Succession
With three seasons under its belt at HBO, Succession is one of the most critically acclaimed television series airing at the moment. The Succession cast and show revolve around the Roy family and their shady business dealings, with much of the series centering on control of the media and entertainment empire known as Waystar RoyCo.
Built by the family patriarch of the Succession cast, Logan Roy, the series began with the assumption that one of Logan’s children would take over the company when he retires, but series creator Jesse Armstrong has thrown viewers for a loop with incremental changes and familial alignments occurring in each episode.
The professional and personal lives of the Roys and their extended family have been on full display in the Succession cast as their dysfunction takes center stage. Fighting for a chance to control their father’s global media conglomerate, the Roy offspring are often at odds with one another, Logan’s business partners, and the competitors that seek to find a way to dismantle Waystar.
A fourth season of the lifestyles of the super wealthy is on its way, so here is a breakdown of the Succession cast so far.
THE SUCCESSION CAST IS LED BY THE ROY FAMILY
Logan Roy – Brian Cox
As the founder of the company that became Waystar RoyCo, Logan Roy is the billionaire patriarch and owner of the family-run media conglomerate in the Succession cast. Though he positions his children in various roles within the company, Logan’s skepticism of his family’s intentions makes it difficult for him to trust anyone outside his core orbit. Focusing much of his attention on mergers and the daily operations of his company, Logan wields power over those around him.
Arguably the most well-known cast member when Succession first began in 2018, Brian Cox embodies the rags-to-riches Scottish native as Logan attempts to thwart hostile takeovers, both internally and from outside of Waystar RoyCo.
Connor Roy – Alan Ruck
The eldest of Logan Roy’s four children, Connor was born to Logan and his first wife. Choosing to stay out of his father’s business, for the most part, Connor has interests in history, the arts, and politics. With his girlfriend Willa, Connor often sides with Logan when it comes to significant matters that affect the family but tends to lend a kind ear to his half-siblings in moments of distress.
An outsider by nature, Connor chooses to run for President of the United States on the libertarian ticket, angering his family and affecting his father’s reputation.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off alum Alan Ruck plays Connor Roy to hilarious effect, giving the Succession cast some much-needed comedic relief when the drama gets too heated.
Kendall Roy – Jeremy Strong
Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox are typically viewed as the lead performers of Succession’s ensemble cast, with Strong’s take on Kendall Roy netting him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2020. When the series began, Kendall was seen as the obvious heir apparent of all of the Succession cast to lead Logan’s business empire.
However, his well-documented substance abuse and reckless behavior in important business deals gone wrong have made him an outcast in his own family. Choosing to go against the grain and attempt to force his father out of Waystar, Kendall fails both privately and on the public stage.
Always trying to prove his worth to his father, an incident at his sister Shiv’s wedding forces Kendall down a rabbit hole of mental health issues and coverups, leading to an implosion of epic proportions for Logan and Kendall.
Roman Roy – Kieran Culkin
Like his brother Kendall, Roman Roy is constantly seeking approval from his father but tends to get a pass for his deranged behavior when others wouldn’t. Roman, or “Romulus” to his father, doesn’t understand how smart he actually is and chooses to hide his insecurities with funny one-liners and jokes at his siblings’ expense.
Culkin’s depiction of the character’s sexual and asinine personality makes for an exciting addition to the Succession cast. A convincing Roman forms a close alliance with Logan’s business confidant, Gerri, who tries to steer Roman’s unwavering ship in the right direction.
Over the course of three seasons, Roman becomes well-versed in his father’s company and eventually becomes an integral advisor despite mishaps along the way. Roman’s relationship with Gerri becomes sexualized, which forces Logan to lose trust in him.
Siobhan “Shiv” Roy – Sarah Snook
The youngest of the main Roy clan in the Succession cast, Shiv is played by Australian actor Sarah Snook as a liberal outsider to her father’s otherwise conservative tactics. Shiv is shown initially to be a talented political fixer and consultant for Democratic politicians but chooses to join Waystar when her father offers her a leadership position.
As the episodes progress, Shiv is depicted as a shrewd businesswoman under the veil of pretending to be kind-hearted, especially when it comes to her husband, Tom. Their relationship becomes a focal point in the series, as Tom works for Waystar, and the two scheme for him to take on executive positions, even though Shiv has an agenda all her own.
THE EXTENDED FAMILY IS THE COMEDIC BACKBONE OF THE SUCCESSION CAST
Tom Wambsgans – Matthew Macfadyen
As Shiv’s fiancé and eventual husband, Tom Wambsgans is a rambling Waystar executive that enjoys his close alliance with Shiv and the rest of the Roy family. His business decisions regarding the company’s Parks & Cruises division lead Tom into uncharted waters, as he bullies Greg Hirsch through coverups and misdeeds.
Tom’s deceitful tone towards Greg often offsets that of Shiv’s manipulation of Tom, and Greg eventually evolves into a person that Tom leans on for support. Even though Tom is portrayed as a dimwitted bully within the Succession cast, he is much more intelligent than he looks and knows how to insert himself into the Roy family game of chess.
Greg Hirsch – Nicholas Braun
“Cousin Greg,” as the members of the Roy family often refer to him, Greg Hirsch is Logan’s great-nephew who joins Waystar in season 1 in a low-level position after being fired from one of the company’s theme parks. Assigned to Tom, Greg becomes the victim of Tom’s constant bullying and scheming but often finds a way out of sticky situations.
An awkward outsider who gains access to intimate details of the Roy family, Greg switches alliances throughout the series. He possesses a lot of knowledge that could land any one of the Succession cast of characters in jail.
THE WAYSTAR EXECUTIVES
Gerri Kellman – J. Smith Cameron
The general counsel for Waystar RoyCo, Gerri Kellman is one of Logan Roy’s trusted confidants and a staple of the media empire. A loyal employee for two decades, Gerri is Shiv’s godmother who begins a quasi-sexual relationship with Roman.
After Kendall goes against Logan in a very public press conference that presents a coverup of a sexual misconduct scandal at Waystar, Gerri is appointed acting CEO and takes Logan’s place temporarily at the company.
Karl Muller – David Rasche
David Rasche plays Waystar RoyCo’s chief financial officer Karl Muller, another of Logan’s trusted employees who aligns himself with the business interests of Logan and the company as a whole. Karl tends to be just as deviant as some of the other top executives at the company and finds himself at odds with some of Logan’s children.
Stewy Hosseini – Arian Moayed
A college friend of Kendall’s and a well-known private equity investor, Stewy Hosseini becomes integral to Waystar’s trajectory as the series progresses. A recurring character within the Succession cast, Stewy is painted as a confidant of Kendall’s but ends up stabbing his friend in the back when push comes to shove.
He lands himself a seat on the board at Waystar but secretly partners with Sandy Furness, a competitive rival of Logan’s. Through shrewd business dealings that lean heavily on information he receives from Kendall about Logan’s involvement in Waystar scandal coverups, Stewy is able to negotiate a seat on the board for Sandy’s daughter Sandi.
Josh Aaronson – Adrien Brody
A new addition to the Succession cast, Academy Award winner Adrien Brody plays billionaire Josh Aaronson. A Waystar RoyCo shareholder who owns equity in the company, Aaronson tries to mediate Kendall and Logan’s feud in season 3 of the series on his private island.
WAYSTAR RIVALS
Sandy Furness – Larry Pine
Sandy Furness owns a media conglomerate that is seen as a competitor to Waystar RoyCo. His discreet partnership with Stewy Hosseini makes headway into dismantling parts of Waystar’s executive leadership positions, but Sandy suddenly gets sick and has his daughter Sandi step in to close out negotiations.
Sandi Furness – Hope Davis
The daughter of Sandy Furness, Sandi enjoys a close relationship with Stewy Hosseini and battles for ownership of Waystar RoyCo. Negotiating for her father when his health begins to deteriorate, Sandi ends up gaining a seat on Waystar’s board.
Ewan Roy – James Cromwell
Greg Hirsch’s grandfather and Logan Roy’s older brother, Ewan Roy is estranged from the bulk of the Roy family. Despite his hatred for his brother and the business that Logan runs, Ewan is often seen as someone who could go against Logan at any moment. However, he chooses not to work against his brother even when Greg asks for his grandfather’s help.
Who doesn’t love a story about super-rich elites who are almost impossible to love and equally impossible to hate? It’s a look at America through a lens that doesn’t always feel so comfortable, but it sure as hell is entertaining. That’s been the case with HBO’s Succession, which is now entering Season 4. It will be the last though, so let’s make sure we are all caught up before things kick off.
Let’s take a look at everything we know about Succession, where the Roy family stands following the last set of stories, and what to expect from the Succession cast this time around.
SUCCESSION HAS BEEN A CRITICAL AND AWARD-WINNING HIT FOR HBO
Succession has enjoyed immense success for HBO and it’s easy to see why. The story of the Roy family and the machinations (both financial and interpersonal) around WayStar Royco has made for fascinating television. It’s darkly comedic and tragic all at the same time, a welcome window into the highest points of American culture and the absurdity there within.
The series has had considerable success since it launched in 2018 with a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and multiple major awards along the way. In 2020 and 2022, it won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing. Plus, Jeremy Strong won Outstanding Lead Actor for Season 2.
There have been many other wins and nominations along the way as well. And that could be the case when Season 4 is all said and done.
SUCCESSION SEASON 4 WILL BE THE LAST OF THE SERIES
Let’s start with the bad news first. It looks like Succession Season 4 will be the final time we see this group of characters on the small screen together. Creator Jesse Armstrong had said in late February that this would be the last turn for the series and the show would be wrapping up on its own terms.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Armstrong outlined some of the thought processes that went into his and the writers’ decision to call the ball after this next season. He discussed how they played out a variety of different options for how the show could maybe go on, or even look different with other iterations.
But ultimately, according to Armstrong, for Succession Season 4, the group decided to “…do something a bit more muscular and complete and go out sort of strong. And that was definitely always my preference.”
In terms of ending on one’s own terms, this is often the exception and not the rule when it comes to television. Too often, series will either get canceled early in a run for a number of different reasons or they will go on forever, completely overstaying the welcome when it comes to putting out creative and tight stories.
And HBO execs were quick to reiterate that not only would Succession Season 4 be the last for the show, but there were unlikely to be spin-offs in this universe. From that perspective, it seems like the powers that be definitely see the series as a whole unit and not lined up to actually be something that serves much in the way of side stories or universe-building.
SUCCESSION MAIN CAST
The success of Succession is built on its whip-smart writing and the unbelievable cast which has come together to formulate one of the best groups working on television. It’s just one of the things that make the return of Succession for Season 4 such an exciting prospect.
For starters, the core Roy family is all still in the mix. That’s Brian Cox as Logan, Jeremy Strong as Kendall, Sarah Snook as Shiv, Kieran Culkin as Roman, and Alan Ruck as Connor. Plus we have Matthew Macfayden as Tom Wambsgans and Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch. For the most part, this makes up the core group of family members who’ve all staked some claim on the aforementioned succession of Waystar Royco.
There are plenty of other characters who are also set to return for Succession Season 4. We should get Waystar stooges with Dagmara Domińczyk as Karolina Novotney, David Rasche as Karl Muller, J. Smith-Cameron as Gerri Kellman, and Peter Friedman as Frank Vernon. Plus Alexander Skarsgard is set to come back as Gojo CEO Lukas Matsson.
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