Succession creator Jesse Armstrong has revealed what he believes happens to the Roy family following the show's series finale.
Warning: Spoilers for the Succession finale ahead!
The series ends with Tom becoming the successor to Logan's Waystar Royco, with Shiv falling her in mother's footsteps and becoming the unhappy wife to the big CEO.
Much to the dismay of many fans, Roman does not end up with Gerri – the General Counsel he's been inappropriately obsessed with since season one. After impulsively firing her and meaning it the second time – the series finale ends with a physically bruised and forlorn Roman having a drink and staring into the empty.
"In a reductive, brutal way, Roman ends up exactly where he started," Armstrong said (via Variety)." He is that guy still. And he maybe easily could have been a playboy jerk with some slightly nasty instincts, and some quite funny jokes. He could’ve stayed in a bar, being that guy. And this has been a bit of a detour in his life, I would say."
"Shiv is still in play, I’d say, in a rather terrifying, frozen emotionally barren place," Armstrong said. "But she has got this kind of non-victory, non-defeat. I mean, there’s gonna be some movement there. There’s still a lot of that game to play out, but that’s where we leave it. And it feels like it’s going to be hard to progress for them, emotionally, given the things they’ve said about each other."
It made sense for Shiv to flip her vote at the last second, given that she's pregnant with Tom's baby. This means that her child will be the eventual successor, leaving Shiv with power no matter what. The couple decided it was time for divorce earlier in the season, but it looks like the two will reluctantly stay together for the sake of both their child and the family business.
“For Kendall, this will never stop being the central event of his life, the central days of his life, central couple of years of his life," Armstrong continued. "Maybe he could go on and start a company, or do a thing. But the chances of him achieving the sort of corporate status that his dad achieved are very low. And I think that will mark his whole life."
We'll miss the Roys – and will hold out hope for a spin-off series in the future.
All four seasons of Succession are streaming on Max. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming in 2023 and beyond.
