Succession, with Susan Soon He Stanton

This week on On Story, we're joined by Susan Soon He Stanton for a look inside the writers room of the hit HBO drama, Succession. Succession centers on the Roy family, the ultra-rich owners of a global media conglomerate called Waystar RoyCo. The family business is spearheaded by aging patriarch, Logan Roy. As Logan's ability to lead the company becomes more and more uncertain, his adult children fight to out-maneuver their Father, and each other, to seize control. Each of the Roy children enters this fight for power carrying baggage from their bizarre upbringings within this cold, dysfunctional family. Succession was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for each of its four seasons, and won the award three times.

Susan Soon He Stanton joined the writers room in Succession's first season, and continued to write for the show throughout its entire run. She has written for theater, television, and film. Succession was her first experience working in a television writers room. She has also worked as a writer on the TV series Dead Ringers, Modern Love, Conversations with Friends, and The Baby. Stanton sat down with AFF moderator R.B. Brenner to talk about what it was like bringing her playwriting experience into the writers room, and the challenge of writing in each character's specific voice. Succession clips courtesy of Home Box Office, Inc.