The Competing Families Of ‘Succession’ And ‘The Righteous Gemstones’

It doesn’t take a keen eye to see that there are many similarities between two popular shows on HBO. Succession, starring Brian Cox, is about a multimedia conglomerate run by a patriarch while his children fight for control over the company. Meanwhile, The Righteous Gemstones, starring Danny McBride and John Goodman, has a similar situation. Instead of a media empire, the patriarch runs a megachurch and all of the children fight for a chance to run it and be the star. In both instances, a younger generation is trying to scheme and manipulate their way into something their fathers built. But there are major differences — and not just in tone and style. While Succession certainly has its comedic moments, it’s also a fairly dark drama that grounds its tone in a recognizable reality. By contrast, The Righteous Gemstones is completely ridiculous and focuses on absurdist comedy. The differences, though, run much deeper than that.

Both shows have a roster of characters filled with narcissism. Because of its darker nature, the narcissism of Succession is a lot more malevolent. Money and power remain at the root of everything the Roy family wants to achieve. They truly don’t care about who gets hurt along the way, as long as they come out on top in this war for corporate control.

The Righteous Gemstones contains some of that. The characters sure care about money and spending it towards their lavish lifestyle. But the light-hearted and comedic nature of the show means that it doesn’t go into the same dark territory with its characters like Succession does. The Gemstone family is still that: a family. In fact, they have a meal together every Sunday after church. Yes, they do bicker and squabble amongst themselves in petty fashion. But, ultimately, the love they have for each other shines through. It’s evident that there’s real care there. The same can’t be said for the Roy family.

Succession and The Righteous Gemstones are now streaming on Max.