Gather round, slime puppies! The final season of Jesse Armstrong’s seminal comedy-drama Succession is finally here, and there simply aren’t enough expletives in the English language to express how exciting the next few weeks are going to be.
Aside from the doubtless cacophony of scathing insults, tense business deals and glamorous globe-trotting locations that Season 4 is sure to deliver, it appears the time has also come to address the titular matter of just who is going to take over Waystar Royco in the event of fearsome patriarch Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) demise. Yes – who will be his successor? It could be anyone at this point, and the pool of potential candidates is much wider than just the three core Roy siblings. (Sorry, Connor (Alan Ruck) – overlooked again.)
With Waystar’s buyout by tech mogul Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) imminent, Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong) officially branching out on their own, and Logan looking further outside of the family than ever before for guidance, the field really is wide open. Place your bets now – and read Team Empire’s predictions for who will emerge victorious below:
And the winner is… Roman Roy!
Sophie Butcher
Okay, okay. You’re thinking – Roman? Romulus? In a family of weirdo, uber-privileged arseholes, the weirdest, most uber-privileged of all could be the one to come out on top? Well, if we look at the evidence, we might just find (emphasis on ‘might’) that Roman, of all the Roy siblings, truly is the man for the job. Yes, he made that rocket launch early, which resulted in it blowing up before it even left the ground – and yes, he managed to send his own father a dick pic during an extremely important meeting. But, he did take some management training in the parks, he had the right instincts when it came to dissolving Vaulter, he knew the deal with the Turkish buyers (during which he was held hostage) wasn’t a goer, and he’s the one who convinced Matsson to come on board. Most of all, when working alongside the incredibly competent Gerri (J. Smith Cameron), he really was starting to learn. And despite his inability to be sincere and his crippling Oedipal complex, underneath all that sarcasm, he might just have the biggest heart of all the Roy family. Team hyena!
And the winner is… Connor Roy!
Beth Webb
Succession is at its best when it pulls the hand-knotted Persian rug out from under you. Kendall’s press conference shocker, Tom’s twist of the knife, all made for delicious, deliriously fun telly. What better end to a show that perpetually reminds us of the overwhelming power of rich, often very silly people than with perhaps its biggest surprise yet: the first pancake takes the prize. In an interview with Empire, Connor actor Alan Ruck – eldest son to Logan (not that anybody remembers he is) – outlined the likelihood of his dopey character winning the presidential election, for which he is currently, actually, in the running for. He made comparisons to Trump, which says it all: if a buffoonish, largely clueless man from a wealthy family can win over America, so could Connor. Logan Roy may be harder to win over than the United States, but it’s still put Con safely in the running for successor.
And the winner is… Shiv Roy!
Boyd Hilton
While all the Roy siblings get humiliated on a regular basis, Shiv seems to be on the end of more attempts to undermine her these days than Kendall, Roman, or even that one-man self-own, Connor. Her husband Tom’s stunning betrayal of her at the end of Season 3 left her totally exposed, while dad Logan has consistently undervalued her, despite that fact she’s usually the smartest person in the room. She even has a horrible slapstick moment early on this final season. Hopefully, all these indignities are somehow leading up to an unlikely final triumph for Shiv, and she will somehow vanquish the band of doofuses she’s had to deal with all her life.
And the winner is… Greg Hirsch!
Kay Ribeiro
When the Roy family has imploded, their empire inevitably comes crashing down, and the vultures are picking over the carcass, their doofus cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) will surely become the ultimate winner. Close enough to the family to gain enough pocket change to get by with – a few mill, at least – yet distant enough to not get tainted by the stench of whatever warfare (both business and psychological) goes down, Greg will come out of it rich and desirable to the Manhattan women previously impervious to his charms. The only question is whether his association with fellow ‘disgusting brother’ Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) will leave him forever morally bankrupt.
And the winner is… Tom Wambsgans!
John Nugent
Every character on Succession is a bit tragic, but few are quite as Greek-tragedy pitiful as the gloriously-named Tom Wambsgans. The Minnesota boy done good, Tom is a rare member of the Roy family to have fought his way to the top, inveigling himself into the clan through perseverance, some very Roy-esque shady manoeuvres, and a marriage mostly of convenience. It is Tom's marriage to Shiv that is perhaps the core of his agony: being told, “I may not love you, but I do love you” is as brutal as they come. Despite Tom's perpetual lying, his total lack of morals, his incessant bullying of Greg (who, famously, he must break to make a "Tomelette")… it's hard not to feel sorry for him. Surely he deserves a happier ending than most?
And the winner is... Kendall Roy!
James White
It's been quite the journey for Jeremy Strong's Kendall – from being considered the natural heir, to looking to seize the throne on his own terms when Logan decided to stay in control. He's currently in the midst of a late-hour united front with siblings Shiv and Roman – but, like most of his other efforts, we can see that shattering due to internal pressure. Perhaps that could lead to Kendall forming an unexpected pact with Alexander Skarsgård's tech wonk Lukas Matsson, who's in the process of buying Waystar, and he could still ultimately take victory. Wouldn't that be a nice full-circle moment – for Kendall to finally, properly, be crowned Logan's Number One Boy?
And the winner is… Logan Roy!
Nick de Semlyen
Succession can end only one way. Logan Roy will breathe his last, no doubt raging against the dying of the light. His family will solemnly gather for the reading of the will. And then one of his expensively-suited executors will intone the monumental news that his heir will be… Logan Roy. Yes, of course he cloned himself — what the hell did you think he was doing with all that money? And just before the show cuts to black for a final time, a brand-new bellowing beast of a patriarch will emerge from his gestation pod (the Fuck-Off-O-Matic 3000), berate Kendall et al, then resume business as usual. Okay, it’s not going to happen, and perhaps we’ve seen Jurassic Park too many times – but one can dream, right?