The story of Succession Season 1 opens with Logan Roy (Brian Cox), CEO of media conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, who initially plans to retire due to declining health and hand over control to his second oldest son, Kendall (Jeremy Strong). During his 80th birthday celebration, Logan unexpectedly reverses his decision, announcing his intention to remain CEO. He presents his children—Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Connor (Alan Ruck), and Kendall—with documents that would grant his wife Marcia (Hiam Abbass) two votes in determining the company’s successor upon his death. Kendall, feeling betrayed, responds with anger.
In an attempt to secure Roman’s signature on the documents, Logan dismisses his longtime friend and COO Frank (Peter Friedman), offering the position to Roman instead. Despite this maneuver and favorable terms extended to both Roman and Shiv, they refuse to sign. Their resistance leaves Logan shocked, and he subsequently suffers a hemorrhagic stroke, requiring immediate hospitalization.
Meanwhile, Kendall works to acquire the digital media startup Vaulter as part of a strategy to improve the company’s declining profit margins. Upon learning of his father’s stroke from Vaulter’s CEO Lawrence (Rob Yang), he rushes to the hospital. The Roy siblings then engage in heated discussions about Waystar’s leadership. While Roman and Connor favor honoring their father’s wishes by signing the documents, Shiv opposes giving Marcia such power, and Kendall advocates for his own ascension to CEO. They ultimately agree to install Kendall as acting CEO with Roman serving as COO.
Following this decision, Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), Waystar’s general counsel, reveals a critical financial issue: Logan had taken out a USD 3 billion loan in 1985 for park expansions, which requires full repayment if the company’s stock falls below USD 130 per share. When this threshold is breached under Kendall’s leadership, he turns to his college friend Stewy (Arian Moayed), a private equity investor, who agrees to invest USD 4 billion in exchange for voting stock and a board position. Simultaneously, Kendall’s personal life deteriorates as his attempt to reconcile with his estranged wife Rava (Natalie Gold) ends with confirmation of their impending divorce.
Logan eventually regains consciousness and returns home, though Marcia initially restricts visitors, assuring the family of his recovery. When Logan finally meets with Kendall, he expresses disapproval of the private equity solution that sacrificed company control to address the financial crisis. Upon his return to Waystar, Logan reinstates Frank to mentor Roman in his COO role.
As Kendall prepares for the company’s annual charity gala, managed by Connor, other significant developments unfold within Waystar. Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), Shiv’s fiancé, assumes leadership of the Parks and Cruises division, while Logan’s great-nephew Greg (Nicholas Braun), recently unemployed, joins under Tom’s supervision. During the transition, Tom discovers disturbing documents revealing a massive cover-up of crimes on company cruises, including sexual assault and murder. Concerned, he shares this information with both Greg and Shiv seeking guidance.
The narrative culminates at the charity gala, where Connor notices alterations in Kendall’s speech suggesting an announcement of Logan’s retirement. After being informed, Logan preempts his son by delivering the speech himself and declaring his return as CEO, leaving Kendall visibly disappointed.
Tom contemplates exposing the cruise scandal, but Gerri counsels against such action. When Tom confronts Greg about potentially leaking the information, Greg denies any involvement, leading Tom to suspect Shiv as the only other person he confided in. However, a private scene reveals Gerri thanking Greg, confirming his deception about sharing the information with her.
As Thanksgiving approaches, Marcia extends an invitation to Logan’s estranged brother Ewan (James Cromwell), Greg’s grandfather, prompting Greg to journey to Canada to escort him. Meanwhile, Logan makes a controversial decision to expand into local TV markets, despite his counsel’s recommendations against it. Concerned about his father’s increasingly erratic behavior, Kendall begins secretly orchestrating a vote of no confidence to remove him from the company.
During the Thanksgiving dinner, Tom assigns Greg to destroy documents related to the cruise scandal, though Greg covertly preserves copies before their destruction. The evening deteriorates when Logan and Ewan clash over the company’s ethical practices, leading to Ewan’s abrupt departure. Kendall attempts to secure Ewan’s support for the upcoming vote, but his uncle refuses to participate in actions against his brother, despite being a board member.
Explore More:
The following morning, Kendall collaborates with Roman, Frank, and Gerri to gather board member support for Logan’s removal. They successfully convince Lawrence and Stewy to join their cause. On the crucial day, Kendall travels to Long Island to personally persuade an ailing board member, but his return to Manhattan is thwarted by flight restrictions due to a potential terror threat. Trapped in severe traffic, he’s forced to participate in the board meeting remotely.
During the vote, Logan’s refusal to leave the room and his intimidating presence sways the outcome. Both Stewy and Lawrence abstain, while Roman unexpectedly supports his father. Following his victory, Logan summarily dismisses all opposition voters, including Kendall and Frank, in a heated confrontation marked by harsh words and security escorts.
In the aftermath, Kendall initiates legal action against Logan for wrongful termination. Tabloids begin circulating false rumors about his relapse into drug addiction. Logan, attempting to salvage the family’s public image, arranges a therapy session at Connor’s New Mexico ranch, though Kendall initially declines to attend.
At the ranch, Connor welcomes the family alongside Willa (Justine Lupe), an escort with whom he’s involved. He professes his love and proposes exclusivity, which she accepts with apparent hesitation. Meanwhile, Shiv reconnects with her former romantic interest and fellow political consultant Nate (Ashley Zukerman), who introduces her to Senator Gil (Eric Bogosian), a Democratic presidential candidate planning to challenge Logan’s legacy.
The therapy session, intended to address family issues, ends prematurely when the therapist suffers a pool accident. Kendall, having changed his mind about attending, becomes sidetracked en route and joins locals in drug use. Roman eventually locates him and returns him to the ranch, where tensions escalate into a family-wide confrontation. The conflict intensifies when Logan confronts Shiv about her meetings with Gil and admits he orchestrated the false reports about Kendall’s drug use prior to his actual relapse.
A month later, Stewy hosts Tom’s bachelor party at an exclusive underground club, attended by Roman, Kendall, Greg, Connor, and Tom. While Shiv grants Tom permission to enjoy himself, she secretly rekindles her relationship with Nate while working on Gil’s campaign. Tensions rise when Gil appears on Waystar’s conservative news network, ATN, but questioning about his wife’s suicide prompts him to abruptly leave the interview.
Shiv’s attempt to persuade Logan to stop personal attacks against Gil leads to a veiled threat about exposing her affair with Nate. When she refuses to cut ties with Gil’s campaign, Logan retaliates by having Marcia inform Shiv he won’t attend her wedding. Meanwhile, at the bachelor party, Tom boasts to Greg about his encounter with Tabitha (Caitlin FitzGerald), while Kendall meets Logan’s rival, Sandy (Larry Pine). Sandy reveals Stewy’s secret allegiance and offers to buy Kendall’s Waystar shares, but Kendall counters with a hostile takeover plan to secure his position as CEO.
The wedding ceremony takes place in an English castle, bringing together the Roy family, including Caroline (Harriet Walter), Logan’s second wife and mother to Kendall, Roman, and Shiv. Logan’s unexpected appearance, motivated by public image concerns, adds to the event’s complexity. When Nate reveals his history with Shiv to Tom, it leads to a confrontation where Shiv deflects by inquiring about the cruise scandal as potential leverage against Logan. She negotiates with Gerri, promising to keep the scandal private if ATN ceases its attacks on Gil regarding his wife’s suicide, ultimately leading to a truce between Gil and Logan.
The situation dramatically shifts when Kendall learns that Sandy and Stewy have accelerated their hostile takeover plans to coincide with the wedding, exploiting Logan’s absence from the country. The morning after, Kendall presents Logan with their USD 140-per-share acquisition offer, prompting an furious response and urgent strategic planning. His siblings react with anger upon discovering his collaboration with outsiders against the family business.
During their wedding night, Shiv confesses her affair with Nate to Tom, suggesting an open relationship arrangement. Although devastated, Tom forgives her but expels Nate from the celebration. The night takes a tragic turn when Kendall, seeking relief through drugs, goes driving with a waiter. Their attempt to avoid a deer results in a fatal accident, with the waiter drowning despite Kendall’s rescue efforts. Upon discovering Kendall’s involvement, Logan leverages the situation, offering to conceal the incident in exchange for Kendall’s withdrawal from the takeover attempt and agreement to enter rehabilitation.
