Warning: This article contains spoilers for Succession Season 4.
IT’S TIME to talk about the TV family we love to hate: the Roys. They’re silly, conniving, and stinking rich, and we can’t get enough of them. Since Succession‘s premiere in 2018, Logan Roy and his offspring have schemed amongst each other in a vie to take over their family-owned media conglomerate, Waystar-Royco. It’s a messy thing being in business with family, and Succession does a stellar job of showing the rich and powerful at their absolute worst. While a non-viewer may think the show is all about people in suits talking in sleek board rooms, the HBO show is rife with shady deals, backstabbing, and even the cover-up of an unfortunate death. And there are also, of course, hilarious moments, like Kendall’s unforgettably cringy rap in his father’s honor.
Now in its fourth and final season, Succession is bound to end with a bang. There’s a major deal to be made (the sale of the family’s company, potentially to Lukas Matsson) and an election, both of which threaten to tear the family apart. Shiv, Roman, Kendall, and Connor will have a tough time trying to get what they believe they’re owed, but no matter how much they all have to suffer, we’ll enjoy the ride.
For memories sake, it’s time to review the small but mighty Succession family tree (look out for some Season 4 spoilers). Unlike our complex Yellowstone family tree, the Succession breakdown is relatively unchanging and simple. The show doesn’t provide much in the way of ages, years characters have been married, or other details you might expect in a traditional tree. Scroll below to get insights into each character and where they fall in the company hierarchy… or family order, whichever you care about more.
The Roys, in all their glory.
Logan and Ewan Roy
First off, we have Waystar-Royco’s founder and CEO, Logan Roy, along with his brother Ewan. The two are originally from Dundee, Scotland, but their mother sent them to live with an uncle in Quebec where they grew into adulthood. While we don’t have much info in how Logan created his vast media empire, it’s clear both he and Ewan have considerable fortunes and at some point, their political values became misaligned. Ewan is big on donating to charities (he plans to give Greg’s inheritance away when he passes), while Logan is all about accruing power, money, and influence.
In Season 4, we finally lose Logan to sudden heart failure. The power vacuum left in his wake is sure to bring his allies and enemies back into the fold (and Ewan, with a seat on the company’s board, is likely to eventually make an appearance).
Logan’s Wives: Wife #1, Caroline, Marcia
The women in Logan’s life are as influential and mysterious as the man himself. First, there’s Logan’s unnamed first wife. We don’t know much about her, other than the fact that she’s the mother of Logan’s firstborn son. From offhand remarks in Season 4, we also know Logan had her placed in a mental institution when Connor was young.
Caroline Collingwood, Logan’s 2nd wife, is the mother of Kendall, Roman, and Siobhan. Like Logan, she isn’t the most affectionate of parents. Similar to Ewan Roy, despite her stakes in Waystar-Royco, Caroline wants to be as uninvolved with the business as possible. She got remarried at the end of Season 3, and assured her kids her husband wasn’t after her money or her influence in the company. There’s no love lost between her and Logan, but her allowing Logan to renegotiate their divorce settlement was the key factor in Logan’s being able to undercut his kids at the end of Season 3 and come to an agreement with Matsson to sell the company. Her kids’ initially protested the deal, but Caroline was on board with her ex-husband.
Marcia is Logan’s estranged current wife. She stuck by his side for most of the show, but separated from him when it was clear he no longer valued her advice (and started spending a lot of time with other women). She’ll no doubt return in Season 4, since she’s likely in the will (and, if you remember from Season 1, she gets two seats on the board when Logan retires; death is probably the same kind of circumstance).
Marianne Hirsch
Daughter to Ewan Roy, Marianne only appears in the Succession premiere, when she pressures Greg to appeal to Logan for a job. It’s clear from her brief scene that Ewan’s side of the family is mostly removed from the Waystar-Royco business, either from disinterest or at Ewan’s request. If she’s happy with how Greg’s turned out, we’ll never know.
The Kids: Kendall, Roman, Shiv, and Connor
The heart of Succession, Kendall, Roman, and Siobhan (known better by her apt nickname “Shiv”) exist as both allies and adversaries throughout the show, fighting when they’re desperate for their dad’s favor and united when they’re all fed up with him. Connor, as the older sibling who never got a shot at running the business and chooses now to keep himself removed, often feels like the black sheep.
Kendall has had a long struggle with addiction, but as far as we know in Season 4, he’s gone zen and kicked the habit. After sparring with his father for multiple seasons (and being sidelined after his father covered up a drug-fueled incident that resulted in the death of a waiter), it seems like Kendall doesn’t want the role of CEO… although after his father’s death, things might have changed.
Roman, after a disastrous flirtatious entanglement with Logan’s top advisor Gerri, has felt unmoored and lost, like a puppy trying to choose which of his two owners to run to. Before his father’s death, he appeased his siblings while secretly working with his father. Now that Logan’s passed, we’ll have to see if he’ll try to strike out on his own or continue following Kendall and/or Shiv’s lead.
Shiv, the youngest, tried to stay out of the business and strike out on her own in politics, notably working for Senator Gil Eavis, Succession’s version of Bernie Sanders. But after her father brought her into the fold, she’s now a major player, particularly as she’s the only woman in a family full of crass men.
And then there’s Connor. For better or worse, he keeps out of Waystar-Royco conversations and stays focus on his own personal goals: running for president and acquiring everything Napoleon ever breathed on. He’s not particularly close with his father, despite his constant attempts to win his favor. At his side is Willa, his reluctant girlfriend, and, now, wife.
Tom Wambsgans
Shiv’s fiancé-turned-husband began as an annoyance to Logan, but has since become a close advisor since his appointment as Chairman of Global Broadcast News at ATN, the news channel division. Power-hungry and vain, Tom is desperate to keep his position in the company, despite his only leverage being his marriage to Shiv (whom he betrayed in Italy in favor of her father). With his divorce looming and now Logan’s death, Tom will have to scramble to save his own hide. And, of course, to protect his best friend/punching bag, Greg, too.
Rava Roy
Kendall’s separated wife tries to keep a healthy distance between herself and the Roy family. She infrequently serves as Kendall’s confidante, but more often takes care of their two kids and regularly declines Kendall’s attempts at a reconciliation.
Willa Roy (née Ferreyra)
The newest addition to the Roy family, Willa began as Connor’s escort, then became enamored with his lavish lifestyle and stuck around. Connor was clearly in love with her from the start, but until Season 4, anyone would have guessed that Willa would ultimately just steal a few of Connor’s Napoleon treasures and run off to a Brooklyn pawn shop. In the final season, she admitted Connor offered her a kind of safety with his money and privileges, but was sticking around for the long haul. It’s likely the most romantic this show will ever be, so we’ll take it.
Greg Hirsch
Clearly the comedic relief of the show, Greg is the bumbling nepo baby the rest of the family tries their best to ignore. He serves as Tom’s assistant (a slap in the face to anyone who thinks about where that puts him in the family hierarchy), and regularly relies on Shiv’s husband for insight into the state of the company, a path to acquiring more power, and just general messing around. If Greg can become more than an errand boy, that’ll be a win for him.
Kendall’s Kids: Iverson and Sophie
Although we don’t see much of them, they’re still an important part of the family. Sophie and Iverson are Kendall and Rava’s two kids. Their relationship with their father is likely strained, considering how little he sees them. As for their grandfather? In Season 1, Logan hit Iverson in the face with a can during a family function. And in Season 3, we saw Iverson forced to eat Logan’s food when he feared Kendall poisoned it. Yeah… there’s probably no love lost there.
Milan Polk is an Editorial Assistant for Men’s Health who specializes in entertainment and lifestyle reporting, and has worked for New York Magazine’s Vulture and Chicago Tribune.
Comments are closed.