The ‘Succession’ Ensemble Is an Unstoppable Force

As we prepare for the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Backstage is breaking down this year’s film and television ensemble work for your consideration. For more voting guides and roundups, we’ve got you covered here.

Main Cast: Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Dagmara Dominczyk, Peter Friedman, Justine Lupe, Matthew Macfadyen, David Rasche, Alan Ruck, Alexander Skarsgård, J. Smith-Cameron, Sarah Snook, Fisher Stevens, Jeremy Strong 
Casting by: Avy Kaufman 
Created by: Jesse Armstrong 
Distributed by: HBO

Who gives the best performance on “Succession”? Is it Jeremy Strong, whose Kendall Roy is often the series’ most morose yet determined power player? Is it Brian Cox as Logan, the patriarch of the Roy family? No one has ever made an expletive sound more poetic. Is it Sarah Snook’s Shiv who, as the lone female Roy scion, has proven to be just as corrupt as her brothers? Or is it Kieran Culkin as Roman, whose “slime puppy” exterior conceals a deep sorrow?  

It’s an impossible question to answer, and that’s what makes the ensemble of Jesse Armstrong’s beloved corporate satire one of the greatest in television history. On its final season, the actors’ talents are on full display as tensions run higher, emotions become more fraught, and Waystar Royco finally finds its new major domo.

While the actors playing the Roys are all phenomenal, the bench runs deep. Matthew Macfadyen is alternately maniacal and heartbreaking as Shiv’s husband, Tom Wambsgans, as he finally worms his way to the top of the corporate ladder. The actor shares immaculate chemistry with Nicholas Braun as his favorite punching bag, Cousin Greg. And as the often-overlooked eldest Roy sibling, Connor, Alan Ruck turns in one of the most bizarrely emotional karaoke sequences ever committed to film. This season, his delusions of grandeur even lead him to an ill-advised presidential run. Despite her ditzy exterior, Connor’s wife, Willa Ferreyra (the excellent Justine Lupe), is fiercely devoted to her bumbling husband. 

Over its four seasons, “Succession” built up a roster of Waystar Royco employees orbiting those in power—and casting director Avy Kaufman brought on a host of amazing character actors to play these meaty roles. David Rasche and Peter Friedman are the show’s very own Statler and Waldorf as Karl Muller and Frank Vernon, respectively. The restrained animosity between the company’s two publicists, Karolina Novotney (Dagmara Dominczyk) and Hugo Baker (Fisher Stevens), could be its own mini show. And then there’s J. Smith-Cameron as Waystar Royco’s general counsel, Gerri Kellman, who finally runs out of patience with the Roys, breaking Roman’s heart in the process.

Alexander Skarsgård’s scheming billionaire Lukas Matsson, who was introduced on the third installment of the series, gets the chance to flesh out his character and make him even more menacing on Season 4. He’s the perfect foil for the Roys; they’re bad people, sure—but none of them have ever mailed their ex a frozen brick of their own blood. 

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the show’s killer cast; honorable mentions include Hiam Abbass, Arian Moayed, Harriet Walter, Zoe Winters, Natalie Gold, and Justin Kirk. 

It’s no wonder that, from the very start, “Succession” has been an unstoppable force every awards season; it’s just that good. And greatness starts at the top. The acting styles of the principal cast vary widely (much has been made of Strong’s dedication to the Method). Regardless of approach, all these performers turn in complex portrayals of ultra-rich power players we’d never encounter in real life. But after spending four seasons with them, they’ve come to feel like people we know intimately.