The surprising inspiration for the HBO show’s captivating arcs
Emmy season is upon us, and once again, TV’s favorite traitor family is leading the pack. HBO’s successor has captivated critics and viewers alike since its debut in 2018. Its classic themes of loyalty, greed, love and loneliness, while expertly crafted and manipulated in the series, are hardly new.
successor Author Jesse Armstrong points this out to The New Yorker in a lengthy portrait of the series’ inspiration.
Succession gives HBO another drama series to celebrate
successor follows the Roy family, led by a formidable patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox), who built the media conglomerate Waystar Royco. When Logan suffers a massive stroke In Season 1, his four children must work together to run the company. Instead, they tear each other apart.
successor Kendall (Jeremy Strong) believes he is Waystar Royco’s next CEO. But he does not have sole claim to the throne. Kendall’s siblings Conner (Alan Ruck), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) also have plans.
Meanwhile, subtle power plays are being charged by everyone within reach of the prize. These include the Roys’ cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) and Shiv’s husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfayden).
When Logan regains his health and takes his place at the head of the table, the power struggle seems to be over. But the Roy family’s ambitions have only just begun.
Inspiration for HBO’s “Succession”
Speaking to the New Yorker in August 2021, Armstrong explained the inspiration for the award-winning series. That successor The writer first says that the show’s writing team routinely studies all of the financial times. They also read media bios to realistically portray the business details of the series.
But when it comes to the Roys’ treacherous family dealings, Armstrong points to classic literature and history. For Kendall, Armstrong says her main inspiration came from Fyodor Dostoyevsky Crime and Punishment.
The weird and absurdly funny relationship between Tom and Greg in successor stems from Armstrong’s and his team’s study of Roman history, particularly “the relationship between Nero and his freedman Sporus – whom the Emperor ordered to be castrated before undergoing a sham marriage with him”.
Among the fascinating sources for the series, Armstrong also points to what is widely believed to be the oldest fictional story in history: That The Legend of Gilgamesh. The ancient tale is the story of Gilgamesh, a demigod worshiped for his humanity despite his superhuman powers.
“Gilgamesh is celebrated for his human achievements (loving a friend more than himself, protecting his city, learning to accept mortality), not for his divinity,” says the Annenberg Learner. “[The story] promotes the values of a simple life of rest and enjoyment of the pleasures of human company, love, food and drink.”
Armstrong was met with a Roman reaction when another author, Jon Brown, said: “I’m screwed if I have any idea what the Epic of Gilgamesh is, but if it makes you feel like you’ve lost yours.” Emmy deserves a little more, knock yourself out.”
However, the reference is amazingly to the point. It offers incredible insight into the godlike qualities that many of the world’s most powerful people possess (or believe they possess) and the inevitable human struggles they still suffer.
“Succession” and the 2022 Emmys
It’s probably the show’s portrayal of these struggles and the writers’ dedication to the above themes that make HBO’s Succession one of the best TV shows.
The series has amassed an impressive 25 nods. It also broke the record for most acting nominations in one year at 14. Indeed, HBO’s successor appears poised to be the main event at the upcoming 2022 Emmy Awards, with more nominations than any other show — an accolade that would make even the Roy family proud.
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/succession-surprising-inspiration-hbo-show-captivating-arcs.html/ The surprising inspiration for the HBO show’s captivating arcs
