The final season of “Succession” is well under way, and the HBO series about the wealthy Roy family is constantly reaching new viewers all over the world. Series creator Jesse Armstrong claims that the drama is inspired by several different people, but there is little doubt that it is primarily a question of a clear source of inspiration – namely the wealthy media mogul Murdoch family. The Murdoch family is known to be one of the world’s most powerful, and has directly or indirectly influenced several major political decisions in Europe and the USA in recent decades. The series creator has been fascinated by the family for a long time, and already wrote a film script in 2009 with the title “The Murdochs”. The film was never made. Possibly because no manufacturer had the courage to show off their power in that way. Instead, Jesse Armstrong began writing a series with a very similar theme, and in the summer of 2018 the first episode of “Succession” rolled across the TV screens. The series has since won a bunch of awards, and the last season in particular has led several critics to describe him as one of the world’s best. (Don’t worry, there will be no spoilers from season 4 in this matter.) Whether you follow the drama or not, you have probably realized that “Succession” is inspired by the Murdoch dynasty. But how much is actually similar? We have followed the series more closely at the seams, and herewith present seven striking similarities between fiction and reality. Patriarchs FEDRAR: Rupert Murdoch and Logan Roy. Photo: NTB SCANPIX and Craig Blankenhorn The HBO “Successions” series universe revolves around the family’s center and head, Logan Roy (Brian Cox). Rolla has several similarities with the godfather of the Murdoch dynasty, Rupert Murdoch. Both are elderly men with frail health, both have built themselves up from small fortunes to become two of the most powerful media barons in the world, both support the political right in the USA, and not least: neither of them has identified a clear heir to continue to manage the family business. Mediehusa NEWS: Much of the action in “Succession” revolves around the family-owned TV channel ATN. Photo: HBO Logan Roy and Rupert Murdoch each own powerful media empires. The former owns the Waystar Royco group, which, among other things, consists of several large national newspapers in Europe and the USA, in addition to the American TV channel ATN. ATN has several similarities with Rubert Murdoch’s Fox News, which has been part of the family’s global conglomerate: News Corp. The heirs The similarity between the Roy and Murdoch families becomes truly striking when we look at the heirs of the two patriarchs. Rupert Murdoch has two more children than Logan Roy, but otherwise it is very similar. Let’s start with the two oldest. OLDEST OF THE PACK: Prudence Murdoch MacLeod and Connor Roy. Photo: NTB Scanpix and Macall B. Polay / HBO Connor is Logan Roy’s eldest child from his first marriage. In the series, the son has no interest in business, and is completely disconnected from the power struggle between the other three children. Rupert Murdoch also has a child from his first marriage, daughter Prudence. Like Connor, she has largely stayed away from her father’s business empire, and is not directly involved in the running of the group. Both have enough salt in the gruel anyway. In the series, Connor finances his own presidential campaign. According to the Financial Review in 2019, Prudence has a fortune of over 3 billion dollars. FAVORITES TO TAKE THE THRONE: Lachlan Murdoch and Kendall Roy. Photo: NTB SCANPIX AND Macall B. Polay / HBO Kendall is Logan Roy’s eldest son from his second marriage. At the start of the series, he works as organizational director in his father’s group, and is seen by many as the heir to the dynasty. When her father becomes seriously ill, Kendall tries to seize power. But the bold plan goes awry when the father comes to the fore again, and Kendall gradually has to leave the family business. Lachlan is Rupert Murdoch’s eldest son from his second marriage. He was also seen as an heir, and had a leading position on News Corp’s board when he suddenly resigned from his position in 2005. The reason for his departure is said to have been disagreements with other board members regarding the future of several of the family’s TV channels, where his father chose not to support the son’s wishes. Lachlan returned to the family business nine years later. Whether Kendall Roy follows the same fate is still unknown. THE AWESOME DAUGHTERS: Elisabeth Murdoch and Siobhan Roy. Photo: NTB SCANPIX and David Russell / HBO Logan Roy’s only daughter is called Siobhan, but is usually just called “Shiv”. At the start of the series, she works as a political adviser to an American senator, and is thus not part of the group’s operations. When her father tempts her to be his heir in the family business (something that turns out to be an empty promise), she is, on the other hand, involved in the business. Before she gradually disappears back out. Of the siblings, she stands out as the most independent, and the one with the most order in sewing matters. Elisabeth Murdoch is Rupert’s daughter from his second marriage. She has proven to be a very capable business woman, and like “Shiv” has been in and out of her father’s group. When she has not been under her father’s wings, she has, among other things, started the production companies “Shine” and “Sister”, which have produced series such as “The Biggest Loser”, “MasterChef” and “Chernobyl”. REBELLANE: James Murdoch and Roman Roy. Photo: NTB SCANPIX and Graeme Hunter / HBO Roman is Logan Roy’s youngest son and the rebel in the family. In the series, we learn that he has worked in his father’s production company, which makes high-budget films for the large masses of people. James Murdoch is Rupert’s youngest son, and also has a past in the family’s production company, as managing director of 21st Century Fox. Like Roman, he was known in his youth as the black sheep in the family. Both James and Roman have been deeply involved in some of the biggest scandals of the family company. You can read more about this in part 6, “Scandals”. Competitors THE MATRIARCH: Nan Pierce (on the right) is essentially one of the Roy family’s biggest competitors. Photo: HBO / Peter Kramer In “Succession” we also meet the Pierce family, who own the rival media group PGM. Pierce stood out from the Roy family in several ways. While Roy is relatively new rich, Pierce comes from old money. They turn towards the political left, while Roy bets heavily on the right. In the real world, it is easy to draw parallels to the Sulzberger family, who have owned and run the New York Times newspaper since the 19th century. The newspaper has been a clear competitor and counterpoint to Murdoch-owned Fox News, something that has been clear in the recent American election campaigns. There are also similarities between Pierce and the Bancroft family. They owned the Wall Street Journal newspaper over several generations before Murdoch bought it in 2007. Political influence FRIENDS WITH POWER: Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump. Photo: Carlo Allegri / Reuters / NTB Scanpix Although we never get to see or know the name of the president in “Succession”, we suspect that there is a close connection between Logan Roy and the US commander-in-chief. They talk on the phone, and Logan claims that his TV channel helped get him elected as president. In season 3, there is a bad atmosphere between them, and Logan gets his channel to attack the president with critical news. In Great Britain, the Murdoch newspaper The Sun has been a very important factor in the British election campaign. If we look away from David Cameron’s victory in 2010, the newspaper’s favorite to become the new prime minister has won the election every time since the 1970s. In 1992, the leader of the British Labor Party, Neil Kinnock, was the favorite to win the election, but The Sun wanted it differently. On election day, the front page headline read: “If Kinnock wins today, can the last person to leave Britain be kind and turn off the lights?” Kinnock lost the election, defying all forecasts and opinion polls. The following morning, The Sun took credit for the election result with this bold headline: “It’s The Sun Wot Won It”. A HAPPY BOY: The Sun also supported Tony Blair in the election campaign to become Prime Minister of Great Britain. Appropriately, Blair is also godfather to Rupert Murdoch’s second youngest daughter, Grace. Photo: ANDY STYCZYNSKI/SUN / AP / NTB Scanpix In the USA, it is a well-known fact that Murdoch and Donald Trump have had direct contact by telephone throughout the presidency, and that Fox News has been given its own access to the president compared to all other media houses. These days the relationship between Trump and Fox News gets a lot of publicity; Murdoch is involved in a court case which may turn out to be one of the biggest scandals in the family’s history. Scandals DEMONSTRATION: Fox News is for many a controversial TV channel, and has been in trouble several times. Photo: DREW ANGERER / AFP / NTB SCANPIX Neither the Roy nor the Murdoch family have been strangers to stepping over corpses to achieve astronomical success. Towards the end of “Succession’s” first season, Roman is given responsibility for a rocket launch of one of the TV company’s satellites in Japan. He is trying to get the launch ready for his sister’s wedding, and thus does not take all safety routines seriously. The rocket ends up exploding on the launch pad. In season 2, Logan and eldest son Kendall must appear in court after Waystar’s cruise ship company has been blamed for hiding a report reporting sexual harassment, assault and possible murder. COURT: Both the Roy and Murdoch families have first-hand knowledge of courtrooms. Photo: HBO / DAVID MOIR / REUTERS The scene from the trial is reminiscent of when Rupert and youngest son James had to appear in court in 2011. Then the Murdoch-owned British tabloid News of the World had been blamed for hacking several phones. Celebrities, politicians and members of the royal family were among those who had been hacked. The whole thing even with the newspaper being shut down, and James having to resign as managing chairman of Murdoch’s British newspapers. In March 2021, Fox News was sued by Dominion Voting Systems for 1.6 billion dollars. The television company is to blame for spreading false claims that Dominion’s voting machines had been tampered with during the last US presidential election. Several reports have emerged that prove that Rupert Murdoch and several journalists at Fox News knew that the debts were false, but that they still continued to spread them, for fear of losing viewers. The allegations that the votes had been manipulated helped to build up under Donald Trump’s narrative that the election had been rigged, which in turn led to the storming of the US Congress building, on January 6, 2021. The trial against Fox News begins on April 17, 2023 in the state Delaware, and lasts for five weeks. To sell or not to sell? FUTURE: Siobhan, Roman and Kendall Roy discuss something important. Photo: HBO Well into the last season of “Succession”, the future of Waystar and the Roy family is still very uncertain. Will the company be sold, and if not, which of the youngsters will then take over the management? Rupert Murdoch sold most of 21st Century Fox to Disney for 71.3 billion dollars in 2017. Thus, only a small part of the family dynasty remains, including Fox News, which is called Murdoch’s heart child. According to Vanity Fair magazine, the mood in the Murdoch family is tense. Brothers James and Lachlan are not on speaking terms, and James will be very critical of the operation of the company and Fox News in particular. Today, only eldest son Lachlan is left with his father in the family business, but all four eldest children have equal voting rights on the board. When 92-year-old Rupert Murdoch one day dies, the world will watch with excitement. Hi! Do you have any thoughts on this case, or tips for other stories we should look at? Send me an email! You can find the rest of news Kultur’s long readings here. Recommended further listening:
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7 similarities between the Murdoch family and the Roy family in Succession – Culture
