
Choosing a Successor
At varied closing dates, all three of the Murdoch kids talked about above have been thought-about the best choice to succeed their father. Lachlan, because the eldest, was initially seen as the obvious candidate, very like Kendall. But when Lachlan took a hiatus from News Corp, public notion was that James had stepped in as the brand new frontrunner. Then the telephone hacking scandal critically injured James’ status and credibility. Elisabeth has not been concerned within the day-to-day operations of News Corp, however some have speculated that her success outdoors the household enterprise and lack of involvement in any controversies might make her a safer wager to succeed her father. Today, Lachlan appears finest positioned to fill his father’s sneakers — however as we’ve seen over the previous couple of many years, something can and does occur within the Murdoch household, very like the Roys.
Succession Season 4 premieres Sunday, March 26 on HBO and HBO Max.