why are we fascinated by obnoxious characters, like those of “Succession”?

It has been five years since Succession, the series at the five Golden Globes, fascinates. Briton Jesse Armstrong imagined the saga of the Roys, a wealthy American family whose members spend their lives hating and betraying each other. The central character of the series is Logan Roy, an aging father, billionaire and newspaper boss. He is violent, macho, anti-Semitic and cruel with his four children: three boys and a girl, who dream of taking power.

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But why do we adore such obnoxious, spineless, coldly calculating characters? “There is indeed a morbid fascination. There is a perhaps cathartic, pleasurable side to seeing these characters suffer despite their immense wealth and despite all the low blows they constantly inflict on each otherexplains Anaïs Bordages, co-author of the book “Small praise of series anti-heroines” published by Les Pérégrines and the podcast Peak-TV on Slate. For a series, cIt’s richer in terms of writing to have characters who aren’t always going to do the right thing.”

“We like to identify with characters who have flaws.”

Anaïs Bordages, author of the book “Little praise of series anti-heroines”

at franceinfo

One of the paradoxes of “Succession” is to show a family living in opulence, superb apartments in Manhattan and luxurious yachts on vacation or helicopter rides, without ever making us feel like it and we want to be in his place. “It could be part of what has been called the movement of wealth pornthis kind of pornography of wealth”analyzes Ariane Hudelet, academic and specialist in visual culture.