So how similar are the Roys and the Murdochs, exactly? We look at some of the parallels between the two families and their members ahead of the show’s big finale on May 28.

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Rupert Murdoch and Logan Roy

Logan Roy, the fictional family’s cunning leader, is often compared to Rupert Murdoch, the patriarch of the Murdoch family. The two lead expansive media empires including fields such as television, film, publishing and digital. CNN Business describes Rupert as a ruthless businessman who confronts competition by buying them or running them out of business; these aggressive tactics are similar to those used by Logan in the show.

Both Rupert and Logan have also been married multiple times, with children across different marriages. The two have complicated relationships with their children: a person close to the Murdochs told Vanity Fair that Rupert believed a Darwinian struggle would produce the most capable heir and pitted his children against each other throughout their lives – much like Logan did in the series.

Prudence MacLeod and Connor Roy

Prudence MacLeod and Connor Roy are both the eldest children of the two patriarchs. Both are only children from previous marriages, and they are also the children uninterested in working in the family business.

In Succession, Connor is the “forgotten” child and is often left out of the Roy siblings’ dealings. In a scene in season three, Kendall Roy refers to himself as “the eldest son” before he is corrected by an angry Connor who insists that technically, he is Logan’s eldest son.

While there is no evidence of the same treatment of Prudence from her Murdoch siblings, People reported that Prudence did have a row with her father Rupert when he once referred to his “three children” (omitting Prudence) in a 1997 press conference. Prudence shared that she and her father had a fight on the phone over the incident, before Rupert apologised by sending the “the biggest bunch of flowers – it was bigger than a sofa – and two clementine trees”.

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Lachlan Murdoch and Kendall Roy

Lachlan Murdoch is Rupert’s eldest son from his second marriage. According to CNN Entertainment, he was the original heir apparent to the business, but abruptly quit after internal disagreements over the direction of the cable news network. Lachlan took some time to work on his own firm, Illyria, before returning to the family business as a non-executive co-chairman of News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, according to Bloomberg.

Similarly on Succession, it is Kendall who is groomed to take over his father’s company – before Logan changes his mind. Throughout the show’s four seasons, Kendall makes several unsuccessful attempts to execute hostile takeovers of his father’s empire before leaving to start his own businesses, only to later return to the family company.

Elisabeth Murdoch and Siobhan Roy

Elisabeth Murdoch is Rupert’s only daughter from his second marriage – much like Siobhan Roy. CNN Entertainment reports that Elisabeth is the most similar to Rupert, and shares his cunning and savviness. However, Rupert has reportedly been dismissive of her attempts to take on bigger roles at the family business.

In parallel, Siobhan shares a close relationship with Logan on the show. Like Kendall, she was also promised the title of CEO, but was eventually deemed unprepared to take on the role. There are several scenes in the show in which Siobhan is publicly shut down by her father, making it unclear whether Logan considered her a serious contender for the top position in the first place.

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James Murdoch and Roman Roy

Murdoch’s youngest son, James, was believed to be the heir apparent after his elder brother Lachlan quit in 2005, CNN Entertainment reported. James was appointed to positions at his father’s companies, including deputy COO of News Corporation in 2011 – a role similar to Roman Roy’s in the first season of Succession. However, he eventually stepped down from the role in 2020 after disagreements over editorial content, People reported.

Roman’s story follows a similar trajectory on the show – he is not originally a contender to take over his father’s business until his elder brother Kendall leaves the company. He would work closely with his father before eventually leaving the company and banding together with his siblings to try to take over.

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While the showrunners of Succession might deny that the show is based on any one family, the similarities between the fictional Roy family and the Murdoch family are hard to ignore. It may be some time before the world finds out who will succeed Rupert at his real-life media empire, but fans can instead look forward to finding out which child will take over the fictional Waystar Royco once the show airs its final episode.