Summary
Max’s new documentary with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes is an outlandish real-life version ofSuccession.For four seasons, the HBO series explored the Roy family’s prolonged succession battle over Waystar Royco, the business conglomerate founded and run by Logan Roy for several decades. With the patriarch’s declining health, his children, traumatized by a childhood of neglect and abandonment, scheme their way to take over the reign from their father. TheSuccessionseason 4 caststeered the finale to a messy, complex, yet ultimately satisfying ending to what is considered one of thebest HBO original seriesof all time.
Created by Jesse Armstrong,Successionwas a satire on the super-rich, providing unprecedented access into behind-the-scenes struggles within such familiesand the office politics of massive business empires.Succession’s Roy family is based on the Murdochs, the real-life family of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, drawing on their most prominent business deals and scandals. What madeeverySuccessionseasonso brilliant was its layered writing and razor-sharp humor. TheSuccessionseries finale brought the show to a bitter and perfect close. Now, this new documentary on Max seems to be an absurd real-life rendition ofSuccession.
Successionhas been nominated for a whopping 75 Primetime Emmy Awards (19 wins), 18 Golden Globe Awards (9 wins), and 18 Critics' Choice Television Awards (eight wins) between 2018 and 2023.
Succession Ending Explained: Everything That Happened In Season 4 Episode 10
The Succession ending was the perfect finale to the beloved HBO series, but the fates of Roy siblings Kendall, Roman, and Shiv, left lots to unpack.
Max’s Ren Faire Documentary Is A Real-Life Renaissance Version Of HBO’s Succession
There Are Several Narrative & Character Parallels
Max’s documentary seriesRen Faireis a real-life version ofSuccessionset in the whimsical world of the Texas Renaissance Festival (TRF). Directed by Lance Oppenheim, the three-part docuseries follows George Coulam, the eccentric founder and ruler of TRF, who mirrors Logan Roy’s authoritative and often tyrannical leadership. Known as “King George” to his employees, Coulam’s reign is marked by control and utter disdain for conventional governance. His vision for TRF is as eclectic as it is grand, blending medieval Europe with Victorian England and the Wild West.
As he approaches 86, George seeks to pass on his legacy, aiming to spend his remaining years indulging in art and personal pursuits. However, his inability to trust or fully empower others casts a shadow over his succession plans. Enter Jeff Baldwin, George’s chosen heir and a 43-year veteran of the festival, whose struggle for approval echoes Kendall Roy’s quest for validation inSuccession. Jeff’s dedication to the festival and its immersive theatrical experience contrasts with his managerial challenges, from handling employee grievances to dealing with public relations crises.
The tension between these key players, coupled with George’s unpredictable leadership, creates a dramatic and thrilling portrayal of power, ambition, and legacy in a uniquely anachronistic setting.
His ambition and loyalty are put to the test by Louie Migliaccio, the ambitious “Lord of the Corn,” whose modernizing vision for TRF includes technological innovations and expansive new projects.Louie’s corporate mindset and strategic maneuvering introduce a rival dynamic reminiscent of the power plays within theRoy family inSuccession.The tension between these key players, coupled with George’s unpredictable leadership, creates a dramatic and thrilling portrayal of power, ambition, and legacy in a uniquely anachronistic setting.
Why Ren Faire’s Reviews Are So Great
Critics Praise It For Being Perceptive, Vivid & Thrilling
With a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Ren Fairehas been praised for its nuanced characters and compelling storyline.
Ren Faire’s reviews are so great for similar reasons as to whySuccessionwas so consistently well-reviewed. With a 100% score onRotten Tomatoes, Ren Fairehas been praised for its nuanced characters and compelling storyline. Nina Metz of theChicago Tribunedirectly compares it toSuccession,lauding its “claustrophobic portrait of the festival’s eccentric and off-putting founder.“Likewise, Robert Lloyd of theLA Timesdescribes it as “rewarding, even refreshing,” and appreciates how its characters “seem both ridiculous and relatably human.” Viewers have also received the new documentary well, considering the title’s 83% audience score.
For Judy Berman atTIME Magazine,meanwhile,the best part aboutRen Faireis its unpredictability, and she describes it as “perceptive and surprisingly thrilling.“Ky Henderson ofRolling Stoneagrees, calling the series engaging for its “disorienting camerawork, saturated colors, long close-ups on subjects’ faces twisted with anger, sorrow, and fear.“The show’s appealis perhaps best summed up by Daniel Fienberg ofTheHollywood Reporter: “The core story here is so good, the main characters so vivid, the approach so entertainingly intense, that it’s easy to get caught up in the courtly intrigue ofRen Faire.”
Ren Faireis streaming on Max, airing new episodes on Sundays at 9 pm ET.
