Character Relationship Map: Succession

Characters

• Kendall Roy (played by Jeremy Strong) — protagonist

  Member of the Roy family, owners of global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, involved in the fight for control of the company.

• Roman Roy (played by Kieran Culkin) — supporting

  Member of the Roy family, owners of global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, involved in the fight for control of the company.

• Siobhan 'Shiv' Roy (played by Sarah Snook) — supporting

  Member of the Roy family, owners of global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, involved in the fight for control of the company.

• Logan Roy (played by Brian Cox) — supporting

  The family's patriarch and owner of Waystar RoyCo, whose health uncertainty triggers the corporate power struggle.

• Connor Roy (played by Alan Ruck) — supporting

  Member of the Roy family, owners of global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, involved in the fight for control of the company.

• Gerri Kellman (played by J. Smith-Cameron) — supporting
• Greg Hirsch (played by Nicholas Braun) — supporting
• Frank Vernon (played by Peter Friedman) — supporting
• Willa Ferreyra (played by Justine Lupe) — supporting
• Karl Muller (played by David Rasche) — supporting
• Hugo Baker (played by Fisher Stevens) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Logan Roy → Kendall Roy (Father and son) — Their father-son bond is inseparable from a prolonged struggle over succession, approval, and control of Waystar.

  "Kendall repeatedly tries to succeed or displace Logan, while Logan repeatedly blocks his attempts. After Logan's death, an undated document names Ken...

• Connor Roy → Willa Ferreyra (Romantic partners) — Their relationship develops into marriage, with Willa remaining part of Connor's life through his public ambitions and family events.

  "Connor and Willa return to New York together in Season 2, Connor pursues a presidential bid with Willa in his life, and they marry in Season 4."

• Logan Roy → Siobhan 'Shiv' Roy (Father and daughter) — Their family relationship is shaped by Logan's promises and Shiv's pursuit of independent authority.

  "Logan tells Shiv that she could integrate into the CEO role, later invites her into company and political strategy, and ultimately sells the company...

• Roman Roy → Siobhan 'Shiv' Roy (Brother and sister) — Roman and Shiv are close enough to coordinate at key moments but remain competitors in the family succession contest.

  "Roman and Shiv take different positions on the trust papers in Season 1, later meet Caroline together in London, and scheme with Kendall against Rhea...

• Kendall Roy → Siobhan 'Shiv' Roy (Brother and sister) — Their sibling relationship is repeatedly tested by competing claims to corporate power and shifting alliances.

  "Shiv and Kendall disagree over leadership throughout the succession struggle. In Season 3, Shiv and her siblings meet Kendall but remain aligned with...

• Kendall Roy → Roman Roy (Brothers) — The brothers are family members and recurring competitors whose cooperation repeatedly gives way to conflict over leadership.

  "Roman and Kendall take opposing positions during the early succession dispute, and Roman later stays aligned with Logan when Kendall asks his sibling...

• Logan Roy → Roman Roy (Father and son) — Roman's relationship with Logan combines family loyalty, corporate dependence, and a desire for recognition.

  "Roman aligns with Logan during the early succession dispute, works with him during the company crisis, and later joins him in meeting Lukas Matsson....

• Logan Roy → Frank Vernon (CEO and executive) — Frank's long-running professional connection to Logan is marked by dismissal, recall, and repeated involvement in Waystar's leadership.

  "Logan fires Frank in Season 1, later rehires him to mentor Roman and again brings him into the company's leadership circle during the Season 2 PGM ef...

• Logan Roy → Gerri Kellman (CEO and senior executive) — Their professional relationship combines Gerri's senior role at Waystar with Logan's power to retain or dismiss her.

  "Gerri works with Logan's company leadership and is involved in the Season 1 no-confidence effort. In Season 4, Logan decides to fire her for what he...

• Greg Hirsch → Logan Roy (Patriarch and company associate) — Greg's rise within Waystar places him in Logan's sphere of authority, while his choices also expose him to family pressure and corporate risk.

  "Logan asks Greg to ensure Kendall's safety in Season 1. Greg later works at Waystar, faces pressure from Ewan to leave Logan's orbit, and remains inv...

• Roman Roy → Gerri Kellman (Executive colleagues) — Gerri and Roman are linked through Waystar's executive structure, with Roman's reluctance to fire her indicating a personal dimension to their professional connection.

  "Gerri is sent to New York with Roman during Logan's crisis in Season 3, and she is among the senior figures involved in company leadership. In Season...

• Logan Roy → Connor Roy (Father and son) — Connor remains part of Logan's family circle, though the provided events show him less centrally involved in the succession contest than his siblings.

  "Logan is part of the family gathering at Connor's ranch, and Connor repeatedly participates in family and company decisions. Connor later holds a pre...

• Kendall Roy → Frank Vernon (Executive colleagues) — Frank's professional connection to Kendall includes a shared challenge to Logan and a key role in the posthumous succession question.

  "Frank joins Kendall, Roman, and Gerri in the Season 1 no-confidence effort against Logan. He later returns to senior company work and finds the docum...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Kendall Roy → Greg Hirsch (Uneasy allies) — Greg's connection to Kendall shifts between assistance, self-preservation, and the exchange of consequential information.

  "Logan tasks Greg with watching over Kendall when Kendall's drug use resumes in Season 1. Greg later keeps copies of cruise-related documents, and in...

• Kendall Roy → Gerri Kellman (Temporary corporate allies) — Gerri and Kendall cooperate in a direct challenge to Logan, though their shared corporate interests do not establish a lasting personal alliance.

  "Gerri works with Kendall, Roman, and Frank to assemble votes for a no-confidence effort against Logan in Season 1. She later returns to the company's...

Story Analysis

Across four seasons, the Roy family struggles over succession, corporate control, and the consequences of Logan's leadership. Each apparent alliance remains vulnerable to personal ambition and the company's changing fortunes.

Plot Progression

1. Season 1: The Heir Apparent — Logan's refusal to retire ignites a struggle among his children. Kendall's effort to remove him fails, and a takeover bid at Shiv's wedding makes their conflict openly personal.
2. Season 2: Scandal and Sacrifice — The family pursues the Pierce acquisition while the cruises scandal threatens Waystar. Logan turns the public fallout into a question of who will take the blame, placing Kendall at the center.
3. Season 3: The Family Divides — Kendall publicly challenges Logan, but his siblings decline to join him. The company withstands immediate legal and shareholder pressure, while Logan's decision to sell Waystar leaves the children exc...
4. Season 4: After the Patriarch — Logan's death ends his direct control and forces the siblings to confront succession without him. Kendall and Roman run the company, but the GoJo deal and their conflicting strategies reopen the famil...
5. Series End: The Board's Decision — The siblings briefly form a coalition around Kendall before Matsson's CEO choice and the board vote destabilize it. The company's future is decided, but the Roy siblings end divided rather than reconc...