The Succession Family Tree: A Guide to the Dysfunctional Roy Dynasty

Filial piety is a concept entirely lost on Logan Roy's four kids. But with a father like that, who can really blame them? The billionaire patriarch at the center of the HBO cult hit Succession rules over his clan like he does his colossal media and entertainment empire—with an iron first. Here is a man who relishes manipulating sibling rivalry into a blood sport, pitting child against child while dangling the prospect of a successorship (and his approval) to the one most willing to sink to the deepest depths of depravity to please dad.

Of course were it any other way—and were it not for all the possible real-life inspirations for the Roy family—Succession wouldn't be such dark, delicious fun. Now that the blistering satire has finally returned for season 3, which premiered last week, our Sunday evenings can once more be devoted to tuning into what fresh hell awaits for Logan and co. as his "number one boy" Kendall attempts yet another coup, one that just may tear this family apart for good (not to mention implode the very company that fattens the Roy coffers).

But first, who, exactly, are all the members of the Roy dynasty? From ex-wives to estranged brothers, a brief primer below on the relations that bind this pathologically dysfunctional brood.

THE ROY PATRIARCH

The ruthless puppet master of the Roy family has humble origins. Born in Dundee, Scotland, and raised in poverty by a widowed mother, Logan (Brian Cox) eventually created Waystar Royco, which he grew into a multibillion-dollar media and entertainment conglomerate that includes a news network, a film studio, a chain of amusement parks, and a cruises division whose explosive #MeToo scandal poses a severe existential threat to its CEO and chairman.

LOGAN'S THIRD & CURRENT WIFE

Marcia (Hiam Abbass), Logan's third wife, has often clashed with his children (she has her own son, Amir, from her first marriage to a Lebanese businessman), who see her as a self-serving gold digger with a mysterious, hard-to-dig-up backstory. Throughout season 2, her marriage to Logan was increasingly rocky and seemed to have fractured completely after his affair with PGM CEO Rhea Jarrell. She was a no-show on the yacht at the end of season 2.

LOGAN'S SECOND EX-WIFE; MOTHER OF KENDALL, ROMAN, & SHIV

If Logan is a terrible parent, Lady Caroline Collingwood (Harriet Walter), mother of Kendall, Roman, and Shiv, may be even worse. Sarcastic, passive-aggressive and unfiltered, the British aristocrat cares very little about politesse—or her children. At Shiv's wedding in season 1, for example, she went around asking guests how long they thought the union would last. In the next season, when Kendall tries to confide in his mother about that deadly accident, she cuts him off and leaves before he can bring it up again.

LOGAN'S ELDEST SON FROM HIS FIRST WIFE

While Logan's firstborn Connor (Alan Ruck) has never been interested in the succession dramas and inheritance battles of the family business, he has been in search of something meaningful to do with his life other than live on his New Mexico ranch with his escort-turned-girlfriend Willa. Then he found a project: to run for President on an anti-tax platform. By the end of last season, his father gets him to give up that delusional dream in exchange for a couple million dollars to finance Willa's critically derided play.

LOGAN'S SECOND SON

It was after Logan reneged on his promise to hand over the reins of Waystar Royco to Kendall (Jeremy Strong) in the pilot episode that kicked off all the events of the series. Now, his "number one boy" is on attempt #2 to dethrone his father after refusing to take the fall for the company's latest cruises division scandal. Whether Kendall is acting in—and out of genuine concern for—Waystar's best interests, or is simply out to get revenge on dad, remains to be seen.

KENDALL'S ESTRANGED WIFE

It was mostly Kendall's substance abuse issues (and also probably that his family is insane) that doomed his marriage to Rava (Natalie Gold), who is also the mother of their young children, son Iverson and daughter Sophie. The two remain on friendly terms—in the premiere of season 3, Kendall takes over her apartment to use as a war room for his revolution.

LOGAN'S THIRD SON

Like his siblings, Roman (Kieran Culkin) goes back and forth between despising his father and desperately seeking his approval. Though he is ever an asshole with a sharp wit, Roman has shown more of a willingness to step up and be taken seriously. A certain vulnerability has also become apparent in his character—we need not remind you of his very strange relationship with Gerri.

LOGAN'S YOUNGEST (AND ONLY) DAUGHTER

Of all of Logan's children, Shiv (Sarah Snook) may be the only one to have inherited her father's merciless killer instinct (see: her willingness last season to intimidate a sexual assault victim not to testify before Congress). Daddy's little girl could have had—and still might have—a shot at the CEO position if she could just keep her impulsivity and over-eagerness in check.

SHIV'S HUSBAND

Minnesota-born Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) is perpetually on a quest to be accepted into the Roy family—he once even half-joked that he should take Shiv's last name. And as the former head of the parks and cruises division, and possibly in legal jeopardy for his role in the cover-up of the #MeToo scandal, Tom's problems have grown exponentially.

LOGAN'S BROTHER

"The fucking conscience of the Prairies," as Logan refers to his estranged older brother. The two are polar opposites: Ewan (James Cromwell) is liberal, lives on a ranch in Canada, and detests everything Waystar stands for. Still, he sits on its board and has some measure of loyalty to his kin: in season 1, he refused to vote in favor of ousting Logan from the chairman seat. Plus, his grandson Greg works for the company, though Ewan has threatened to disown him of his $250 million inheritance if he doesn't quit.

EWAN'S GRANDSON & LOGAN'S GRANDNEPHEW

After getting fired from one of Waystar's amusement parks, Greg (Nicholas Braun) finds his way to Logan's Fifth Avenue penthouse to beg for a job—he becomes Tom's oft-abused right-hand man. Though he is bumbling and awkward, Cousin Greg is not as dumb as he seems: he had the good sense to save a few pages of the incriminating documents (that Tom had ordered to be incinerated) which Kendall will later use to turn on his father.