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The TV series Succession, which concluded four months ago, drew inspiration from the real-life Murdoch dynasty and their ongoing succession drama. Writer Jesse Armstrong confirmed that the Murdochs, along with other influential families like the Redstones and the Maxwells, heavily influenced the show's storylines of power struggles and betrayal within a media mogul's family. The similarities between the Succession characters and the Murdochs, such as a dominant aging patriarch and adult children competing for a position in the family business, are too striking to ignore. Rupert Murdoch built News Corporation into a global media empire with significant political and public influence, including newspapers like the Sun and the Times in the UK, the Wall Street Journal and Fox News in the US, and the film studio 20th Century Fox. Murdoch's children, Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James, were groomed to take over the business. However, Elisabeth was initially excluded from succession plans due to her gender. James was initially seen as the heir apparent and held various senior positions but resigned after the phone hacking scandal. Lachlan, who joined the family firm in 1996, left but later returned to become the executive chairman of 21st Century Fox and chairman of News Corp. The ongoing succession dispute between James and Lachlan has been a central fault line in the Murdoch dynasty. Vanity Fair published an exposé highlighting the infighting within the family, and there were even claims that James provided story ideas to the writers of Succession. However, Armstrong denied these claims, stating that he did not need insider information as the family publicly criticized each other in publications like Vanity Fair. It is speculated that James, along with his sisters, is waiting for their opportunity to gain control of the company after Rupert's departure. Just like a successful TV show that may have spin-offs or sequels, the Murdoch drama may not be over and could continue in the future.