Succession Is King Lear for Our Era of Ravenous Corporate Media
Succession, the HBO drama about a Rupert Murdoch–esque billionaire and his dysfunctional family, is ending this weekend. Executive producer Frank Rich discusses the show’s critique of corporate media and what’s made the series so compelling.
Brian Cox as Logan Roy in Succession. (Max, 2023)
HBO’s award-winning drama Succession — simultaneously a family drama, a biting satire of the ultrarich, and a realistic depiction of corporate media — will air its season finale tonight. Last week, Jacobin editor at large David Sirota sat down with Frank Rich, the New York magazine and former New York Times columnist who has served as an executive producer for the show since season one. The two discussed the making of Succession and various themes the show has explored, from the critique of legacy media to the frailty of American democracy. This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
David Sirota
I want to ask a question about what the meaning of the show is, in the sense that it’s a show about a media company, and the succession of the kids, and a media mogul. Is this show about the wealthy? Is it about the media industry? Is it about me? What do you think this show centrally is about, beyond it just being a show about a rich family?
Frank Rich
I would answer the question sort of in reverse. You start with characters in a story. We start with a family — forget about what profession they’re in, or even their economic bracket — a family where there’s a father who doesn’t want to let go, who is a lousy father, who plays his kids off each other to succeed him in the business, and also for his love as a father — who he loves most, if at all.
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