\n<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s next in line? Succession<\/em><\/a> may have been inspired by a real-life media empire, but there\u2019s more drama packed into this HBO series than could ever appear on reality TV.<\/p>\n Since it premiered in June 2018, fans have been drawn into the ins and outs of the Roy family as they battle for power at Waystar Royco, a fictional equivalent to Rupert Murdoch<\/strong>\u2018s News Corp. Created by Jesse Armstrong<\/strong>, the series proves that some people will do whatever it takes to gain power<\/a> \u2014 even if it means going against their own family members.<\/p>\n \u201cThey behave badly and they\u2019re tough people,\u201d Armstrong told Collider<\/em><\/a> of his main characters in 2018. \u201cThey\u2019re very much products of their upbringing and their environment. \u2026 I believe that people are products of what they\u2019re brought up amongst. I have that level of compassion for them. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re unredeemable or incapable of putting other people ahead of themselves. They\u2019ve just had a very, very tough schooling in not doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n Renewed for a third season before the coronavirus pandemic put Hollywood on pause<\/a>, Succession<\/em> continued to gain critical acclaim. In July 2020, the show was nominated for 18 Emmy awards<\/a>, including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. Stars Brian Cox<\/strong>, Jeremy Strong<\/strong>, Sarah Snook<\/strong><\/a>, Kieran Culkin<\/strong><\/a>, Nicholas Braun<\/strong> and Matthew Macfadyen<\/strong> each scored nominations of their own in the acting categories.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, man, I felt kind of indescribably happy,\u201d Strong told The Playlist<\/em><\/a> of his first-ever Emmy nod the following month. \u201cI would say that this piece of work, this show, and this character is, to me, the most important piece of work I\u2019ve ever gotten to do, so to be recognized for something that matters so much to me by this community in this age of peak television<\/a> where the bar is so high, it\u2019s a huge honor. And the other actors in this category, many of whose work didn\u2019t get recognized, I\u2019m just floored by the company that I\u2019m in.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the cutthroat family dynamic<\/a> they portray on screen, Cox reassured fans that the cast gets along much better behind the scenes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a very happy family,\u201d Cox said on the Late Late Show<\/em><\/a> in August 2020. \u201cWe really are a community, we gelled from day one. \u2026 We became a family very, very quickly. They\u2019re a great bunch.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2022, the show made Emmy history when it broke the record for most acting nominations<\/a> in a single year, earning a whopping 14 total. The previous record for a drama was held by The West Wing<\/em>, which scored 12 nods in 2002, while the 1977 miniseries Roots<\/em> held the overall record with 23 nominations.<\/p>\n In addition to nods for main cast members Snook, Strong, Culkin, Cox, Braun, Macfadyen and J. Smith-Cameron<\/strong>, the show racked up nominations for guest actors Adrien Brody<\/strong><\/a>, Sanaa Lathan<\/strong><\/a>, James Cromwell<\/strong><\/a>, Hope Davis<\/strong>, Harriet Walter<\/strong>, Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd<\/strong><\/a> and Arian Moayed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI am a huge fan of Succession<\/em> and beyond thrilled to have been included in such an extraordinary show,\u201d the Pianist<\/em> actor said in a July 2022 statement about his nomination<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to share this honor with the brilliant cast and crew of Succession<\/em>, and the fantastic writers who shaped the character, making him so fun to play.\u201d<\/p>\n The fun won\u2019t last forever. Succession<\/em> will end in 2023 with the fourth and final season.<\/p>\n