This article contains spoilers for Succession season 4 on HBO in its discussion of who will succeed Logan Roy.
The final season of Succession has thrown plenty of curveballs with no apparent end in sight. Episode 3 reminded viewers of the series’s premise with the shocking death of media magnate Logan Roy (Brian Cox). While his children grieved in the immediate aftermath, it wasn’t long before it was back to business as usual and the Roys and remaining Waystar employees had to scramble to find the interim CEO in the wake of Logan’s death.
Episode 4 ended with Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) being voted in as interim joint heads of the company. However, with five episodes left, there are likely many ways the true successor could reveal themselves. Here, we lay out the possible heirs to Waystar Royco.
Possible Candidates to Succeed Logan Roy in Succession Season 4
Greg Hirsch
It didn’t take long for Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) to learn the scheming ways of his cousins. While he endeared himself to Tom and less so to Logan, Greg has yet to prove himself as an asset to Waystar Royco at large. While he’s more strategic than he was when we first met him working at Brightstar Adventure Parks, it’s unlikely he’ll be running the show anytime soon.
Tom Wambsgans
Though a nice, agreeable guy by all appearances, Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) has proven to be cutthroat as he’s prioritized saving himself over anything else. While he betrayed his own wife to get closer to Logan, with Logan’s death, he’s got fewer allies than ever before. Unlike Greg, Tom does at least have executive experience as the head of the ATN News division. However, with the company’s recent sale, it appears he may be first on the chopping block with few options left. It’s safe to say Tom’s path to CEO is growing murkier by the minute.
Gerri Kellman
Out of the primary, known possibilities to succeed Logan Roy in Succession, Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) has the most experience as Waystar Royco’s long-running general counsel. She also previously served as interim CEO. Gerri proves herself to be shrewd and calculating time and again, making her a strong possibility on intelligence alone. However, Gerri was also on the outs with Logan with Roman technically firing her shortly before his father’s death. As a result, her chances of becoming CEO may be dwindling.
Connor Roy
Of all the Roy children, Connor (Alan Ruck) is the most detached and separated from his father and the Waystar Royco empire. While he has grand ambitions, such as running for president, Connor would be an incredibly risky and surprising decision to lead the company.
Siobhan Roy
At one time, Shiv (Sarah Snook) was the closest of the Roy children to her father, priming her for a key role in Waystar Royco despite her lack of direct experience with the company. Shiv also has a unique ability to relate to those her brothers and father have a harder time connecting with, including Nan Pierce (Cherry Jones) and Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). Though she is more emotional than the rest of her family, her strategic abilities should not be discounted due to her successful political career. Unfortunately for Shiv, her brothers and the rest of the board don’t seem to take her seriously. Yet an outsider like Matsson buying the company could place Shiv in a unique position of power at Waystar Royco.
Roman Roy
While Roman has a host of emotional problems, not unlike the rest of the Roys, he has proven himself to be dedicated to Waystar Royco as he and Logan grew closer. A bit of a blend of Shiv and Kendall, Roman is perceptive and analytical all at once, an asset that works for an executive position. However, Roman’s loyalty and devotion to Logan and his legacy also leads him to make rash and poor decisions that may not actually be in the best interest of the company. While he is interim co-CEO with Kendall, it remains to be seen whether he has the ability to lead long-term.
Kendall Roy
The logical and full-circle answer to who will succeed Logan Roy in the final season of Succession is, of course, Kendall. Kendall was always the most intimately acquainted with Waystar Royco and was Logan’s initial choice to take over in the first season. Despite Kendall’s addiction problems and his falling out with his father, Logan’s makeshift will revealed he still trusted Kendall the most to lead his empire. Since leading with Roman as co-CEO, Kendall has proven he’s the most like his father by making cold and exacting decisions that place the company above the family.
Out of all the main contenders, Kendall is the most likely to succeed his father in the long term, but with half the season left to go, there are plenty of twists and turns. As always with Succession, it’s not over until it’s over.
