10 Best Episodes of ‘Succession’

The story of ‘Succession’ follows the Roy family and the executives of Waystar Royco through power plays, corporate deals, and public crises. Across four seasons the show tracks boardroom battles and personal turning points that reshape the company and the family that controls it. Key episodes often unfold at weddings, retreats, and election nights where private decisions create public consequences.

This list gathers ten episodes that mark major shifts in control, reveal crucial information, or set the stage for outcomes that define later seasons. Each entry notes where the action happens, who moves the pieces, and what changes in the immediate aftermath. It is a snapshot of the moments when alliances form, plans break, and the company and the Roys move in new directions.

Which Side Are You On?

Kendall attempts to organize a vote of no confidence against Logan while board members and senior executives are pressured to pick a side. The meeting is scheduled as Kendall deals with travel problems and a locked down office, and Logan arrives in person to challenge the move as the count falls apart. Frank is pushed out, Gerri tracks procedure, and Stewy’s involvement complicates Kendall’s path to control.

The failed vote alters the balance inside Waystar Royco and leaves Kendall exposed, with Logan removing allies and tightening his grip. The fallout pushes Kendall closer to external financing and to strategies that rely on support outside the family. It also sets a template for later boardroom showdowns where timing, attendance, and paperwork determine who holds authority.

Nobody Is Ever Missing

The Roys gather in England for Shiv and Tom’s wedding as Kendall pursues a risky attempt to secure financing and legitimacy. After leaving the reception Kendall rides with a young waiter and their car goes into the water, leading to a death and a rapid cover up once Logan learns what happened. Roman monitors a rocket launch from afar as the feed goes dark and questions emerge about a costly failure.

Logan uses knowledge of the accident to secure Kendall’s obedience and to bind him to the company’s needs. The wedding closes with a working truce that favors Logan while Tom and Shiv begin a marriage shaped by secrecy and shifting expectations. The episode places pressure points on several fronts, including the space venture, tabloid exposure, and the consolidation of power around the patriarch.

Hunting

Waystar Royco executives travel to a secluded lodge as Logan hunts and interrogates his team about leaks around the pursuit of the Pierce media group. Phones are collected, dinner turns into an exercise in control, and senior figures are singled out in a search for disloyalty. The episode maps who has access to which documents and who has been in recent contact with reporters.

The retreat ends with Logan moving forward on the Pierce bid while making it clear that internal channels are being watched. Relationships between Tom and Greg and between the senior finance team are reset under threat, which changes how information will flow in the next phase of the acquisition. The company returns to New York with a plan to proceed and a narrowed circle of trust.

Tern Haven

The Roys visit the Pierce family estate to discuss an acquisition and spend a long weekend in conversations about editorial standards, governance, and valuations. Shiv’s role as a possible successor is raised in front of guests, Roman and Kendall map reactions across the extended family, and Nan Pierce tests what a deal would mean for the newsroom and for legacy.

By the end of the visit the Pierces demand firmer commitments on leadership and independence while the Roys push for a number that can close. The trip clarifies the cultural distance between the families and identifies which Pierce stakeholders can be moved by price or structure. It also creates records and expectations that matter when regulators and banks look at the merger.

This Is Not For Tears

Following public exposure of the cruise scandals, Waystar Royco sails into a crisis that demands a decisive sacrifice to protect the company. Logan gathers the inner circle on a yacht, legal timelines are reviewed, and a plan is prepared to present one person as the responsible executive. Kendall is chosen to read a statement and travel to a press conference with counsel.

The conference changes direction when Kendall names Logan and cites documents and patterns that implicate top leadership. This public reversal triggers investigations, affects lender confidence, and resets board expectations for succession. It also moves Kendall from controlled asset to active opponent, which shapes the first meetings and filings that open the next season.

All the Bells Say

The Roys convene in Italy for planning around a family wedding while discussions with Lukas Matsson point toward a merger that would reduce the Roy stake. Shiv, Roman, and Kendall compare notes and decide to act together as they learn about deal terms that shift control away from the family. They move to block Logan by enforcing a provision that requires spousal consent.

When the siblings arrive, they find that the clause has been neutralized and that Tom has aligned with Logan by alerting him to the plan. The merger path remains open with terms that change ownership, Roman loses leverage with Gerri in the room, and the siblings end the season outside the decision chain. The episode locks in the contours of the coming sale and the roles each character will carry into the final season.

Connor’s Wedding

Family and executives board a yacht to celebrate Connor and Willa while Logan flies to negotiate a critical agreement that affects the sale of the company. During the party the Roy siblings receive calls from the plane about a medical emergency involving Logan and listen as crew attempt resuscitation. The timeline of calls, voicemail, and chain of command unfolds in real time as the children coordinate with managers on the ground.

News of Logan’s death circulates among key executives and board members, and attention quickly shifts to legal control, interim leadership, and market response. A statement is drafted, a list of condolences is planned, and the siblings position themselves for the next meeting of the board. The episode initiates the formal succession process that governs the remainder of the sale.

Kill List

Senior leaders travel to Norway to meet Lukas Matsson and his team and to renegotiate terms for the sale of Waystar Royco’s assets. Matsson offers a richer price to secure the deal while floating his own preferences for which executives will remain after closing. A list of likely departures and keepers circulates as Kendall and Roman weigh whether to lean into the sale or to derail it.

Shiv establishes a direct channel with Matsson that gives her information the others do not have, and internal divisions widen as each sibling pursues a different outcome. The visit ends with a headline number that improves the value of the deal and with a provisional map of the future leadership team. Those notes later shape compensation, titles, and bargaining positions when the board meets.

America Decides

On election night ATN faces calls from both campaigns while staff push for speed and accuracy under pressure. Roman advocates an early projection, Shiv argues for caution while managing her backchannel with Matsson, and Tom leads the control room through a series of data updates and county calls. A warehouse fire creates uncertainty about mail ballots and becomes a central question in the projection.

ATN makes a call that triggers legal and political blowback and that places the network at the center of the national narrative. The decision affects the deal environment for the sale and alters how regulators and investors perceive ATN’s leadership. It also produces records of internal deliberations that become relevant in later negotiations and hearings.

With Open Eyes

The series concludes with the board vote on the sale of Waystar Royco and with final positioning around the top roles after closing. Kendall, Shiv, and Roman count votes, collect proxies, and try to present a unified front as investors and directors arrive. Tom meets with Matsson about responsibilities in the combined company and receives a plan for the first slate of appointments.

The board approves the sale, Tom is named chief executive of the remaining company, and the siblings separate in the aftermath with distinct outcomes. Kendall leaves the building without a role, Shiv returns to a negotiated partnership with Tom, and Roman steps away from operations. The episode closes the corporate storyline with signed documents and a new reporting line for the leadership team.

Share your own picks for the most essential episodes of ‘Succession’ in the comments.