This is fresh air, I'm Terry Gross.

The fabulous HBO series' succession is over,

but we're just about to begin our conversation with its creator, Jesse Armstrong,

who wrote a majority of the episodes including the series finale.

Also with us is Frank Rich, an executive producer of the series

who was instrumental in getting it made.

Succession is about three siblings trying to succeed their elderly father,

the powerful CEO of the family conglomerate.

I have you beat you, morons!

Those six words spoken by the patriarch Logan Roy,

sum up his philosophy of business and of life.

I have you beat and as opinion of his children, you morons.

He's a brilliant businessman who through power plays, manipulation and backstabbing

has created a media and entertainment empire,

including a conservative cable news network.

As a father, just about any expression of love toward his children has been transactional.

He's been emotionally abusive, made them dependent and weak,

and condemns them for being that way.

Like the father, the siblings operate free of ethical and moral concerns.

For example, they seem to have succeeded in helping elect a white nationalist as president

because they think he'll kill a business deal that would ruin their plans.

The series is an unusual mix of drama and satire,

...