Feasting on power: How the tv show “Succession” serves up food for thought on wealth, family and control

David Bell, an associate professor of Linguistics, and Theresa Moran, an associate professor of instruction, have spent over a decade combining their expertise to explore food studies. Their latest venture is a thought-provoking article titled “Conflict and Resolution at the Table: The Role of Food in the TV Series ‘Succession’,” published in the Summer 2024 issue of Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics.

At first glance, one might wonder: “What does food have to do with 'Succession'?” The idea of food as a significant cultural symbol in media dates back to the 1980s and '90s, with films like “Tampopo”(1985), “Babette’s Feast” (1987), and “Big Night” (1996) sparking broader conversations about food in cinema. These films prompted a wave of scholarly work on the intersection of food and film, which eventually expanded to include all forms of media. Bell and Moran, both fans of “Succession,” were naturally drawn to this critically acclaimed drama, which has won four consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series.

“We loved the show, but soon realized that food was subtly playing a pivotal role, even if it wasn’t immediately obvious,” Moran said. “This realization led us to explore how food—and its representation—connects to broader themes of power, class and identity within the show.”

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Both Bell and Moran focused their expertise on Food Studies due to its interdisciplinary nature. Moran started the Food Studies Theme at OHIO in 2014, which includes the Food in Society Certificate and various study away programs such as the current Food in Sicily program.

“Food Studies provides a lens for studying the production, consumption, representation and meaning of food in society,” Bell explained. “In the world of Food Studies, the idea is that food is everywhere—often hiding in plain sight. But when you study how food is produced, consumed, and symbolized, it reveals much about the social fabric and power dynamics that shape our world.”

In “Succession,” food becomes more than just a backdrop—it’s a subtle yet telling marker of the Roy family’s extreme wealth. The show’s main character, Logan Roy, loosely based on media moguls like Rupert Murdoch, is an example of this. The wealth of the Roy family is conveyed through helicopters, fleets of black SUVs, and private jets—but it’s also conveyed through a bustling restaurant staff and the frenzy of food preparation happening just out of view.

However, what makes the Roys so intriguing is that they don’t engage with food in the way you might expect. Their wealth is reflected in their seeming indifference to food consumption. Logan's food choices are a perfect example: when he does eat, it’s typically the simplest of meals—an ordinary burger, an everyday food of the masses. It’s a contrast to his elegant, understated luxury. The only family member who indulges in extravagant food consumption is his son-in-law, a social climber who uses food to flaunt his new wealth.

Bell and Moran dive even deeper into concepts like commensality—the act of eating together—and how food can shape social dynamics. In “Succession,” the dinner table offers a space for temporary civility amidst the chaos of corporate warfare. It is at the table that the Roy family, despite their fractious relationships, still convene. Table manners and etiquette also serve as boundaries, allowing potentially hostile family members to meet and interact without the full-blown bloodletting of the boardroom.

“Hospitality at the table should be about reconciliation, but for the Roys, it’s often twisted into a space of manipulation and threats. There are a lot of knives at the table, metaphorically and literally,” Moran said.

One particularly tense dinner scene shows Logan being invited to dinner by his son Kendall. What begins as a seemingly harmless invitation quickly turns into a psychological battle, with Logan accusing Kendall of trying to poison him.

In addition to the serious themes, “Succession” is also a dark comedy, as showrunner Jesse Armstrong intended. The humor often emerges from the contrast between the mundane act of eating and the high-stakes drama that unfolds in the corporate world.

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“For instance, one way Armstrong does this is is early in the series when Logan Roy is in the ICU after collapsing during his 80th birthday party,” Bell explained. “As his children gather around his hospital bed discussing what to release to the press about their father's condition that won't spook the stock market, we see Tom Wambsgans, the fiancé of Logan’s daughter Shiv, at the time, in the corner meticulously and with deaf fork work eating chocolate birthday cake. And again, towards the end of the series at Logan's wake, Tom sidles up to the firm’s inner circle hoping to glean some information about the company succession in which he considers himself a contender for the top spot. Again, he's holding a plate of food. This time, it’s a fish taco. He offers his sympathies. Shiv, now separated from Tom, shoots back, ‘Ohh, you're sick with grief? Well, you might wanna put down that fish taco. You're getting your melancholy everywhere.’”

Bell has continued delving into the world of “Succession,” this time applying his linguistics expertise to analyze the role of metaphor and humor in the show. He presented his findings at the British Association of Applied Linguistics Conference at the University of Essex in September 2024.

Following their work on the show, Bell and Moran have shifted their focus to cultural hybridization, conducting research at the Athens Farmers Market. Their study explores interactions both among farmers and between farmers and customers, investigating how these exchanges influence the introduction of new products to the market. Preliminary results were presented at the Umbra Institute Food and Sustainability Conference in Perugia, Italy, in June 2024.