SUCCESSION

Jack Murphy sees society’s morals faltering in a family feud.

- JACK MURPHY

Succession is a darkly comic TV show about dying media mogul Logan Roy and his family as they progress towards the end of his time as CEO of the conglomerate Waystar-Royco. As the name suggests, the show follows the drama of Logan choosing his successor. We see the terms of engagement, the personalities involved, and the endless power plays. We also see the inner workings of a media company as it weathers scandals, makes deals with competitors, and endlessly restructures. Other than the patriarch, other Roys include: Connor, the eldest son; Kendall, with a history of substance abuse; Roman (played by Macaulay Culkin’s brother Kieran), with lightning fast wit and an aversion to serious commitment; and finally, the only daughter, Siobhan or ‘Shiv’, who demonstrates the least heart and who attempts to forge her own career as a political consultant.

The children have their own plotlines: Kendall’s is about deciding whether to overthrow his Dad from inside or outside the company; Roman actually testing his grit through working in Waystar-Royco; and Shiv considering a path which puts her in political opposition to her father’s work. Of the other plotlines, the naturalisation of outsiders Greg (the cousin) and Tom (Shiv’s fiancé) is particularly thrilling, as both progress in their own moral degradation yet remain miles away from true inclusion in the family.

Morality vs Ethics

To consider the moral issues presented by