So Is HBO’s ‘Succession’ Just A Dramatic ‘Arrested Development’?

Series about the empires of wealthy families and the ongoing infighting that occurs are not necessarily a new notion; we’ve seen this dynamic played out time and time again, both on big screens and small ones, and when done right, it’s thoroughly compelling. Consider for example Arrested Development, the Fox-turned-Netflix comedy that sees Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) forced to wrangle his dysfunctional family once his father, Bluth patriarch (Jeffrey Tambor) is out of the picture. HBO’s drama Succession may have a very different tone, but it largely mirrors the premise and characters of Arrested Development. So is it just a dramatic imagining of the same idea?

There’s a large case to be made for the similarities between the two. Before even watching Succession‘s first episode, reading its synopsis may recall the pilot of Arrested Development; “On his 80th birthday, media magnate Logan Roy, whose imminent retirement was thought to be a given, shocks his family by announcing he’s staying on indefinitely as CEO of Waystar/Royco.” Arrested Development may begin with a retirement party that ends with George Sr.’s arrest, but the premise is close enough; heir apparent is stunned by the announcement that his father is staying on at the family business after years of preparing him to take it over. Kendall is completely devastated in the same way Michael Bluth is, but when responsibility is thrust upon him in a way he doesn’t expect, he struggles to devise the best method to maintain a sense of power and stability.

If the logline wasn’t enough, the characters only push it further; Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and George Sr. are the waning patriarchs, while Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) is the Michael Bluth of the group. There’s Roman (Kieran Culkin), the mess of a man who clearly emanates G.O.B., offbeat, intelligent sister Siobhan, the Lindsay Bluth of the family, Connor (Alan Ruck), the outsider reminiscent of Buster, and even Tom (Matthew Macfayden), Siobhan’s panicky, strange partner desperate to fit into the Roy tribe à la Tobias Fünke.

This is not to say that Succession has ripped off Arrested Development; the similarities may very well be intentional, a chance to see these characters in a much darker world. The family businesses are entirely different from one another – it’s hard to liken a massive, Murdoch-like media empire to a California real estate development firm, and George Sr.’s Middle Eastern dealings with Logan’s illness-related demise. Succession isn’t without a few laughs, though they may be rooted in something a little more sinister, and the series’ depiction of wealth diverges vastly from Arrested Development‘s mockery of rich people and all their absurd inclinations.

Despite these clear distinctions, however, it’s still fascinating to watch Succession with Arrested Development in mind. The characters are just too close to not imagine what their counterparts might do in these different worlds, on these different coasts. These are the stories of a wealthy families who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. The way they keep things together, and their respective selfishness, however, is what demonstrates just how far apart these series’ hearts really are.