How an Episode of Succession is Written
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- Succession is one of the greatest TV shows of recent history. With the season finale upon us, how is this show created? Listen to this Behind the Curtain video of Jesse Armstrong and other writers of the show as they talk about their EXACT process to creating Succession.
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Chapters:
00:00 Preface
00:24 1. How It Started
01:29 2. Writers Room
03:26 3. Characters
07:55 4. Writing Comedy
10:58 5. Dialogue
12:11 6. Research
14:30 7. Jesse Armstrong's Writing Advice
If you're an aspiring screenwriter, this screenwriting fundamentals playlist is for you: • Ask the Experts (Profe...
Comment below a film or TV show you want me to research next.
Succession is an American satirical black comedy-drama television series created by Jesse Armstrong, on HBO. The series centers on the Roy family, the owners of Waystar RoyCo, a global media and entertainment conglomerate, who are fighting for control of the company amid uncertainty about the health of the family's patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox). The series' fourth and final season premiered on March 26, 2023.
ABOUT BEHIND THE CURTAIN
Learn screenwriting from the pros. Behind the Curtain interviews the best screenwriters in the field so you can develop your craft and learn what it's like in the industry. Think: What if Steven Spielberg made video essays?
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#successionseason4 #screenwriting #succession - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
Succession is filled to the brim with quotable lines. What are your favorite lines from the show?
“Connor Roy was interested in politics at a very young age.”
Uh-huh
"you better be smelling ya fackin armpit Romulus"
“You can't make a Tomelette without breaking some Greggs.” That line won them the Emmy for sure
HEY HEY MOTHERFUCKERS!
The show feels so real to me because the characters seem to simply say what they need to rather than what the narrative requires. Great show.
Absolutely, no "lead question" so that the protagonist can express what they need to to move the plot forward.
Even better they say what they THINK they need to-but often they are today out of their depth and so say the entirely wrong thing even when they think what they are saying is what they need to-and it also is unfortunately not what they actually wanted to say anyway.
it feels like every character can never quite seem to figure out how to express what they desperately want to express. just like real life
The way these characters speak feels very realistic and genuine. There are many scenes where characters either talk over each other or begin to speak and stop mid sentence. Yet the dialogue is still powerful. The characters and their dialogue come across very authentic. Definitely my favorite show on television. Thank you for this!
Absolutely agree with you. I like what he said about how sometimes people make bad jokes or insults that don't really make sense, because they're angry and can't think straight. Someone being able to be a literal poet no matter what they're doing can definitely remove some of the realism.
It depends, sometime some of their lines seems much over the top for people like them. They are rich, for sure, but I doubt they're cultivated. Probably never reads books.
@@sauce1232 I disagree.The Roys do not have to be high IQ, but their upbringing was one that exposed them to classic literature and western history at elite private schools and universities.
@@brucegreen4172Watch the dinner with the Pierces again. They are absolutely uncultivated, Roman can't even name a recent book
@@lepythagore3288Hands down, has to be my favorite episode. It’s like the Roy’s being forced to endure a funhouse mirror/opposites land version of themselves, and vice versa, with the Pierce’s being forced to entertain them- not literally in terms of being forced of course, but I mean, obviously for the purposes of the potential deal in the air that Logan is trying to land (and Rhea is trying to help with).
Such a great episode.
So pleasant to hear about writers getting feedback from experts and actually listening to it. I wish we could have more of that, especially in historical productions (not that everything has to always be 100% accurate story- or realities-wise, but it's annoying when unnecessary changes are made not for any story or budget reasons but just because the creators thought: "oh it would be cooler this way")
14:25 The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to be believable.
At the start the show was "boring" in a sense that while I did have a good time watching the episodes, they really didn't leave me waiting for the next one. I tended to watch the next episode days after release. Now the characters have so grown on me I can't wait for the next episode and I'm really sad the show is ending.
I think it took a while for the show to understand itself and develop its own very unique style
Absolutely. I felt the exact same way. Now it’s in my list of favorite shows ever.
@@93theproducer47 what’s your list mate? I like hearing other peoples top ten list. Mine in order would be
The wire
Game of thrones
Mr robot
Dark
The boys
Breaking bad
Stranger things
Sopranos
Succession
Dexter
@@raymondsims7042 hell yeah. We like similar stuff. Some that aren’t on that list that I love are
-The Americans
-Better Call Saul
-The Last of Us
-Chernobyl (the show, not a doc)
-Man in the High Castle
-Shameless (good but wild as fuck lol)
-StartUp (gave it a shot one day and was happy as hell I did. Very good)
-Upload (kind of silly at times but really good in my option)
@@93theproducer47 nice nice I still need to watch a lot of the ones you named. 🤝
Great writing is not mass market or four quadrant, or whatever the term is that means the primary concern of the show or movie is mass appeal. I think some people come to Succession after hearing how wonderful it is, find it doesn't suit their interests, and turn away in disgust saying it's boring or stupid. I don't think the writers ever intended to appeal to everyone. IF this kind of complex, character-driven investigation of human nature and power dynamics I rests you, then Succession will resonate. But if you prefer lighter, more action-driven fare, then it won't...and there's nothing wrong with that. Like all great writing, Succession asks the viewer to actively engage with the material and at times that can be uncomfortable or even taxing, even while it's entertaining. I actually postponed watching it the first couple of weeks (even though I'd been looking forward to it so much) because I was pretty sick from covid, and I knew this is not popcorn viewing where it doesn't matter if you're not really paying attention.
Only must watch TV show for me at the moment, so great to get some insight into their writing process. I disagree with them saying Ken’s rap made you want to look away since it’s my all-time fave moment, plus, it was shot in Dundee where I am from.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Oh yeah, L TO THE OG all the way.
Amazing, amazing video. This writers are the top of top. I love how they are all really self aware of what they doing and keep checking if everyone is in the same boat. Really good stuff there, man.
Succession has been one of the best shows ever made. Everything about it is great- the music, the acting, the sets, etc. BUT it’s one of the best written shows of all time.
Might be a good idea to pay writers so we can have more great TV instead of reality shows about realtors.
In my book , it is the third best series of all time: 1) Mad Men 2) The Sopranos 3) Succession. Or you could say The sopranos is first, it doesn't matter.
12:38 The verisimilitude of how they act is what give this show the edge and makes it feel special.
Appreciate your word choice and the (totally) phantom menace
6:09 Never knew Spiderman helped the Succession writers understand ancient Roman dynasties and thus shaped the fabric of the show
Lol, make me laugh
But that's another Tom Holland if you're not joking
This is soooo good! Thank you for combining these wonderful quotes into great content 🔥
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching. What would you like to see next?
@@BehindtheCurtain have you done Ozark?
Not yet! Good idea
Such an essential video! Thanks for compiling this.
Really happy you're back, man. You have really good insight in your video essays.
It's good to be back. Thank you for the warm welcome!
Love the vid! First time seeing the channel and now I'm subscribed. So tired of "Here's why this show's GrEaT" videos that have people regurgitating media criticism 101 or just polishing knobs. This really cuts to the how and why by letting the creators speak, ties it to key moments of the show with the edits, and creates a full position without wasting words.
Welcome aboard! And thank you for the kind words. This is exactly the aim of the channel, so I'm glad to hear it's something you're looking for. Any films or TV shows you'd like to see next?
Another A+ breakdown. Thanks.
one of the best just in the last few years? man, this show is one of GOAT.
Glad to see you making videos again!
Thank you! It's good to be back. Lots of big things planned.
@@BehindtheCurtain I would definately love to see one on Severance. Some of the best tv in recent years
Loved the trailer for that, but haven't gotten around to watching yet. Will look into it!
thanks for compiling these interviews. great job as always.
I appreciate the kind words. Much more to come!
Never came across this channel before. Instant subscription!
Today is a good day. Welcome aboard!
My favorite detail in "Succession" is that characters always talk in jargon when they're lying, but always resort to simple language when they're telling the truth.
wonderful stuff!!!
Best use of subtext I’ve seen in a show except for maybe the Sopranos although it’s really close. So cool
Excellent video, thank you
Thank you for watching!
Great video!
This was brilliant
thanks for this
Thanks for the great video.
Thanks for watching!
So glad your back to videos! Can we have a channel update? I recommended this channel to so many people it was sad to see it dissapear for a few years.
Hey, thank you! Yes, I have a couple of new videos lined up and one of them is a channel update. I want to keep the same mission as before, but also make some improvements that I think will be great. Thanks for sticking around! Any videos you'd like to see in the future?
@@BehindtheCurtain Good to hear! As for suggestions, I am a huge Lost-Fan so I enjoyed the Lost episode. There are tons of Lost podcasts with Lindeloff and Carlton that could provide more audio material, but I would love to hear how their writing process was able to creating captivating stories within a week-by-week format like network television. We saw how much GOT struggled with that (and many would argue failed) in its final season. The fact that Lost stayed compelling for so long writing things one week at a time is truly amazing.
"Honey you don't need Succession theme song, we have Succession theme song at home"
This is so goddamn good, thank you so much!
I’m so glad the writers of this show are so much smarter than me
Just yesterday I was talking to a fellow succession viewer, and am happy to report that yes, most people understand that Tom was speaking to Shiv when he was throwing waterbottles at Greg.
Still waiting for business secrets of the pharaohs tbh
hahaha
FIrst, they writte a bunch of wordy clever comebacks in a list, second, they create scenarios and situations for them. Third they claim profit.
😮😢😅😂
Poor monkey
Hidden storytelling tactic: create plot that serves the creative insults you've made. 😂
"you make your own reality... Then, once you've done it, everyone is of the opinion it was all so fucking obvious!"
@@BehindtheCurtain This is also probably how they wrote Veep as well
I was pleasantly surprised when 12:11 wasn't an ad segue
That's actually hilarious. It does feel like that doesn't it. Going to integrate myself more seamlessly in the narration.
nice!
would love a Barry video
Great idea! Will move that up the list.
@@BehindtheCurtain oh my god please do, Barry is amazing
@@Pascal-nl5sv hey lad what’s good about Barry? Honest question I’m thinking about watching the show could you tell me what you like about it? And is it similar to dexter? I loved dexter
@@raymondsims7042 I've never watched Dexter myself however people who have do compare it with Barry a lot, in a positive way.
But unlike Dexter, which from what I've heard dropped the ball after a change of showrunner, Barry keeps a consistent quality throughout its whole run. In fact every season only gets better than the last.
But no yeah it's totally worth a watch, it's the perfect blend of comedy and drama. The characters are all incredible, it's got some insane moments as well as probably the most creative action I've seen in a show. Oh and it's got great pacing, with it being very short. You can watch the entire thing in just about 16 hours.
And the acting is magnificent, since the show is essentially about acting. By extension it serves great commentary on the entertainment industry.
In case you couldn't tell by me shilling for it, it's my favorite show.
@@Pascal-nl5sv nice nice thanks for that I’ll give it a shot🤝haven’t seen to many bill haders performances as I thought he was more of a comedian than an actor but every time I’ve seen him act he’s been the standout performance. Like in the it movie. I’m definitely watching barry
14:26 how outrageous do those things have to be that the writers need to tone them down? really curious how the real life examples of this sound like. please let me know if there's ever is a reddit post about it.
Great question. Would love to find a resource like this; I've heard a couple of writers say this before.
there's a vanity fair I think article about the antics of the Murdochs, worth checking out. A well-known example is that R Murdoch broke up with one of his wives (Jerry Hall) via email, saying "we sure had some good times but I'm realy busy now"
0:03 theres a Brazilian billionaire thats also a owner of a television company and its simillar to Murdoch and Logan in a few ways, he was asked the same question and answered the he didnt plan to die either
.... PHENOMENAL show.
Great video. Anyone know what the background music is at 1:48
Best season of TV (along with Season 5 of BCS)
WOAH!!😂😂it’s been great but relax a bit
L to the OG!
Dude be the OG!
6:10 seriously, what can't Tom Holland do? 6:54 coincidence? Don't think so.
You are a skilled presenter but it'd be cool to see a video like this where it's exclusively quotes from creators. The flow would be really interesting.
Haha there’s only like 3 sentences from me
@@BehindtheCurtain Fair enough! Love the video
give Legion a watch
303k subs
14m views
Original, unique content and no monetization, why is that?
TH-cam disagrees, unfortunately. I'm working on a solution, so I can keep making these videos.
I dont find the discord link
You also need to do Barry
Yes absolutely! Great idea
So Kendall is my favorite character. I'm always rooting for him because he is such a sympathetic character trying so hard to seek his father's approval that he will go against Logan and at times because he thinks that is what his father would want for him. I feel this is when Logan loves Ken the most. His addiction keeps him human but I honestly think he is so capable of running the business if he just had the confidence in himself and didn't need the approval of his father and the admiration of others. He can come of as a try hard tool at times but he is such a compelling character among so many compelling characters. Tom is definitely my second favorite. This show is so good and if you don't give it a watch, well you can FUCK OFF!
They seem to think that the worse thing they can say to someone is, "You're not a serious person."
8:54 somebody tell Marvel!!!
Wow. I didn’t know Tom Holland was a historian 😂
It's a simple hobby of his hahaha
wheres the discord link?
Ah, didn't add it. Here it is: discord.gg/xxTqXXd
Thank you Tom Holland
This show couldve been a reality television show produced by whoever made the OC, and itd still be a timeless piece of work for the way these actors so accurately flesh out every form of neofuedalism they exist as/within.
Writers > CEOs
Pay writers
A “rich consultant” 😂
Where can I sign up for that
The fact that near the end they say that the REAL STORY/EXAMPLE would be too outrageous to be believable...lol wow.
I always interpreted Succession as an exaggerated version of the super rich (shades of truth, but stretched for drama/comedy/entertainment). Jokes on me!
They definitely don't think brevity is the soul of wit.
It requires an emotional woke to know what this show is about
Emotional woke?
Minimum of 20 fuck offs per episode, 10 funny quips, 15 insults, 80 lies. Done ✔️
Watched just the first season. I didn't like the lack of commitment in the show. It was always one step forward two steps back. Nothing really amounted to anything and the characters were wee bit more caricature than needed. I mean, maybe this was the plan all along, but didn't really fit with me tonally.
I know it’s annoying when people say this but S2 is really when the show becomes great. I would agree S1 felt a little pretentious and tonally inconsistent a lot of the time, especially episodes 2-7
stop it, get some help
Stop what
@@BehindtheCurtain riding HBOs dick after GOT? making video about suckession? Thinking dialogue filled with "fuck" are quippy and cool? Thinking unlikeable backstabbing scheming conniving cheating bigoted racist sexist ugly characters with no arc are "anti-heros"? Liking a show so cheap that it has ONE soundtrack? Geez idk pick one or pick all
In my opinion, Succession is farcical. I do watch it, simply because I started and I feel I need to see it through. However, as someone who grew up with businessmen and women, and those who spoke of eccentric types and high flyers, Succession’s dialogue reads more like a Viz parody. They claim to have a rich consultant, but a lot of Billionaires DO wear coats, and they DO cook for themselves. If this was an Aristocratic family rather than a Media Tycoon, then the way they behave would be believable. The dialogue can come off as clownish when they swear every second word in a sentence. If they scaled all of that back, then it would be more accurate.
Hmm that’s interesting and I can’t disagree with you because I don’t really know what the lads in major companies are like. But with your knowledge and experience would you still consider succession an all time great show? Or do you find it to be dumb and overrated? Honest question
@@raymondsims7042my father used to be the CEO of a major media company and in succ the language is irrelevant to the work they do
@@kerimaltuncu8152 I agree with that
@@raymondsims7042 I think it’s overhyped, but it’s certainly not terrible. Ultimately, I think it’s a victim of false advertising. The link to Shakespeare would work if they had advertised it as a comedic piece of TV Theatre, as opposed to a high-art drama, which is evidently how it’s being received.
@@JungianHeights I love the show but I can understand your criticism
This season is BORING
You must be blind then, it's far from boring.
Biggest plot twist of the show so far and you find it boring? How come?
This season is GREATNESS
This season has been the best so far
you guys like listening to witty sarcasm for 40 minutes? lol
This video is too short. That doesnt make want to see more of your content.
Hey, I'd much rather leave you wanting more, than giving you too much!