IN SEASON one of HBO’s family drama Succession, viewers were introduced to the Roy family patriarch, Logan (played by Brian Cox), who was trying to determine his successor to take over his global media empire, Waystar Royco.
However, it soon became obvious he was not going to make things easy for his heirs, especially his four children. When Logan fell into a coma after a stroke, the knives came out as his heirs try to establish their position.
Created by Jesse Armstrong (In the Loop), season one of Succession has won the 2019 Bafta International Award, as well as being nominated for five Primetime Emmy awards, including outstanding drama series, for this year’s awards ceremony on Sept 22.
The second season of the series premieres this Aug 12. It will deal with the aftermath of the first season’s cliffhanger, as well as try and figure out what Logan is going do next after the betrayal by family members trying to take over the company he founded while he was in a coma.
The family members also have to contend with something from the past that might ultimately destroy them.
Besides Cox, other returning cast members include Jeremy Strong, Hiam Abbass, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Nicholas Braun, and Matthew Macfadyen.
Much was said about the Roy family being very similar to the Murdoch family, with Logan Roy essentially being inspired by Rupert Murdoch himself.
While there are some similarities, the Roy family can also be easily compared to other wealthy families today, such as the Trumps and the Kennedys.
In a recent tele-conference interview with Cox from Scotland, the actor revealed that his character was initially only a one-season part.
“Logan was initially intended to die at the end of the first season,” said Cox. However, during a conference call with executive producer Adam McKay and creator Armstrong, he was told that his character will be on the series a little longer.
“The character is a wonderful larger-than-life figure,” he added. “There can be so many universal answers about why I enjoy playing him.
“Most importantly, it is the story. It is about wealth, it is about entitlement, and [certainly], this is the state we find ourselves in the 21st century.
“We see it all around us with the Kushners and the Trumps, all these children who believe that they are entitled to behave in a certain kind of way.
“In that, I thought of it as a Chaucer-ian morality tale, and that for me was what made (Succession) interesting.”
Cox said he sees Logan as a mysterious character. “Of course, he values wealth and he values finance. For him, this is a game, a life game and a big game at that.”
As to how Logan sees his family members, many of whom seem to go out of their way to impress him, Cox believes his character would like them to be less hooked.
“That’s why he likes his daughter [Siobhan played by Snook]. She is more emotionally in tune with him. The boys and his son-in-law are all trying to prove something to him.
“I think the children do love him, but there is a lack of genuine-ness about them. I think Logan understands that, but he is also aware that this is a problem that his wealth has created. He also thinks that it is their problem and they have got to deal with it.”
Cox revealed that in the second season, viewers will see a more caring side of Logan in his actions towards his four children, especially Kendall (played by Strong), whom he takes under his wing and tries to rehabilitate.
“He also reminds them that Waystar Royco is a family business. He is the leader of the family, and he is genuinely looking for his successor in the next generation. He is ruthless but, at the same time, he deeply loves his children.”
The 10-episode second season of Succession premieres at the same time as the US on Aug 12 at 9am on HBO GO and HBO (Astro channel 411 / 431 HD) with episode encore on the same day at 10pm.
