How Succession Thrives Without a Protagonist

Succession follows the Roy family and the heirs to the Waystar-Royco media empire, which owns and operates the right-wing news channel ATN. When Logan Roy refuses to retire and suffers a stroke shortly thereafter, Roy's sons vie for leadership positions in the company. As the succession crisis deepens, numerous scandals impact both the Roy family and Waystar as a whole, threatening to undermine their power play.

It may come as a surprise that a show this powerful and critically acclaimed has no main character. No protagonist. Today we examine this idea, and why it actually works.

Created by Jesse Armstrong. Starring Brian Cox as Logan Roy, Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy, Sarah Snook as Siobhan “Shiv” Roy, Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy, Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch, Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans, Alan Ruck as Connor Roy, J. Smith-Cameron as Gerri Kellman, Peter Friedman as Frank Vernon, Scott Nicholson as Colin Stiles, Dagmara Dominczyk as Karolina Novotney, Justine Lupe as Willa Ferreyra, David Rasche as Karl Muller, Hiam Abbass as Marcia Roy, Arian Moayed as Stewy
Hosseini, Juliana Canfield as Jess Jordan, Fisher Stevens as Hugo Baker, Rob Yang as Lawrence Yee, Natalie Gold as Rava Roy, Zoe Winters as Kerry, Ashley Zukerman as Nate Sofrelli, Larry Pine as Sandy Furness, Alexander Skarsgård as Lukas Matsson, Dasha Nekrasova as Comfrey, Patch Darragh as Ray Kennedy, Caitlin FitzGerald as Tabitha, Kelly Nash as Cathleen Carmichael, Jeannie Berlin as Cyd Peach, Annabelle Dexter-Jones as Naomi Pierce, Eric Bogosian as Gil Eavis, Harriet Walter as Lady
Caroline Collingwood, James Cromwell as Ewan Roy, Hope Davis as Sandi Furness, Zack Robidas as Mark Ravenhead, Holly Hunter as Rhea Jarrell, Danny Huston as Jamie Laird, Justin Kirk as Jeryd Mencken, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Oskar Gudjohnsen, Elliot Villar as Daniel Jimenez, Eili Harboe as Ebba , Sanaa Lathan as Lisa Arthur, Pip Torrens as Peter Muunion, Adam Godley as Darwin Perry, Zach Cherry as Brian, Adrien Brody as Josh Aaronson and Stephen Root as Ron Petkus.