Succession: The Main Characters, Ranked By Funniness

On the surface, HBO’s Succession is a drama series. But with its satirical undertones, it also plays out as a smartly-written comedy. While characters like Tom and Roman are intentionally funny, others like Kendall and Greg are funny just because of their unfortunate circumstances.

All in all, the lead ensemble reveals the folly and tone-deafness of the upper crust of American society. They can be loud, lavish, immature, and short-tempered and their hilarious mannerisms and eccentricities bear further testimony to this.

9 Gerri

Gerri Kellman is an integral member of Waystar’s operations and has served as a close associate to Logan Roy for a long time. She has displayed her immense loyalty all this time to the point that it has become the Succession character’s worst trait. 

As she is mostly work-oriented, she hardly has any time to entertain any humor in her life. When Roman and his unsolicited advances get on her nerves, she does throw a sarcastic punch or two, but she is mostly an unfunny character.

8 Stewy

Kendall’s friend and a private-equity investor on Waystar’s board, Stewy is often straightforward with what he wants. This can be seen from his straight-faced humor as he isn’t the one to entertain many with a quick joke or two.

At times, he does get sarcastic while witnessing the family drama of the Roys. But the funniest he gets is when he rages for a change. For instance, in a season 2 episode, Kendall’s unpredictability gets on his nerves and this leads to Stewy delivering one of the best Succession insults and put downs: “F**k you, too, you pusillanimous piece of f**king fool’s gold — f**king, silver spoon a**hole!”

7 Siobhan

Siobhan’s aka Shiv’s sarcasm comes out best when she takes Roman down a notch, as she feels he is rising through Waystar’s ranks without putting in much effort. So, she makes her hatred evident with one remark or the other. For instance, when Roman tries to convince Logan to back a fascist presidential candidate, she tells him, “Stop being a dirty little pixie, whispering swastikas in dad’s ear.”

A good strategist and decision-maker, she also doesn’t hold back in dismissing her own company’s decisions. So, when Waystar wanted to go ahead with the strangely-worded “We get it” campaign to counter claims of sexual harassment, she lets her deadpan humor do the talking.

6 Greg

What’s funny about “Cousin Greg” is his dysfunctional life, which is just a series of unfortunate events. Even though he has a few tricks up his sleeve, he is mostly used as a pawn by the Roys. Controversies, such as a legal battle against Greenpeace and his bumbling Congress testimony, make for the best Cousin Greg episodes in Succession.

Most of the characters degrade him, passing comments on his shyness or general naivety. The biggest troublemaker, in this case, is Tom, who develops a close relationship with him as he is the only one over whom he can exercise some control. Their hilarious bromance includes sarcastic remarks and actual hand-to-hand combat that just reduces them to immature schoolboys.

5 Connor

One of the weirdest Succession characters, Connor is quite the black sheep of the Roy family. He is inefficient at the family business and often says unintentionally funny things (while thinking he’s being smart).

The funniest part of his arc is his presidential run, which has become a recurring gag in every season now. Connor is convinced that he would make for a promising President of America and whenever he speaks about his Oval Office dreams, the unimpressed expressions of everyone in the vicinity are chuckle-worthy.

4 Kendall

Over the course of three seasons, Kendall grows out from the shadow of his father to become a self-obsessed “jerk” of a character. While the members of his family share similar personality traits, Kendall just appears to be more confident and flamboyant than others, and this is what leads to some hilarious fails.

Whether it be rapping an awkward ode to Logan or organizing a strangely “Oedipian” birthday party, Kendall knows how to raise eyebrows and often for the wrong reasons. His melancholic lows in the latest season might evoke some sympathy, but even his miseries continue to draw laughs.

3 Roman

Roman is hilarious whenever he insults either of his siblings with one sarcastic remark or another. But his narcissistic and sexually-inappropriate jokes make him one of the most hated characters on Succession.

However, through such vulgar humor and self-entitled behavior, Roman is also a perfect satirical example of the uber-rich. In one way or the other and as offensive as they are, Roman Roy’s quotes in Succession end up poking fun at his own family, company, and America, revealing their flaws. After all, it was Roman who described Waystar Royco as “We do rollercoasters and hate speech.”

2 Tom

Tom’s poetic words, bad puns, and sly facial expressions make him one of the funniest characters on the show. Some of his funniest interactions come from Shiv and Greg. In the former’s case, he is reduced to a “trophy husband” at times and he often doubts her love for him. He then takes out his pent-up frustration on Greg to whom he serves as an unlikely mentor.

Even though Tom tries to be as mild-mannered as possible, his anger can come out with hilarious results. A case in point can be the unforgettable moment in season 2 when Tom grabs a piece of chicken that Logan is eating and eats it without any explanation.

1 Logan

Without a doubt, Logan Roy is the angriest character on Succession. And even though he isn’t the one to bat a smile, the way he just shuns his peers and family members can be both intimidating and hilarious at the same time.

While he has a plethora of savage comebacks and sarcastic remarks, it is just the simple “F**k off” that he utters that has become iconic for fans of the show. Despite his aged status in the company, Logan has the brashness of a young boy, as can be seen from his “I win” moments of exerting control over anyone else who gets in his way.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(724 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

More From Shaurya Thapa