So, What Exactly Is Succession Season 4's Hundred? An Investigation
This piece contains spoilers for the "Succession" season 4 premiere.
When we last saw the main trio of Roy siblings in "Succession," they were basically left to their own devices. Made outcasts by their father Logan (Brian Cox) after finally standing up to his abuses, the dream team of Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) no longer had the Waystar Royco safety net they had become so accustomed to. However, to them, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, even though it stung hard, it gave them likely their first real taste of independence.
So, what have they decided to do with that independence in the show's fourth season premiere? They've decided to band together and start a new media company called The Hundred. Its plot significance is likely no surprise to fans of the show — ever since they've been kicked from their father's illustrious news organization, it makes sense for them to give it a real competitor in the market. As Shiv remarks in the episode, all three of them have experience in the news and entertainment industries.
There's only one problem here: The show seemingly doesn't want us to know what The Hundred is supposed to be. Of course, this is likely an intentional writing decision, as its founders are more integral to the story than the company itself. Let's wad through the vague corporate mumbo-jumbo and try and figure out what the Roys are cooking with The Hundred.
What we know about The Hundred
We as audience members aren't left entirely in the dark as to what The Hundred aims to be. We know that it will be some sort of news outlet, with backers and contributors throughout different political spheres and industries. In perhaps the aptest description the show provides, Kendall calls it "Substack meets Masterclass meets The Economist meets The New Yorker" in the episode.
From the few details we can gather from the show, it sounds like The Hundred could be a bipartisan news blog of sorts. With all the talk about contributors and writers the siblings have throughout the episode, it sounds like they want only the best experts in their respective fields involved, potentially a dig at their father's conspiracy-leaning ATN News. It could host a combination of straightforward news reporting and opinion, teaching readers how to form their own opinions on hard-hitting topics.
It's a noble pursuit, sure, but the way that the siblings discuss it makes it sound more abstract than definite. If we're being honest, we could be completely wrong in this analysis because the Roys permanently talk like the shady businessmen they are at their core. The Hundred is constantly described thus far in vague ideas and comparisons, never telling their potential investors what they actually want to do in an attempt to get them on board.
Why The Hundred feels so familiar
The biggest problem with how the siblings are trying to launch The Hundred is that they want the project to be in earnest. As we've seen throughout the past seasons, the Roys really don't care all that much about helping the 99% – even the somewhat liberal political analyst Shiv would choose their father's wealth and affections over their personal moral code. They want to pretend like they are creating the website for good reason and not because they want to get back at their father. It is the website's veil of relatability and its fake grassroots nature that makes its vagueness so frustrating to hear, especially if you work in media as we do.
Funnily enough, it probably isn't hard to speculate what the real-world equivalent of The Hundred is — just look at the name. It sounds like a satirical take on FiveThirtyEight, a popular news outlet that promotes using "data and evidence to advance public knowledge" on topics like politics and sports. Although often praised for its bipartisan usage of analytics, what isn't widely discussed is how it is one of the many, many assets of The Walt Disney Company under their ABC News branch. Its mission is not inherently problematic, but by touting a conglomerate-funded project as being "for the people," it certainly can become that. This simmering hypocrisy is at the center of The Hundred, and it probably isn't hard to speculate that it'll boil over throughout the season.
Flying too close to the sun
If "Succession" has taught us anything, it is that no Greek or Roman myth is off-limits for comparisons. In the case of the Roy siblings and their Hundred project, it's already looking like their journey will parallel that of the ill-fated Icarus. As previously mentioned, the core idea of The Hundred is not inherently bad, but its inevitable downfall will be caused by the fact that it is being started for all the wrong reasons.
Kendall, Shiv, and Roman all suffer from the same fatal flaw: the need for dominance. Not just against their father, but against each other. There will come a time when their unity is broken due to their own uniquely selfish interests, carved from decades of serving under their father's abusive rule. They will turn on each other not out of genuine desire, but instinct. Outside of its faux-intellectual standing and vague self-explanations, this will be what eventually kills The Hundred before we know what it was set up to do. It's sad, sure, but such is the Roy curse. The disruptors become the very thing they intend to disrupt, and they do it with a smile.
"Succession" airs on HBO and streams on HBO Max every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.