YMMV / Succession

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• Adorkable:
  • Greg is as awkward as they come, but that's a huge reason for why fans think he's just so damn charming.
  • Tom often uncomfortably fumbles about, but when he's not abusing those under him, he demeanor can be pretty sweet.
  • Connor is a deluded dunce, but there's something oddly charismatic about his confidence and dorky nature.
• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Shiv is clearly settling for Tom, but does she have any actual love for him? She sometimes shows affection for him, but always struggles for nice things to say about him, carries on an affair behind his back, and pressures him into an open marriage against his wishes. But when it comes time to offer up a sacrifice for the crisis in cruises, she chooses to protect Tom, losing Logan's respect and whatever remaining chance she had at being the successor in the process.
  • When it comes to his awful treatment of Kendall, is Logan simply an Abusive Parent — or is he a Sink or Swim Mentor who wants to toughen up his heir apparent?
  • Has Roman suffered much more severe abuses and traumas than what has already been shown/stated? Logan slapped him on camera, when Roman was a grown man. Kendall once locked him in a dog cage for an extended period, Logan 'beat him with a slipper until he cried'. Roman was the only Roy child apparently sent to boarding school, and we learn this may have been because he was the 'weaker' child, but what that means isn't clear. Is it possible he was sent away to protect him from something? And/or that while he was at school, he suffered more abuse? Or is it just the cycle of abuse being perpetuated again, since we find out that Logan, the youngest son in his family, was also sent to boarding school with horrific and tragic results?
  • One that has gradually become more serious as the series has gone on: is Greg a genuinely Machiavellian-level master manipulator who is merely Obfuscating Stupidity in order to slip under the radar and is, in fact, the dark horse who will end up winning the series overall? Or is he a snake with absolutely no loyalty to anyone who constantly refuses to pick sides until he feels there's a clear winner and, far from being any kind of mastermind, essentially "fails upwards" in the company and will eventually be kicked to the curb? The series ends with it being pretty much the latter, though he also isn't quite as dumb as he initially appears either.
• Aluminum Christmas Trees: It sounds pretty implausible if you've never heard of it, but ortolan really is eaten whole with a napkin over your head to shield yourself from God's judgment on your decadence (among other possible reasons). Most people who do know about this do so thanks to Anthony Bourdain. Ortolan is also eaten - with napkin over the head - in that other show about unpleasant people with too much money, Billions, as well as another series involving psychological (and physical) torture, Hannibal.
• Anvilicious: Not that every man in the show’s misogyny towards Shiv and other women was ever subtle, but season three really stepped it up, contributing to her breakdown at the end of "Too Much Birthday". The episode "America Decides" in Season 4 kicks it up about 50 notches, leading to her fully turning against the Waystar gang and officially siding with Matsson.
• Award Snub:
  • Despite its first season being one of the best-reviewed of that year, and with a highly lauded ensemble, it garnered only three major awards for the 71st Emmys and missed every acting nomination (though it did end up surprising with a win for Drama Writing). By the second season this was amended when it became an awards darling.
  • Holly Hunter’s popular turn in season 2 went unrecognized, being one of many performances that have been screwed over by the Emmy’s current guest rules. Hunter was disqualified from Guest Actress due to being in too many episodes, but had a role that was fairly small for a supporting actress, putting her at a disadvantage compared to supporting players who appeared in much more of their seasons, including her nominated co-star, Sarah Snook.
  • Though it's amended by the similarly acclaimed Jeremy Strong winning, there were still a decent number of fans rooting for Brian Cox to take the Emmy for Season 2. He did at least get the Golden Globe.
  • Alan Ruck wasn't nominated for Season 3 despite taking on a more central role to much approval. At this time, he's the only one of the main characters yet to get an Emmy nomination.
• Awesome Music: The Nicholas Britell-composed title theme, which garnered an Emmy win.
• Badass Decay: A plot point in-universe.
  • Shiv, who was coolly competent in Season One, is brought back into the family fold and suffers many humiliating moments in her quest for power.
  • Logan isn't quite The Chess Master he used to be, thanks to his stroke and age. Multiple characters are suspicious that he is slipping.
  • After becoming far more effective in his submissive state, Kendall's ego massively inflates after defying Logan and causes him to horribly screw up his war against his father.
• Broken Base: It was somewhat inevitable given that it's the driving question of the show, but the question of who will ultimately win (and, on a smaller scale, who deserves to win) by the end of the series has increasingly devolved into this with each of the siblings (even including Connor) having their camp of supporters, along with several other characters^note mostly Greg, Tom, Gerri, Frank, or someone outside the company like Mattson, to the point where it's likely that no matter the ending, a number of fans will be disappointed. In particular, the idea of Greg potentially becoming the successor by the end is, depending on who you ask, either the single worst idea conceivable and on a par with Bran becoming king in terms of narrative randomness, or a brilliantly fitting way of following Logan's apparent wish to keep the company within the family without passing it to his children. And of course, there's the camp who feel the only satisfactory end would be to see the company destroyed so there is no winner...
• Catharsis Factor:
  • While his getting Off the Wagon has tragic consequences, almost everyone loves high Kendall at the end of “Austerlitz”, where instead of being a tightly-wound self-interested Extreme Doormat, he riles up Logan with a smile, walks in like he owns the place, and it’s the first time he shows off Big Brother Instinct, defending Shiv after their dad makes her cry and telling him to give Roman some credit for once.
  • Waystar getting raided by the FBI. Brian Cox's beautiful performance as it slowly penetrates Logan's head that he's finally up against people he can't just tell to fuck off is a long time coming, and worth all of it.
  • The Roy siblings joining forces to use a supermajority to take down their father. Even if their scheme ultimately fails, its a thrilling scene of sincerity and unity that the characters have lacked for three seasons. It proves that they can and do care about each other and possess far more power than they've recognized before then.
  • After spending the entire season as his father's meek number 2, Kendall responding to Logan selling him out by publicly railing against the man and making it clear he plans to take him down is downright beautiful.
  • After how awful Shiv was to Tom all throughout their marriage, it's very enjoyable seeing him tell her off for this. Even better when he follows that up by standing up to Logan as well. Even better, Logan responds to Tom Taking a Level in Badass by actually treating him better. When Shiv time and time again continues to mistreat him, Tom then destroys her chances of beating Logan all whilst bringing himself closer to the man than ever before.
  • After Connor's been ignored by his family for so long, seeing him snap at Kendall calling himself the eldest son and asserting his place in that role is a welcome sight, even if it doesn't achieve much.
  • After spending the latter half of Season 3 sucking up to Mattson, it's immensely satisfying to see Roman eventually blow up at him in Season 4, calling him out for his behaviour during the negotiations and for refusing to let the Roy siblings have any substantial time to grieve for their father, forcing them instead to fly out to Norway less than 48 hours after Logan's death and then spending the entire time patronising and insulting them. Even though Logan was a terrible human being and father, Mattson is very clearly no better, and the scene is treated almost as if Roman is finally standing to up to Mattson and Logan simultaneously, rejecting their equally cold-hearted way of doing business, and it's implied that for all he might try and hide it, Mattson was genuinely rattled by the outburst.
  • Ewan shows up at Logan's funeral and gives the speech despite the rest of the Roys trying to stop him and it's immensely satisfying, especially in the regard that he is the only one not trying to look for a business angle or even just laying out "The Reason You Suck" Speech, but to give a fair, human eulogy for his brother.
• Crosses the Line Twice:
  • Tom's interview with Mark Ravenhead. His awkward attempts to keep the meeting light, even when it becomes increasingly clear that Mark is a Nazi and Holocaust denier, take the scene from potentially horrifying to downright hilarious, particularly when he asks Mark (who just admitted to reading Mein Kampf "a couple of times") "Are there Easter eggs you didn’t get the first time?"
  • Tom informs Greg that telling Logan's assistant/side piece Kerry that she won't be, in fact, appearing in the broadcast TV is a very delicate diplomatic matter, "like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict... but much more important".
  • When Roman learns that Shiv is pregnant, he asks if the child is his, then doubles down and tells her that he plans to masturbate if he ever sees her breastfeeding.
• Cry for the Devil: Logan Roy doesn’t have much in the way of redeemable traits, but it’s hard not to feel bad for him when you see his scar-riddled back. He’s awful to his children, but it’s clear that he’s suffered from abuse himself, and it’s quite easy to guess that this treatment played a role in his hardened, cold personality.
• Die for Our Ship: Poor Shiv. She’s definitely not a good person, and an awful wife, but from the way Tom Greg shippers talk about her, you’d think she was pure evil and not heavily abused exactly like Kendall and Roman, who aren’t good people either but get a lot more sympathy and context than she does.
  • Which is to say nothing of Comfry - at least there are, as with all the major characters, good reasons for a viewer to hate Shiv (tinted by a shipping lens though they may be). Comfry, meanwhile, is despised for naught but the crime of existing and being a potential love interest to Greg for all of an episode and a half, and the problematic actions of her actress.
• Draco in Leather Pants:
  • Kendall is a power-hungry, backstabbing, entitled jerk, a terrible father, husband, friend, boss and employee, and has actually accidentally killed a person — yet, thanks to his Jerkass Woobie status and Jeremy Strong's widely praised work in the role, he is the subject of several articles about how and why he is hot.
  • Tom is a smug ass, but it can be easy to forget that when you see just how miserable he is and how much abuse he takes. The fact that he’s often pretty docile around his family can also help, and even his most villainous actions (destroying the cruise papers) can be seen as sympathetic when you remember that he originally wanted to do the right thing and publicly release them before the company stopped him.
  • Roman is generally despicable and quite open about it, but he is so charismatic, attractive and fun to watch that combined with the fact that he also gets abused a lot so we can feel sorry for him, he has a huge fanbase.
• Dry Docked Ship: Kendall and Stewy still make with the touches and acting jealous even when they’re angry at each other. Arian Moayed is all for it, aware of all the shipping and happy to push, saying they’ve been boyfriends in the past. The season three promos also had fun (like they had pictures of Tom and Gerri being possessive of Greg and Roman respectively), homoerotically having Stewy circle Kendall like he’s prey.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Ewan is quite loved for being the most morally upright person in a family of snakes. The fact that he repeatedly calls out Logan on his bullshit helps, as does James Cromwell’s performance.
  • Gerri's become very popular for her levelheaded nature, being one of the show’s strongest snarkers, and her oddly endearing relationship with Roman.
  • Caroline has become one of the Love to Hate variety due to being such gloriously a passive aggressive bitch.
  • Rhea ended up earning quite a few fans for being a grade A Deadpan Snarker, an excellent but realistically flawed Manipulative Bitch, and for wising up and leaving Waystar-Royco when it’s clear that no good can come from staying.
  • Nan Pierce was well received for being a fantastic Foil to Logan and epically for telling off him and Rhea when backing out of their deal. Cherry Jones' Emmy winning performance just seals the deal.
  • Frank’s got fans due to being one of Waystar-Royco’s smartest employees and being one of the only people in the company who actually seems to be a decent person.
  • Despite being a Slimeball, Karl wound up with his share of followers thanks to being such a hilarious Butt-Monkey who's thoroughly uncomfortable with his ever-worsening surroundings.
  • Stewy applies for his blunt charm, being totally unflappable, and having an absolutely delectable silver tongue, even by this show's standards as well as being one of the few characters who isn't intimidated by Logan and outright tells him as much.
  • Once she started to come out of the background, many fans latched onto Kendall's assistant Jess. Reasons include her loyalty to Ken, her quietly humorous reactions, and the combination of a sweet personality and cute appearance.
  • Karolina earned some attention from fans despite her relevant lack of screentime due to being one of the more level-headed employees at Waystar-Royco, an impressive feat given her unenviable role as the head of Public Relations.
  • Marcia is quite well liked because of her elegant yet intimidating nature, her intriguing Mysterious Past, and her absolute refusal to back down to anyone who slights her.
  • Josh Aronson has gotten a good deal of praise for magnificently playing both Kendall and Logan all while acting deceptively charming. Being portrayed by a pitch perfect Adrien Brody only helps.
  • Willa's extremely naive but genuinely good-hearted nature has caused fans to point to her as both one of the series' most endearing and funniest characters.
• Evil Is Cool:
  • Logan is a real son of a bitch, but he didn't become an enormous success due to luck, which he frequently demonstrates with his magnificent plotting and the way he effortlessly dominates those around him.
  • Stewy, who's cool, calm, and collected enough to pull a No-Sell on Logan and is actually self aware enough to know he's a bad guy and embrace it, unlike most everyone else involved in Waystar.
• Fanon: Given all the references he’s made to it, it’s heavily speculated that Roman was sexually abused in childhood, but nothing has been confirmed. Kendall, Connor and Shiv have sexual trauma vibes too, especially given all the Parental Incest jokes, but Roman is the most explicit.
• Fan Nickname: As Alan Ruck called them that, Connor feeling like he got passed over for three precocious brats, the Kendall-Roman-Shiv dynamic is usually referred to as “the golden trio”.
• Fan-Preferred Couple: Tom/Greg has far more fans than Tom's canon pairing with Shiv. While very few fans believe it's a healthy pairing, it's far and away the most popular ship on the show due their hilarious and growing homoerotic chemistry as well as the fact that despite Tom's horrible abuse of Greg, he shows himself to care for the guy deep down many different times.
• Fountain of Memes: Literally every one of the main characters for a variety of reasons including the show's sharp writing and each of their individual traits.
  • Greg - being the Plucky Comic Relief - is arguably the biggest example, bringing in loads of memorable one liners, aided by his famously awkward manner.
  • Logan's immensely unpleasant and foul mouthed attitude even by this show's standards earns him this rank. Aided by Brian Cox giving the series' loudest performance.
  • Roman's petty and gross character already makes him one, but it's especially bolstered by being an even bigger Deadpan Snarker than the already extremely snarky cast.
  • Connor due to the most blatantly bizarre Roy and aspiring for a position far above his level. Helps that many fans proudly refer to themselves as "Conheads", his In-Universe following.
  • Shiv's biting sarcasm already gets her this status, but her frequent mocking Large Ham expressions seal the deal.
  • Tom because of how often he embarrasses himself both in public and intimate settings, and the way he hysterically abuses Greg.
  • Kendall because of his famous daddy issues and near universally miserable state. And that's without going into L to the OG.
• Friendly Fandoms:
  • With Sharp Objects and Twin Peaks. The former for being another HBO show centered around abuse, a mother being horribly cutting to her daughter like Caroline is to Shiv, and a screaming into coats scene. The latter for having an abusive father who kills his child (in this show’s case, making Kendall the blood sacrifice, and Kendall wants so badly to play the martyr) with a lot of incestuous allusions.
  • There's also a decent amount of crossover with Arrested Development fans due to both series centering around wealthy, yet dysfunctional families made up of mentally unwell, amoral figures.
  • Kendall and Roman fans also tend to adore Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad, being another pathetic abused man who cries a lot, is treated like a battered wife by his father figure, and has a dog motif. Shiv fans love Kim Wexler from Better Call Saul too, as she’s another example of a morally ambiguous hyper-competent-to-mask-insecurity female character given as much depth as her male co-cast.And they all have casts who have a lot of input into their characters and will do essays worth of motivation talk in interviews.
  • The friendly with Better Call Saul got friendlier in season four, as like Jimmy's abusive brother/father figure dying and Jimmy breaking himself down in response, Logan dies and the kids are torn between anger, grief and calcifying themselves to cope.
  • There's also quite a bit of overlap with HBO's other hit show about the schemes and infighting of a wealthy and powerful family, House of the Dragon (and to a lesser extent its predecessor show and the book series they were based on). Fans of both are drawn to the complex and morally grey ensemble cast and the themes of intergenerational trauma and the corruption of the upper-class.
  • There's one with The Righteous Gemstones, both being HBO series about three dysfunctional rich kids fighting for control of their aging father’s empire.
  • Fans of The Lion in Winter tend to really like Succession, due to both shows focusing on a Succession Crisis in a Dysfunctional Family, with lots of mind games, complex characters and relationships, and clever dialogue. The Black Comedy helps, too.
• Genius Bonus:
  • The paintings in the seasons 1 and 2 posters are meaningful if you recognize them, considering the show is about morally bankrupt rich people stabbing each other in the back.
    • Season 1's poster features "The Tiger Hunt" by Peter Paul Rubens, about the brutality that goes on during a hunt.
    • Season 2's poster features Dante and Virgil in Hell by William-Adolphe Bouguereau features the titular characters and hellish residents look on as the humans tear each other to shreds.
  • One of Eduard Asgarov's earliest scenes has him explaining his plans for a Scottish soccer team. If you know anything about soccer you know his plan is basically impossible (Scotland doesn't have a second Champions League spot, for one). It's effective foreshadowing for the season finale where Roman scuttles his biggest accomplishment, a deal he brokered with the Asgarovs, after concluding that they're unserious and unreliable.
  • Also, confusing Hearts and Hibs as Roman does isn’t just a matter of mixing up two teams that both start with an H. The two are bitter, hated rivals for not just soccer, but sectarian religious reasons (Both clubs are in Edinburgh, Hibs were founded by Irish Catholics, Hearts is the Protestant team)
  • In the season two premiere, Logan tells Shiv to remember this “slant of light” when she asks if this is real. If you know your Dickinson, it’s proof that she’s getting manipulated, as the slant of light gives way to despair.
  • One of the final shots of "Too Much Birthday" features Kendall gazing down at The Vessel, a notable suicide hotspot in New York City, while he sits in the midst of his depressive spiral.
  • In "Mass in Times of War," Shiv looks at Kendall and says, "You're the little man who started this big war." This is a paraphrase of Abraham Lincoln, who supposedly said of Harriet Beecher Stowe, "You're the little lady who wrote the book that started this great war."
  • Confirmed by Jeremy Strong in a Rotten Tomatoes TV interview, but Kendall’s arc in season three is a reference to “The Crack Up”, essays about a self-loathing man in mania trying to reinvent himself but breaking down and realizing he's not a good person.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: The show is very popular amongst British viewers, as the blend of serious drama and Black Comedy used throughout the show is a frequent staple in many British sitcoms. It also helps that showrunner Jesse Armstrong is English himself.
• Growing the Beard:
  • Many TV critics were initially put off by the series as just another show about rich white people, and many viewers found the first several episodes dull. By the end of Season 1, as the pace picks up and the tone solidifies, both critics and fans were onboard. Season 2 was even more critically lauded and was named either the best or one of the best shows of 2019 by a variety of publications.
  • "Which Side Are You On" is agreed by many as the show's turning point, which is funnily enough signified by the episode being our first sighting of Connor with a beard.
• Harsher in Hindsight: In "Prague", Logan tells Greg to look after Kendall, because he doesn't want his son in a box or dead in a "French fag's pool". Chiantishire has Kendall try and commit suicide in the pool after Logan gives another "The Reason You Suck" Speech, and unlike the rest of the family, Logan doesn’t seem to care.
• Heartwarming in Hindsight:
  • Shiv and Kendall’s hug in “Safe Room” and him asking her to look after him becomes sweeter in “All the Bells Say”, where she’s the gentlest with him even before the Internal Reveal of what happened with the waiter.
  • In the season 2 finale, Kendall and Shiv make fun of Roman for wanting to talk about feelings as none of them have any. Come the season 3 finale, they come together and support each other.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • "Dundee" features a protestor holding a sign reading "Roy Cunt". Less than a year after the episode first aired, another popular, critically acclaimed TV series premiered featuring a character named Roy Kent, making the sign sound like a prescient play on words.
  • Ewan Roy's Establishing Character Moment in the first season is to complain about how Greg shouldn't wish him a happy Thanksgiving due to the treatment of Native Americans by Pilgrims at the time. A few years later, James Cromwell superglued himself to a Starbucks counter to protest against Starbucks' vegan-milk upcharge, claiming that it hurts minorities and animals greatly.
  • "Not many campaign posters use mugshots."
• Hollywood Homely: Greg (Nicholas Braun) is told that he's too ugly for Comfry (Dasha Nekrasova), who is "way out of his league", by both Kendall and Tom. In all fairness, Comfry doesn't seem to mind when Greg does ask her out.
• Ho Yay:
  • Roman and Jeryd Mencken get real chummy real fast, with their interactions absolutely dripping with homoerotic tension. The fact that Roman more than likely goes both ways brings the attraction quite close to canon. It got to the point where many believe the two fooled around in that bathroom.
  • Stewy/Kendall. Even the actors see them as a dysfunctional Dry Docked Ship, Stewy turns Tom’s whole bachelor do into an excuse-party to try and get Kendall out from his shitty family, and Kendall looks so jealous when he sees Stewy and Josh hug.
  • Shiv and Lisa are both awkward about their “history” together, both calling it a “friend… relationship”, and Shiv gets weird and babbly and needy with Lisa, almost sounding jealous that Lisa has picked her brother over her.
  • There are questions to be had about Frank and Logan. It’s not a giant leap to assume that Logan’s deep and constant homophobia might be a cover of something, Frank always comes back, and Logan always wants him back, and in a moment of piss-mad self-aware, he confuses Kendall for Frank and says he’s the only one allowed to be mean to Frank.
  • A lot of the time Tom seems to want to get with Shiv’s dad more than he does Shiv. He brags to Greg that he’s banging Logan’s “g-spot”, and in s3 he gets into Logan’s good graces by promising to be a version of Kendall that “won’t wriggle”, and throws Shiv down the stairs for her abusive father.
• Incest Yay Shipping:
  • Almost all the of the main characters are related to each other, and a cursory look through Archive of Our Own reveals a decent percentage of Kendall/Shiv, Kendall/Roman and Kendall/Roman/Shiv fics.
  • Not just a fandom thing, as Nicholas Braun gave a hilariously detailed character answer on which sibling he’d fuck, marry or kill, and ended with fucking Kendall, cos “he’s been through a lot, and he’d be grateful”.
• Jerkass Woobie:
  • Kendall Roy is a selfish, petty, hypocritical asshole who accidentally killed someone thanks to his drug use, a shitty father and husband, and someone who appropriated sexual abuse victims for his own self-loathing and daddy issues, but he’s been so abused by his father that he barely knows what else he’s for, has a childhood trauma stutter and is prone to crying even when people are kind to him, can’t differentiate between abuse and love and thinks about killing himself multiple times.
  • Tom is smarmy, full of himself, and willing to abuse anyone under him, but he’s also a horribly insecure punching bag to the rest of his stepfamily, with his own wife constantly treating him like shit, and even making him commit to an open relationship on their wedding night, an arrangement that is highly one sided to her and makes him high uncomfortable. When Tom finds out about some highly problematic past issues in the company, his attempts to bring them to light are denied. Once the info actually leaks, he’s publicly humiliated when questioned about it and nearly forced to take the blame despite being the only person aware of the controversy who wanted to do the right thing. By the end of season 2, Tom admits to Shiv that he’s unhappy most of the time, and despite genuinely loving her, he’s considering leaving her due to her frequent abuse against him.
  • Roman is a real piece of work, but as mentioned above, there are many hints that he’s suffered the worst physical abuse from his family at a young age, and these experiences have likely turned him into the mess that he is nowadays. While he mostly acts as a merry Deadpan Snarker, there are several moments, whether he’s in danger, or being emasculated by his father where comes across as more or a vulnerable deer staring at headlights.
  • Shiv is a cocky, narcissistic woman who frequently cheats on and is generally horrible to her loving husband, but it becomes clear that she’s just as desperate for Logan’s approval as her siblings, as she spends much of the second and third season being emotionally manipulated by him over and over. And despite being and all-around awful wife to Tom, she still legitimately loves him and is greatly disheartened and shocked to find out that he’s willing to leave her behind. She also has to deal with a lot of misogyny in season three (Roman’s incest jokes getting worse, Kendall humiliating her with “Rape Me”, Tom wanting to baby trap her, gendered abuse from both her parents, Waystar wanting to use her as a Blonde Republican Sex Kitten face for the scandals), which is tough to watch.
  • Logan is the least moral man of the entire cast, but it’s also implied that he went through a horribly abusive childhood, evidenced by his numerous scars that have persisted to this day. Additionally, while his own actions are to blame for these events, his own son betrays him, his empire starts to fall apart before his very eyes, and it's plainly stated to him that he’s hated by everyone, a fact he doesn’t dispute. Even his attempted sacrifice of Kendall can be sympathetic when you see just how broken up he is resorting to this option, as despicable as it is.
  • Connor is an idiot who's far too confident in his mostly nonexistent abilities. He's also very clearly Logan's least favorite child, frequently being ignored by his dad in favor of the others and viewed by almost everyone as a total joke. There's also the ambiguous matter of his mother's mental illness and how that may have impacted him, and his rather sad attempt at a loving relationship with Willa, being unable to see how his paid arrangement is not a healthy love.
  • After failing to make a decent living, the well-meaning Greg comes back into his family's fold to seek employment there. He quickly becomes overwhelmed with their absurdly brutal lifestyle and struggles to survive amongst them whilst enduring all kinds of abuse, particularly from his new friend Tom. However, this is balanced out by Greg gradually embracing his Jerkass nature more and more, losing whatever moral high ground he once had over people who make his life Hell.
  • Gerri, Karl and Frank. They willingly work for Logan, and cover up all kinds of nasty shit, but they’re very afraid of him and of “boar on the floor”. They also knew Shiv, Kendall and Roman when they were children, and as much as Frank is a Parental Substitute for Kendall and Gerri cares about Roman, did very little to stop the abuse.
• LGBT Fanbase: while it has a variety of fans, the queer subsection of fans is notable, with queer fans especially being huge fans of characters like Roman and Stewy.
• Love to Hate:
  • Logan Roy is a despicable man who regularly abuses his great power in both business and family settings, but you can’t help but respect his incredibly savvy nature and Brian Cox’s absolutely towering performance makes him an extremely watchable and engaging Big Bad.
  • His son Roman is a knowingly slimy grade-A prick who likes to pick petty fights with everyone around him whilst reveling in his repugnancy. However, the combination of his genuine wit and Kieran Culkin’s delectable performance makes him highly entertaining.
  • His daughter Shiv follows family tradition, being a bullying, narcissistic hypocrite who will do almost anything to win. But her cool charisma and impressive intellect aided by Sarah Snook's effortless fantastic portrayal has earned her plenty of love.
  • Her husband Tom is a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who is all too happy to abuse any underling he can get his hands on to make himself feel bigger. But he's so hilarious and pitiable that fans can't help but love him and heap praise upon Mathew Macfadyen's killer performance.
• Magnificent Bitch: Rhea Jarrell is a "subtle dagger" in the world of blunt force that the Roy family occupies. The CEO of Pierce Media (PGM) who orchestrates a merger between PGM's owners the Pierce family and Waystar-RoyCo's owners the Roys, Rhea plays both sides to earn herself the highest payday. When the Waystar cruise scandal causes the deal to fall apart and the Pierce family to fire her, Rhea quickly manipulates herself into the good graces of Logan Roy, isolating him from his kids and turning him against them one at a time to set herself up as his successor. Even though she is announced as Waystar's new CEO and set to gain new levels of power, Rhea ultimately rejects the position when she sees how truly awful and toxic the company is, and Rhea abandons the Roys with her dignity intact after Logan tries to force her to silence abuse victims.
• Memetic Badass:
  • Fans like to joke that Greg is a secretly genius chessmaster and will be the eventual successor. Then comes the season two finale, where Greg sides with Kendall to take down Logan during the cruises scandal, bolstering these jokes to near-canon.
  • Tom instantly became one after his expertly handled power play at the end of Season 3, and the jokes came back twice as strong after he outmaneuvered the Roys and became Waystar's CEO in the Grand Finale.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • The opening theme music has been enjoying a life of its own, soundtracking memes, TikTok videos and scenes from other films and TV shows.
  • The phrase "Fuck off" has caught on with fans thanks to it's frequent use, particularly from Logan. Brian Cox himself has embraced it.
  • "You can't make a Tomlette without breaking some Greggs".
  • Schiavone.^note A misspelling of Siobhan, usually accompanied by a bad photo of Shiv.
  • "Connor Roy was interested in politics from a very young age" and its many variants.^note Connor insists on this being the only quotation Pantsil is allowed to extract from him at Lester's funeral, which he doubles down on by reading a deliberately generic and bland eulogy. As it happens, Jeremy Strong's page on The Other Wiki states that he "was interested in acting from a very young age", which he actually was.
  • In keeping with their status as the show's Signature Scenes, "Boar on the Floor" and "L to the OG" are quite memetic.
  • From the outside, “kiss from daddy”, as that’s all anyone wants in the show, and being Logan’s successor is just a symbol of that.
  • Tom is Princess Diana.^note Both are awkward outsiders who married into an Uber-rich family that constantly belittles them; screenwriter Georgia Pritchett made the connection in an interview, and it soon caught on with fans. A common joke is calling Tom's linen suit in the S3 finale his "revenge dress".
  • After Tom makes a mess in Greg's office while celebrating his not going to prison, some fans posted imaginary reactions from other ATN employees listening from the outside, pointing out what the scene sounds like out of context.
  • Roman nervously scrolling on the computer and receiving a bunch of notifications after the disastrous rocket launch.^note It is a reaction video often used when someone is ignoring responsibilities, or in response to a celebrity fumbling in public.
  • "Queerthreatening." ^note  A Tumblr post asserting that rather than queerbaiting the viewers by enticing them with all the Ho Yay between Tom and Greg, the show is, if anything, queerthreatening that the Ho Yay could go even further, much to the terror of the viewers. The term "Queerthreatening" quickly caught on for Tom Greg shippers, and has even been used in other fandoms.
  • AMBIGUOUS DISORDER ^note A gif◊ that was originally in a Tumblr gifset of Kendall Roy's characters tropes, but has been taken out of context as a bizarre reaction gif. It's even been extended to the other characters.
  • "My favorite show, Suck Session."
  • "There is no way they're closing the portal". ^note A tumblr post stating "do you guys think Kendall is going to close the portal or is it over for New York" as a joke regarding the events of an episode. It's since spiralled into the portal being a metaphor for the cycle of abuse the Roys are stuck in, with people often using it as shorthand for how bad Kendall is doing that week (i.e., "there is no way he's closing the portal", "if anything Kendall is making the portal bigger").
  • "You are not serious people." ^note Is something that Logan tells his children in Season 4. Fans have repurposed it as a response to anyone positing Epileptic Trees that are deemed too outlandish or silly for the show.
  • "I'm the eldest boy!" ^note Kendall's desperate final demand to get Shiv to block the GoJo deal in the series finale. The quote is often repurposed and applied to other series with eldest sons demanding they get their way.
  • "I thought it made sense dramaturgically." ^note Jeremy Strong in regards to Logan's death during an "Inside the Episode" interview. The statement has been teased for its Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness and the word "dramaturgically" is thrown around often by fans, with some assuming it is a Perfectly Cromulent Word Strong made up himself.
• Misaimed Fandom:
  • Some people are completely on Logan’s side, not even in a Rooting for the Empire or Love to Hate kind of way, because they agree that the Roy kids are spoiled, which while that’s true, he’s used that reminder to degrade them and keep them scared/desperate for his approval.
  • Jesse Armstrong himself is openly annoyed with comparisons to “Game of Thrones” and thinking the characters are all more Machiavellian than they really are. The point is often made that these people merely think they're genius-level chessmasters and grand manipulators, when in fact they're often just hapless, over-privileged bumblers who are ultra-wealthy enough to be cushioned from the consequences of their actions and who have accumulated enough wealth, influence and privilege to be able to bully their way into getting what they want most of the time.
  • Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong have all pointed out that while their characters are shitty humans, you can’t mutually exclude that from how badly they have been abused in both childhood and in their adult lives.
  • On the flipside, some viewers can let their natural sympathy for how these characters have been treated in their past lead them to use this as an all-inclusive "get out of jail free" card for everything they subsequently do, leading them excuse, justify or handwave even their worse actions throughout the series. They might have their sympathetic qualities, but they're still mostly awful people who do horrible things to get what they want, and their past abuse doesn't and shouldn't justify the harm they go on to do to others.
• Narm Charm:
  • Despite the cringeworthy lyrics he spouts out during "L to the OG", several viewers have noted that Kendall's rapping skills are actually pretty solid. Worth noting, several guests seem to genuinely enjoy the performance.
  • Jeremy Strong's performance in the series finale's climax is full of Large Ham and Chewing the Scenery ("I'm the eldest boy!") from a character who's been, for the most part, very nuanced and subtle. It still works thanks to Strong's utter commitment, Kendall's Manchild characterization hitting its zenith, and it not being too distracting to the emotions of the scene. Strong ended up with an Emmy nomination for his performance here.
• Nausea Fuel: The show gets a lot of mileage out bodily horror: as rich as the characters are, they can't outrun their fallible human bodies.
  • Kendall shits the bed after a night of drug abuse.
  • Roman masturbates in his office and then struggles to wipe the cum off the windows.
  • Logan pisses on the carpet. Twice.
  • Greg is attacked by sand mites. They are, thankfully, invisible, but his reactions are not.
  • In "Austerlitz", Dr Parfit - the psychologist who's been brought in to provide the Roys with some much-needed therapy, is told that it's OK to dive into the pool. It's not - the pool is in fact very shallow - and Parfit breaks several teeth.
• Nightmare Fuel: For those with abusive parents, Logan is terrifying. Whenever he loses his temper, his grown children all recoil in fear.
  • The “Boar on the Floor” scene from season two especially stands out: Karl, Tom, and Greg are forced to crawl all over the floor, make pig noises, and fight each other for sausages in front of the other guests, who laugh and jeer in an almost maniacal way.
• No Yay: Kendall and Logan are at the very least actor-confirmed as enmeshed, but an HBO Max ad in Portugal took the subtext to the next level by having a heart around their heads.
• One-Scene Wonder:
  • Ewan only appears in a single episode of season two, but his brutal takedowns of Logan make him continue to stand out.
  • Same goes for Caroline, who shows that she can be just as awful of a parent as Logan.
• Realism-Induced Horror: The show has a big audience of abuse survivors who both appreciate it for realistic trauma (the Roy kids are not “perfect” abuse victims, far from it, and carry on The Chain of Harm, but are still treated sympathetically) and find it very hard to watch sometimes, as Logan is such an effective monster yet both audience and his children can fall for his lies.
• Ron the Death Eater: Ironically, mirroring the bias pictured on-screen, the characters that tend to get it it harder than the others from the audience, appear to be women:
  • Harriet Walter has pointed out that, as horrible as Caroline is, it’s unreasonable to say she’s the reason as to why the children are like that, as Logan explains that full well himself.
  • Her onscreen daughter doesn’t get it great either, Sarah Snook expressing confusion over how many people acted like it was right for Caroline to blame her thirteen-year-old daughter for choosing an equally abusive father.
  • J Smith Cameron has had to point out that Gerri didn’t break Roman’s heart on purpose at the end of season three, and she’s been asking him to think professionally/give her a reason to help for ages now.
• Rooting for the Empire: As horrible as Logan Roy can be, some find themselves siding with him either because they find his children are completely hopeless and entitled, or simply because they just like seeing what he'll do next.
• The Scrappy: People really don’t like Comfry, seeing her as a totally uninteresting character taking scenes that could have easily gone to Jess, her lukewarm flirtation with Greg, and her actress being the cohost of a pretty controversial podcast.
• Signature Line:
  • "Boar on the floor!"
  • "L to the OG".
  • "You can't make a Tomlette without breaking some Greggs."
  • "You're my number one boy."
  • "If it is to be said, so it be - so it is."
  • "This is the day his reign ends."
  • "You're not a killer. You have to be a killer."
  • "I would castrate you and marry you in a heartbeat."
  • "I love you... but you are not serious people."
• Signature Scene:
  • In the show's very first episode, the Roys play baseball in a park. Roman writes a check for $1,000,000 and tells a local working-class boy that he will get the money if he hits a home run; when the boy fails to do so, Roman rips the check right in front of the boy's eyes.
  • Kendall having his bathroom breakdown and screaming into a coat, followed by cleaning it up all up again.
  • Shiv’s facial journey in “Safe Room” as she realises Kendall is sobbing on her shoulder. It made Jesse Armstrong cry, and Kendall asking her to look after him hangs over their relationship, both for drama and laughs.
  • Kendall's cringeworthy "L to the O-G" rap from season 2 made social media waves when it aired.
  • "Boar on the Floor" quickly became an iconic scene, and by far one of the most memorable moments of the second season.
  • When Shiv's speech is interrupted by "Rape Me" by Nirvana.
  • Logan winning the board vote and firing Kendall. Commonly agreed to be when the show became must watch television.
  • Kendall betraying and laying into Logan on live television, while his dad responds with a smile.
  • Tom comforting and kissing a baffled and furious Shiv after he just betrayed her for Logan.
  • Roman accidentally sending Logan a dick pic.
  • Tom pelting Greg with water bottles.
  • Logan telling Kendall he's to take the fall for cruises.
  • The image of Shiv and Roman awkwardly but lovingly comforting Kendall as he breaks down in a dusty, brightly lit spot by the bins in Tuscany.
  • Logan shutting down Kendall, Shiv, and Roman's new alliance to stop his sale of Waystar.
  • The brutal argument between Tom and Shiv at the end of "Tailgate Party".
• Shocking Moments: The plot twists in the Season One, Season Two and Season Three finales, and, for a more light-hearted version, Kendall's drug-addled rap performance.
  • Logan's Surprisingly Sudden Death in "Connor's Wedding". While everyone was expecting him to bite it at some point (it is the show's Driving Question, after all), no one expected it to happen three episodes into the final season, and certainly not in such an abrupt manner.
• Slow-Paced Beginning: This is a dialogue-heavy show concerned with subtle power plays and financial machinations, and only picks up the pace in the middle of Season One with Kendall's frenzied vote of no confidence.
• So Bad, It's Good:
  • Kendall's bonkers "L to the O-G" rap - complete with a Mic Drop - at a black-tie gala is the height of the show's Cringe Comedy, thanks to its catchy beat and transcendently terrible lyrics. Many critics have singled it as one of the best TV moments of 2019, and VICE jokingly referred to it as "the song of the year". In-universe, some people in the audience are seen bopping to it (though most are likely suffering from second-hand embarrassment).
  • Kerry's audition tape for an ATN news reporter is so amusingly terrible, that not only the Roy siblings, but also Hugo and Gerri are shown to watch it on repeat and giggle.
• Spiritual Successor: Succession is what happens when you turn Arrested Development into a TV-MA Black Comedy in a way that only HBO can provide.
• Squick:
  • Any time Roman masturbates, or when it's revealed that the reason for his impotency with women is due to their failure to appease his kinks — not only humiliation, but his dead girl fetish.
  • Tom swallows his own semen — after it was spat back into his mouth by Tabitha — at the underground rave the boys go to for his bachelor party.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • Lawrence Yee gets a powerhouse introduction in the pilot, swearing to tear Waystar apart piece by piece after duping Kendall into letting him in, but then barely appears and unceremoniously has his company destroyed early in Season 2. The series was still pretty unbaked in the pilot episode, and his character seems to be a victim of post-pilot rejiggering.
  • The only particularly noticeable criticism of season 2 is that Marcia is noticeably more Out of Focus there than she was in the first. She's then in far less of the third season. Granted, this lessened role does have plot importance as it shows how Logan's actions have alienated so many, including a woman who genuinely loved him.
• Unpopular Popular Character: In general, all the Roys and their associates are not well liked In-Universe, but are agreed to be fascinating characters by viewers.
  • In the show, Greg is the Butt-Monkey and The Chew Toy to his wealthier relatives. Out of the show, he's a fan favorite and you'd be forgiven for thinking he's the main character.
  • Tom is widely regarded as a loser by seemingly everyone, with even his wife showing him little to no respect. But he’s also widely seen as one of the show’s best characters, with Mathew Macfadyen’s performance being met with quite a lot of acclaim.
  • Stewy isn't lying to Logan when he says, "Everyone fucking hates you". However, Logan is widely seen as a brilliant villain, with his hateful qualities earning him quite a few fans, including some who even root for him.
  • Kendall is constantly disrespected and abused by his family and outsiders, but he’s arguably the most popular character of the entire series. It helps that Jeremy Strong's performance as him is so good, he beat Brian Cox (Logan) to the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2020.
  • Connor is viewed as a joke and a disappointment by Logan and siblings and most other people who see him as a doddering fool who isn't anywhere near as smart or cultured as he'd like to think. But fans absolutely love him due to Alan Ruck's wonderfully deadpan and sincere performance and the fact that he's the only Roy sibling who isn't actively horrible or amoral.
• The Woobie: Poor Iverson. Kendall was an absentee junkie of a father even before a (partly self-inflicted) Trauma Conga Line that makes him even more disconnected, and his grandfather insults him for his autism, smacks him with a can of cranberries, uses him as a power play and cozies up to him while reminding him that his dad tried to commit suicide.

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