List of Succession episodes

Succession is an American satirical comedy-drama television series created by Jesse Armstrong that premiered on HBO on June 3, 2018. The series centers on the Roy family, the owners of global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, and their fight for control of the company amidst uncertainty about the health of the family's patriarch.

The series stars Brian Cox as Logan Roy, the family patriarch; his children are played by Alan Ruck as Connor, Jeremy Strong as Kendall, Kieran Culkin as Roman, and Sarah Snook as Shiv. Other starring cast members include Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans, Shiv's husband and Waystar executive; Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch, Logan's grandnephew also employed by the company; and Hiam Abbass as Marcia, Logan's third wife.

During the course of the series, 39 episodes of Succession aired over four seasons, between June 3, 2018, and May 28, 2023.

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally aired		Average viewership (in millions)
			First aired	Last aired
1	10		June 3, 2018 (2018-06-03)	August 5, 2018 (2018-08-05)	0.603
2	10		August 11, 2019 (2019-08-11)	October 13, 2019 (2019-10-13)	0.597
3	9		October 17, 2021 (2021-10-17)	December 12, 2021 (2021-12-12)	0.553
4	10		March 26, 2023 (2023-03-26)	May 28, 2023 (2023-05-28)	0.705

Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

Main article: Succession season 1

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Celebration"	Adam McKay	Jesse Armstrong	June 3, 2018 (2018-06-03)	0.582
2	2	"Shit Show at the Fuck Factory"	Mark Mylod	Tony Roche	June 10, 2018 (2018-06-10)	0.491
3	3	"Lifeboats"	Mark Mylod	Jonathan Glatzer	June 17, 2018 (2018-06-17)	0.605
4	4	"Sad Sack Wasp Trap"	Adam Arkin	Anna Jordan	June 24, 2018 (2018-06-24)	0.543
5	5	"I Went to Market"	Adam Arkin	Georgia Pritchett	July 1, 2018 (2018-07-01)	0.583
6	6	"Which Side Are You On?"	Andrij Parekh	Susan Soon He Stanton	July 8, 2018 (2018-07-08)	0.673
7	7	"Austerlitz"	Miguel Arteta	Lucy Prebble	July 15, 2018 (2018-07-15)	0.626
8	8	"Prague"	S. J. Clarkson	Jon Brown	July 22, 2018 (2018-07-22)	0.637
9	9	"Pre-Nuptial"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	July 29, 2018 (2018-07-29)	0.558
10	10	"Nobody Is Ever Missing"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	August 5, 2018 (2018-08-05)	0.730

Season 2 (2019)

Main article: Succession season 2

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
11	1	"The Summer Palace"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	August 11, 2019 (2019-08-11)	0.612
12	2	"Vaulter"	Andrij Parekh	Jon Brown	August 18, 2019 (2019-08-18)	0.603
13	3	"Hunting"	Andrij Parekh	Tony Roche	August 25, 2019 (2019-08-25)	0.607
14	4	"Safe Room"	Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini	Georgia Pritchett	September 1, 2019 (2019-09-01)	0.577
15	5	"Tern Haven"	Mark Mylod	Will Tracy	September 8, 2019 (2019-09-08)	0.507
16	6	"Argestes"	Matt Shakman	Susan Soon He Stanton	September 15, 2019 (2019-09-15)	0.610
17	7	"Return"	Becky Martin	Jonathan Glatzer	September 22, 2019 (2019-09-22)	0.508
18	8	"Dundee"	Kevin Bray	Mary Laws	September 29, 2019 (2019-09-29)	0.579
19	9	"DC"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	October 6, 2019 (2019-10-06)	0.705
20	10	"This Is Not for Tears"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	October 13, 2019 (2019-10-13)	0.660

Season 3 (2021)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
21	1	"Secession"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	October 17, 2021 (2021-10-17)	0.564
Picking up immediately after Kendall's press conference, Logan decides to split his inner circle into two teams: he, Tom, Karl, Frank and Hugo station themselves in Sarajevo to avoid being extradited to the U.S., while Roman, Gerri and Shiv are sent back to New York. Logan informs his team that he intends to temporarily step back as CEO; the family and company management debate who should take his place as a figurehead. Kendall, meanwhile, sets up a temporary base of operations at Rava's apartment, and hires two PR consultants to help steward his public image. He unsuccessfully attempts to sway more of Waystar's senior cadre to his side. Shiv attempts to acquire representation for Waystar from Lisa Arthur, a high-profile New York attorney and personal friend, but realizes Kendall has already hired her. In light of Shiv's perceived failure, Gerri is named interim CEO.
22	2	"Mass in Time of War"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	October 24, 2021 (2021-10-24)	0.520
Shiv, Roman, and Connor covertly meet with Kendall, who refuses to compromise and attempts to persuade his siblings to join him. However, the discussion falls apart when Kendall declares that he will be CEO under their new arrangement. Seeing no personal benefit from siding with Kendall, the three siblings ultimately decide to remain aligned with Logan. Kendall additionally meets with Stewy and Sandi Furness (Sandy's daughter) to propose a partnership ahead of the company's shareholder meeting, but they remain skeptical. Greg obtains legal representation from Ewan's attorney. Logan has Marcia flown in to Sarajevo after his legal team advises that the two publicly appear reconciled. Marcia, disgruntled over Logan's infidelity, demands several assurances from the company to ensure her cooperation. Logan returns to New York and names Shiv President of Domestic Operations at Waystar, assuring her she is under Gerri's protection.
23	3	"The Disruption"	Cathy Yan	Ted Cohen & Georgia Pritchett	October 31, 2021 (2021-10-31)	0.405
Both Kendall and Logan take steps to boost their respective public profiles. Logan refuses to cooperate with the Department of Justice's impending investigation, and attempts to pressure White House aide Michelle-Anne Vanderhoven into granting him favors from the President. Tom offers to take the fall by allowing himself to be incarcerated. Kendall sabotages Shiv's speech at a company town hall intended to allay employee grievances by having his assistants blast Nirvana's "Rape Me" from a speaker; an irate Shiv retaliates by publishing an open letter questioning Kendall's mental state, invoking his addiction issues and poor relationship with his children. Kendall prepares to make an appearance on a late-night comedy show that has been disparaging him, but backs out at the last minute after Shiv's letter goes online, deeply shaken by its contents. The FBI raid Waystar's offices, forcing Logan to cooperate.
24	4	"Lion in the Meadow"	Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini	Jon Brown	November 7, 2021 (2021-11-07)	0.484
On Logan's orders, Shiv gets ATN to cover the White House more critically, in hopes of pressuring the President into curtailing the DOJ investigation. However, she finds that she is receiving little respect or support either from within the company or from Logan. Tom begins to unravel over his growing fear of going to prison. Greg informs him he has signed a joint defense agreement with Waystar after meeting with Logan. Shareholder Josh Aaronson requests a meeting with Logan and Kendall, worried that their conflict will endanger his investment, and leads them on a walk around his private island to hear each side's arguments. However, Kendall and Logan fail to present a united front, and Logan suffers from exhaustion on the walk back to Josh's mansion, refusing help until he nearly collapses. Kendall is later informed that Josh has lost confidence in Waystar's current leadership, and witnesses him meeting with Stewy.
25	5	"Retired Janitors of Idaho"	Kevin Bray	Tony Roche & Susan Soon He Stanton	November 14, 2021 (2021-11-14)	0.584
At the Waystar RoyCo annual shareholder meeting, both Kendall and Logan's factions attempt to broker a settlement with Stewy and Sandi (largely negotiating on behalf of her ailing father), realizing that going to a vote would almost certainly deprive the Roys of their majority stake in the company. Logan, who is suffering from a urinary tract infection, initially refuses Sandy's terms, but becomes increasingly incoherent, forcing the other children and senior management to negotiate on his behalf. The vote is stalled while Shiv and Sandi manage to reach a deal offering either side an additional board seat; the two sides agree on the terms without waiting for an incapacitated Logan to approve. Ewan decides to donate his entire estate to Greenpeace, leaving Greg with no inheritance. The President calls the Roys to announce that he will not be seeking a second term amid the blowback from ATN's attacks, jeopardizing Waystar's political survival.
26	6	"What It Takes"	Andrij Parekh	Will Tracy	November 21, 2021 (2021-11-21)	0.525
Kendall's testimony to the DOJ regarding the cruises scandal goes poorly, and Lisa warns that the documents he has retrieved are insufficient legal ammunition against Waystar. An unsatisfied Kendall dispenses with Lisa's services and hires new attorneys. Meanwhile, the rest of the Roys travel to Richmond, Virginia to attend the Future Freedom Summit, a conservative political fundraiser, to pick a new presidential candidate in the upcoming election. While there, Roman learns that his mother is getting married in Tuscany to British CEO Peter Munion. Kendall arrives in Virginia and privately meets with Tom in an attempt to sway him to his side, but Tom refuses, believing Kendall will once again lose to his father. Among the presidential candidates, Roman takes a liking to Jeryd Mencken, a controversial figure with fascist leanings, who he believes will significantly boost ATN's ratings. Logan decides to back Mencken despite Shiv's protests.
27	7	"Too Much Birthday"	Lorene Scafaria	Georgia Pritchett & Tony Roche	November 28, 2021 (2021-11-28)	0.645
The company receives word that the DOJ investigation is weakening and will likely end in a settlement. Tom is deeply relieved to be avoiding prison time. Logan, who has been working to acquire streaming giant GoJo, learns that its CEO, Lukas Matsson, declined to meet him personally. Shiv and Roman attend Kendall's lavish 40th birthday party to negotiate with Matsson, who is in attendance. Roman delivers his and Logan's gift to Kendall: an offer to buy out his shares in Waystar for $2 billion. Shiv is angered when she learns she has been excluded as a beneficiary. Roman meets with Matsson alone and proposes that Waystar buy GoJo without Matsson ever having to report directly to Logan; Matsson expresses guarded interest. Kendall, feeling hurt by the buyout offer and embarrassed with the hollow excess of the party, has an emotional breakdown while searching for his children's gift and has Naomi take him home.
28	8	"Chiantishire"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	December 5, 2021 (2021-12-05)	0.613
The Roys travel to Tuscany for Caroline's wedding. Kendall demands a sit-down with Logan over dinner, where he requests taking the $2 billion buyout to permanently uncouple himself from his "evil" father, but Logan refuses. Caroline admits to Shiv she never wanted children and encourages Shiv not to bear one of her own; out of spite, Shiv asks to have a child with Tom, but tells him before sex that she does not love him, later passing it off as foreplay. GoJo's stock price soars after Matsson sends a tweet suggesting he has received major financing; Roman goes to meet him and discovers that Matsson is interested in a merger of equals with Waystar rather than an acquisition. Logan accepts the renewed terms, but Waystar's meeting with GoJo's bankers is derailed when Roman mistakenly sends a photo of his penis to Logan instead of Gerri. Kendall drunkenly floats facedown in his pool, and slowly lets his head sink into the water.
29	9	"All the Bells Say"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	December 12, 2021 (2021-12-12)	0.634
Kendall is saved from drowning in his pool. GoJo's market capitalization overtakes Waystar's; Logan and Roman go to meet Matsson, who proposes that GoJo acquire Waystar with him as CEO while Logan exits with a settlement. Roman is sent back to attend Caroline's wedding, where he and Shiv discover that Logan has decided to sell the company without their input, jeopardizing the children's chances of succeeding him. They tell Kendall, who breaks down and tearfully admits his involvement in Doddy's death, only to be met with support from them to his surprise. The three recall a clause in Logan and Caroline's divorce settlement granting the children veto power over any change in company control, and decide to face their father together. On the way, Shiv informs Tom, who cryptically offers Greg a chance at significant ascension within the company. Upon being confronted by his children, Logan informs them that he and Caroline have renegotiated their divorce agreement, effectively depriving the children of company control. Tom is revealed to have tipped off Logan about the Roy siblings’ revolt.

Season 4 (2023)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
30	1	"The Munsters"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	March 26, 2023 (2023-03-26)	0.598
Six months after the events in Tuscany and 48 hours before the GoJo acquisition, Logan celebrates his birthday in New York while Kendall, Shiv, and Roman are in Los Angeles to propose a new media startup to investors. The siblings learn Logan is attempting to purchase PGM again and decide to launch a rival bid. They meet with Nan and Naomi at the Pierces' California estate; Nan is indecisive about the competing offers from Waystar and the siblings, which in turn sparks a bidding war between the factions. The siblings ultimately sway Nan with a $10 billion offer, which Logan is forced to concede. Shiv returns to New York and finds Tom at the apartment they no longer share due to a trial separation. While Tom wants to discuss the breakdown of their marriage, Shiv tells him she wants to divorce him as painlessly as possible.
31	2	"Rehearsal"	Becky Martin	Tony Roche & Susan Soon He Stanton	April 2, 2023 (2023-04-02)	0.481
Logan, who gets to keep control of ATN per the terms of the GoJo sale, visits the newsroom to announce his plans to radically revamp its vision. Stewy and Sandi tell the siblings they want to veto the GoJo acquisition at Waystar's upcoming board meeting to negotiate a price increase. All but Shiv dismiss their proposal and go to spend time with Connor, but Matsson privately calls Kendall to say he will call off the acquisition if pushed on price; Kendall suddenly becomes interested in Stewy and Sandi's offer. Logan meets with his children at a karaoke bar to convince them to allow the GoJo sale to go through, but Kendall and Shiv refuse to make peace with their father. Roman, growing weary of his siblings' desire to spite Logan, visits him at his home, where Logan asks his help in negotiating with Matsson, and offers him a position as head of ATN.
32	3	"Connor's Wedding"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	April 9, 2023 (2023-04-09)	0.609
On the day of Connor and Willa's wedding in New York, Logan departs for Sweden with Tom and the rest of his senior cadre (except Gerri and Hugo) to negotiate with Matsson. He decides to fire Gerri for her perceived mishandling of the fallout from the cruises scandal, and tasks a reluctant Roman with delivering her the news at the wedding. However, the siblings soon receive word from Tom that Logan collapsed onboard the plane and is unresponsive. It gradually becomes clear that Logan will not survive; his plane is turned around and he is pronounced dead upon landing. The devastated siblings are forced to coordinate a response alongside the rest of Waystar's executives. Connor and Willa go through with their wedding in a small ceremony, while Kendall, Shiv and Roman travel to Teterboro Airport to receive their father's body and issue a statement announcing his death to the press.
33	4	"Honeymoon States"	Lorene Scafaria	Jesse Armstrong & Lucy Prebble	April 16, 2023 (2023-04-16)	0.695
Shiv is revealed to be pregnant. Logan's family and close associates gather at his apartment for his wake. Hugo approaches Kendall and informs him of a potential insider trading scandal involving his daughter. Frank finds an undated document in Logan's safe naming Kendall as his successor upon his death. Kendall is taken aback by the news while the others debate the document's legitimacy. Since the company's succession plan formally dictated that leadership be passed on to the COO – a title Roman currently holds – Kendall and Roman decide to run the company as co-CEOs. The brothers promise to involve Shiv in all operational decisions, but she feels dejected regardless. Given Kendall's past controversies, Hugo and Karolina propose a PR campaign questioning Logan's judgment leading up to his death, which Roman shuts down. Kendall, however, privately leverages Hugo to go through with the strategy.
34	5	"Kill List"	Andrij Parekh	Jon Brown & Ted Cohen	April 23, 2023 (2023-04-23)	0.652
With Kendall and Roman now running the company, the Roys fly to Norway for GoJo's annual retreat, where they are hoping to finalize the sale to Matsson with a floor of $144 per share. Matsson, however, wishes to absorb ATN into the acquisition as well, which the brothers oppose. Matsson also privately confides to Shiv that he is trying to avoid a potential harassment scandal involving his head of PR, with whom he was romantically linked. Kendall and Roman eventually decide to torpedo the sale by indirectly convincing Matsson to call it off himself. However, Roman lashes out at Matsson during their next meeting for not giving them time to grieve their father, and openly calls off the deal. Matsson then bypasses the brothers and makes an offer directly to Waystar's senior management for $192 per share, which they pass on to the board, though all the senior management except Gerri, Karolina, and Tom are to be fired.
35	6	"Living+"	Lorene Scafaria	Georgia Pritchett & Will Arbery	April 30, 2023 (2023-04-30)	0.847
The Roys return to Los Angeles for Waystar's Investor Day, where they plan to launch "Living+", a luxury assisted living community that Logan had proposed prior to his death. Matsson dislikes the idea and unsuccessfully tries to convince Shiv to call it off, telling her about his hostile negotiation with Kendall and Roman in Norway. Shiv confronts her brothers, who admit they dislike the GoJo deal. Roman impulsively fires the head of Waystar's film studio in light of their latest film's troubled production, and later fires Gerri as well when she reprimands him for it. Shiv and Tom begin to reconnect romantically. Kendall prepares an outlandish presentation for the Living+ product launch, hoping to attract enough investment interest to render the GoJo acquisition untenable. Despite Shiv and Roman's concerns (and Matsson's attempts to sabotage him), he delivers his speech successfully, giving Waystar stock a major boost.
36	7	"Tailgate Party"	Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini	Will Tracy	May 7, 2023 (2023-05-07)	0.739
The night before the presidential election, the Roys host their traditional party for political insiders at Shiv and Tom's apartment. Kendall and Roman hope to build an antitrust case against the GoJo acquisition, but Shiv – who wants to preserve the deal – invites Matsson to the party in hopes of thwarting her brothers. However, the siblings later learn that Matsson has grossly inflated GoJo's subscriber numbers in India, which could create a fatal scandal for the company. Roman unsuccessfully attempts to convince Connor to drop out of the presidential race after his polling numbers draw support away from Mencken. Gerri refuses Roman's request to return to Waystar, having negotiated a hefty severance agreement. Tom is incensed by rumors of his firing circulating at the party, leading to a vicious argument with Shiv about their marriage. Kendall proposes to Frank that Waystar buy GoJo with him as sole CEO.
37	8	"America Decides"	Andrij Parekh	Jesse Armstrong	May 14, 2023 (2023-05-14)	0.746
On election night, the siblings are torn over the candidates: Roman supports Mencken as he will advance Waystar's agenda – including blocking the GoJo deal – while Kendall is uncomfortable with Mencken due to blowback from his extreme politics affecting his daughter Sophie. Shiv, meanwhile, remains aligned with Matsson. Shiv finally tells Tom she is pregnant with his child, but Tom reacts skeptically. A vote center in Milwaukee is firebombed, destroying thousands of ballots that would have likely gone to Democratic candidate Daniel Jiménez; Roman uses the situation to pressure Tom into having ATN prematurely call Wisconsin for Mencken, while Connor concedes to Mencken as well. Kendall ponders backing Jiménez for his family's sake, but learns from Greg that Shiv is working with Matsson; hurt by his sister's betrayal, he throws in his support for Mencken. After Mencken wins Arizona, ATN calls the election in his favor.
38	9	"Church and State"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	May 21, 2023 (2023-05-21)	0.789
The Roys arrive at Logan's funeral amidst street protests that have broken out following the announcement of Mencken's win. Shiv advises Matsson to publicize his bogus subscriber counts in India while the news cycle is occupied with the election, and tells her brothers about her pregnancy. Ewan gives a charged eulogy lending insight into Logan's troubled childhood while condemning his brother's corrupt influence. Roman is unable to deliver his speech and breaks down crying, prompting Kendall to give one in his place. Shiv brokers a deal between Matsson and Mencken to allow the GoJo deal to go through in exchange for naming an American CEO, which she hopes will be her. Upon learning this, Kendall enlists Roman and Hugo to join him against Shiv at the final board vote on the acquisition. Roman, overwhelmed with the funeral and ashamed at letting his deal with Mencken backfire, walks into a crowd of rioters and gets assaulted.
39	10	"With Open Eyes"	Mark Mylod	Jesse Armstrong	May 28, 2023 (2023-05-28)	0.896
Kendall scrambles to secure board votes to block the GoJo deal. He and Shiv visit Caroline's estate in Barbados, where Roman is recovering from his wounds. Matsson interviews Tom and offers him the CEO position, believing he will be more obedient than Shiv; Greg tips off the siblings that Shiv will not be Matsson's CEO. The siblings then agree to let Kendall take over, forming a voting bloc. Upon their return to New York, Shiv learns Tom has been chosen as CEO; the siblings race to sway the board. The board comes to a 6–6 tie over selling to GoJo, with only Shiv's vote left; Shiv, however, has second thoughts about Kendall's competence, and votes in favor of the deal despite Kendall's protests. Tom is appointed CEO with Shiv by his side; Roman accepts that he and his siblings were never worthy successors; a devastated Kendall contemplates his future.

External links

• Official website
• Succession at IMDb