Unscripted

‘Addicted to Succession? Well, here’s the real thing.’ Hollywood Reporter

The shocking inside story of how dysfunction, misconduct and scandal almost brought down one of Hollywood’s greatest companies.

Unscripted is the inside story of the struggle to control one of the world’s great entertainment empires.

It is the story of the last great Hollywood mogul, Sumner Redstone- the ninety-something founder of Paramount Global who, well into his dotage and facing a scandalous lawsuit, proves increasingly unable to run the sprawling company he has built.

It is the story of his daughter, Shari Redstone- Sumner’s heir apparent who, despite being groomed for power for six decades, struggles to assert her authority over the company and her family’s legacy.

And it is the story of her challenger, Leslie Moonves- the well-liked CEO of CBS who plots a coup to take control of the business – until news leaks that he is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct (allegations he has spent years trying to hush up).

The result is damning portrait of how money and power works in Hollywood now. It illuminates an industry struggling to adapt to the revolution brought by streaming, #MeToo and Black Lives Matter. And it reveals the lengths people will go to in pursuit of power – and the carnage that ensues when they do.

Author Biography

James B. Stewart is a columnist for the New York Times and a professor at Columbia Journalism School. He is the author of books including Deep State, Tangled Webs, Heart of a Soldier, Blind Eye, Blood Sport and Den of Thieves. In 1988, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the stock market crash and insider trading.

Rachel Abrams was a media reporter for the New York Times and is now a senior producer and reporter for the television series The New York Times Presents. In 2018, she was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for reporting that exposed sexual harassment and misconduct.