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There's no family like the Roys on TV right now. The scheming and sinister brood, led by their intimidating bulldog-ish patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), were the heart and soul of one of the best, and most overlooked, comedy series of 2018 — and now 2019, with the second season set to premiere on August 11 .
Succession, which airs Sundays at 10 PM EST on HBO, is a show for people who like drama, money, and insults. It takes all the dirtiest and cruelest parts of the media and political worlds, and places them all under one (extremely expensive) roof, as Logan's four children — Connor (Alan Ruck), Kendall (Jeremy Iron), Siobhan (Sarah Snook ), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) — wrestle to take over their father's (controversial) empire, Waystar Royco, which spans TV networks, cruise lines, and Japanese rockets. A clever mash-up of Arrested Development, Billions, and The Sopranos, the show somehow makes us care about arguably the worst people to ever exist. The main tension of the season one — which also bleeds into season two — is the state of the Waystar empire: Is Logan unfit to run the company? Are any of his children even mildly capable of taking it over? Is another outsider sharpening their pitchfork to storm the company's doors, taking matters into their own hands?
Even if you have been part of the Succession hive since day one, you may need a quick refresher on the state of the Roy family — and their plus ones, Tom (Michael Macfadyen) and Greg (Nicholas Braun), respectfully — who ended season one at Shiv's wedding to Tom, a ceremony full of cheers, tears, and death. Here's what to remember, character-by-character, ahead of season two.
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