Succession's Jesse Armstrong settles fan debate about show's storyline mystery

03 September 2023 , 15:55

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Succession's Jesse Armstrong settles fan debate about show's storyline mystery

The creator of Succession has cleared up confusion regarding one of the hit HBO show's most mysterious storyline following the award-winning drama coming to an end in May.

Jesse Armstrong, the British screenwriter behind the iconic series, has finally shared his thoughts on whether Kendall Roy's name was crossed out or underlined on the document naming his as his father's successor. In the final series of the show about siblings fighting for a media empire, the late Logan Roy seemingly names his eldest son Kendall as the man to take over the family business.

But while Kendall's name was clear on the document, there was also a line scrawled in pen that started underneath the power-hungry character's name and appeared to strike through it. Fans of the hit show debated if Logan had meant to underline Kendall's name or if the Rupert Murdoch inspired character had changed his mind and tried to cross it out.

However, the debate is now well and truly over thanks to Succession creator sharing his thoughts on the confusion. "This is the sort of thing I would have hated to do while we were still doing the show," Jesse, 52, began when speaking about the scene at the FTWeekend Festival.

The Succession creator with the hit show's actors at the Emmy Awards last year (NBC via Getty Images)

He went on to add: "But if you were going to cross out, you wouldn’t start out underneath, would you?"

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Jesse hit the headlines this time last year as the British writer mocking the monarchy at the Emmy Awards on September 12 - poking fun at the new unelected Head of State King Charles III days after Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 surrounded by her family on September 8.

As Succession scooped the award for Best Drama Series at the Emmys, took a swipe at the monarchy during his acceptance speech at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, as actor Brian Cox told him: "Keep it royalist, keep it royalist." Jesse began his joke telling the audience: "Big week for Succession. New king in the UK this week for us. Evidently a little more voting involved in our winning than Prince Charles."

The British Royal Family are a hereditary monarchies in which the monarchs come from one family with the office of sovereign being passed from one family member to another upon the death or abdication of the incumbent - meaning the British public have no say on who becomes their King or Queen.

While the crowd awkwardly reacted to the quip from Jesse at the Emmys last year, Scottish actor Brian Cox - who plays the Rupert Murdoch-inspired Logan Roy on Succession - jokingly told his writer and producer: "Keep it royalist, keep it royalist!" Jesse's joke quickly went viral and divided fans on social media.

Zoe Delaney