‘Succession’ writer names the “biggest piece of shit” character on the show
There are few television shows with quite as many abhorrent characters as HBO’s Succession. Mirroring the abuse of power that lies at the centre of our modern media landscape, the Emmy-winning series follows the Roy family through relentless corporate power plays and familial betrayals. As a result, the show is severely lacking in likeable characters.
Logan Roy, played by Brian Cox, fuels much of the show’s corruption. As the head of the family and Waystar Royco CEO, he wields more power than anyone else on the show. As he uses it to manipulate his employees and children in equal measure, he poisons each of them with their own lust for power. In turn, Kendall Roy, Roman Roy, and Shiv Roy each rival him for detestability.
Kendall continually avoids taking responsibility for his hand in the untimely death of a waiter at his sister’s wedding, while Shiv takes advantage of her partner Tom Wambsgans’ love for her. Roman can’t help but berate and insult everyone around him, and Kieran Culkin himself once made a case for his eldest brother, Conor Roy, being the most evil character on the show. But, according to one of the show’s writers, Jon Brown, one of the biggest “piece of shit” characters on the show is someone you might not expect.
In a conversation hosted by Adam Buxton at London’s Southbank Centre, the exceptional team of writers were asked about their potential ideas for a spinoff. Brown proposes a series about Waystar Royco’s Communications Executive, Hugo Baker, played by Fisher Stevens. He states: “I think Hugo is the one for me. Hugo is the biggest piece of shit in the whole show. He’s my favourite. So just give me like an hour-long Hugo show, that’d suit me.”
It seems like a difficult argument to make – that Hugo is somehow worse than the tyrant that is Logan Roy – but the communications expert is a “piece of shit” in his own right. While Brown’s comment may have been flippant, Hugo continually exhibits his own selfishness and disloyalty throughout the show. From his willingness to throw PR colleague Karolina under the bus to his last-ditch attempt to secure a place in GoJo’s team, the minor character is entirely motivated by the acquisition of more power, something he never seems to attain.
After Brown mentioned the character, writer Lucy Prebble chimed in with her pitch for a spin-off on the character. Titled Oh, Hugo!, based on a line delivered by Jeremy Strong in season four, the show follows Hugo and his daughter in the aftermath of her mistaken insider trading deal. “It would be that Hugo has to move in with his daughter… and they live together because they’re financially ruined by her decision, and it’s a basic sitcom,” she pitches. While Prebble’s pitch was presented in jest, it’s not a bad idea.
Whether or not Hugo takes the title of the “biggest piece of shit” in Succession, his continued subservience and betrayal in the name of power is illustrative of the show’s central criticisms. Poisoned by power, each character is a piece of shit in their own way.
See the full discussion below.
