Brian Cox stars in "Succession"

Wealthy families make for excellent prime-time viewing, especially dysfunctional ones. Leave it to HBO to elevate the ensemble family drama to new heights as the cable giant takes a look at a family battling for control of a media empire in a new high-profile series. 

Brian Cox ("Troy," 2004) stars as Logan Roy, a self-made billionaire who sits at the top of family-controlled media conglomerate Waystar Royco in the new series "Succession," which begins its 10-episode run on Sunday, June 3, on HBO. As the aging patriarch approaches his twilight years, his potential heirs jockey for a position at the head of one of the biggest media and entertainment organizations in the world.

The series was created by Oscar nominee Jesse Armstrong ("In the Loop," 2009), who also penned the script for the pilot and serves as an executive producer on a team that includes Will Ferrell ("Saturday Night Live"), Adam McKay ("The Big Short," 2015) and Frank Rich ("Veep"). McKay, who directed the pilot, explained the focus of the series in an HBO news release.

"There's no question that 'Succession,' at its root, is a family story," McKay noted. "There's also a tragic side to it, where you see how massive wealth and power distorts and twists and wounds this family."

Set in New York City, HBO's newest drama takes a look at politics, money and power as the characters consider what the future might hold for them when Logan steps down from Waystar. Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong, "Parkland," 2013) is Logan's oldest son from his second marriage and heir apparent to the family business. Already a division president within the company, he seems poised to take over when Logan takes a step back. Kendall's younger brother, Roman (Kieran Culkin, "Fargo"), still sits on the board of directors at Waystar, though he no longer works there.

Meanwhile, Logan's sole daughter, Shiv ("Sarah Snook, "Predestination," 2014), has been focusing on her political career. Her ambitious partner, Tom (Matthew Macfadyen, "Pride & Prejudice" 2005), works as a senior executive at the firm.

Alan Ruck ("Spin City") stars as Connor, Logan's only child from his first marriage. He, too, sits on Waystar's board of directors, but he's left the family firm to make his own way in New Mexico. The main cast also features Hiam Abbass ("Lemon Tree," 2008) as Logan's third wife, Marcy, a formidable force in her own right.

The remaining staff includes COO Frank (Peter Friedman, "Safe," 1995), who acts as a mentor for Kendall. Allesandro (Parker Sawyers, "Southside With You," 2016) is an up-and-coming executive at the firm. In the debut episode of "Succession," the Roy siblings welcome cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun, "Sky High," 2005) to the fold as he moves from Canada to New York to work in the theme park division. Other key players include Rava Roy (Natalie Gold, "Rubicon"), Kendall's estranged wife and the mother of his two children. As Kendall works to solidify his takeover of Waystar, he wheels and deals with Lawrence (Rob Yang, "The Americans"), the founder and CEO of a digital media outfit.

Jeremy Strong as seen in "Succession"

The ensemble cast is supported by a top-notch team behind the scenes, from an Oscar winner to television veterans. Creator Armstrong has been better known for his comedy work across the pond. Early on in his career, he wrote for the Channel 4 sketch show "Smack the Pony" with writing partner Sam Bain, with whom he went on to create "Peep Show," "The Old Guys," "Fresh Meat" and "Babylon." Armstrong's other notable writing credits include the Oscar-nominated film "In the Loop" (2009) and the BAFTA-winning comedy "The Thick of It." He also wrote an episode of the popular British anthology series "Black Mirror" and authored the 2015 novel "Love, Sex and Other Foreign Policy Goals."

Like Armstrong, McKay's background is in comedy. He served as head writer for two seasons of NBC's legendary sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live," and he's directed a number of big-screen comedies, including "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (2004), "Step Brothers" (2008) and "The Other Guys" (2010). He and creative partner Ferrell founded the comedy website Funny or Die in 2007, along with Michael Kvamme and Chris Henchy. However, McKay has had success with his dramatic work as well, winning an Oscar for his work on the film "The Big Short" (2015).

Of course, TV fans have come to expect comedy from funnyman Ferrell, but "Succession" isn't his first foray into more dramatic territory. He surprised audiences in his first major dramatic role in the 2006 film "Stranger Than Fiction," and has been cast in the comedy-drama film "Zeroville," which is expected to be released in 2018 or 2019.

With a stellar ensemble cast and a strong crew behind the scenes, "Succession" seems to be poised for success, but it isn't the only series about ailing patriarchs and strife within wealthy families. FX's "Trust" followed the story of the Gettys, oil tycoons dealing with the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty's (Donald Sutherland, "M.A.S.H.," 1970) grandson. Fox's "Empire" has been chronicling the saga of hip-hop mogul Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard, "Hustle & Flow," 2005) for four seasons. Now that both of those series have wrapped up for the season, viewers in search of more wealthy family drama can tune in to "Succession," premiering Sunday, June 3, on HBO.