TV

Succession's Most Hated Character Isn't Who You Think

Succession's Most Hated Character Isn't Who You Think
Image credit: HBO

You'd be surprised, but it's not even Alexander Skarsgård's Lukas Matsson!

Summary

  • Throughout the series, this character has caused the most pain.
  • However, even he was sympathetic at times.
  • Fans also named several other characters as the most hated.

Created by Jesse Armstrong, Succession ended a little over a year ago, but fans still haven't let go of a series that has made an invaluable contribution to pop culture and is arguably HBO's most prestigious project. For five years, we have followed the story of the rich and unhappy Roy family with great excitement because of its tragicomedy reminiscent of Shakespeare's plays.

The tragic plight of Connor, Kendall, Roman and Shiobhan Roy, which at times made us sympathize with them, is still a bold satire on people who will violate any morality for the sake of money. And so, while many fans have favorites among the ensemble cast, each of the characters is actually unpleasant, avaricious, and self-centered. But who do fans find most despicable?

Who Is the Fans' Most Hated Character in Succession?

Throughout the four seasons of Succession, the characters have done some downright disgusting things. For example, many people still can't get over the moment in the pilot episode titled 'Celebration' when Roman (Kieran Culkin) 'pranked' the groundskeeper's son by offering him a million dollars if he hit a home run. Or take Greg (Nicholas Braun), who started out as a sweet goofball and ended up as a typical yappie ready to sue Greenpeace. But that doesn't even compare to the sorrow Kendall (Jeremy Strong) caused due to his drug addiction.

The most hated character of all, however, turned out to be the family patriarch based on Rupert Murdoch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox). On the one hand, he's in some ways much more adequate and reasonable than his spoiled kids. But on the other hand, it's Logan who raised them that way.

Succession's Most Hated Character Isn't Who You Think - image 1

After literally rising to the top of the media business at the expense of others, from a small, traumatized child, as his brother Ewan (James Cromwell) describes him, he turned into a ruthless man who not only disrespected his employees, but never showed any affection to his children. Their entire upbringing was about toxic relationships and competition, because that's the only way Logan believes you can become a skilled tycoon.

The Writers Have Done Such a Good Job That We Still Love Him

But even fans who disliked Logan noted that Jesse Armstrong and his team wrote the characters so thoroughly, that it was impossible to completely hate him. There were too many moments throughout the four seasons when viewers literally found themselves sympathizing with the character.

The most defining moment was the scene just before Logan's death, in which he, accompanied by his bodyguard Colin (Scott Nicholson), delves into existentialism, pondering man's role in the harsh world of capitalism and questioning life after death. After all, Logan was not a monster, but an ordinary man who, as a result of his own actions, found himself abandoned and unhappy at the end of his life and tried to justify himself through cynicism.

Succession Has Plenty of Other Unlikable Characters

But of course, Succession is full of characters who have caused outright dislike from the audience. Lukas Matsson, the head of GoJo, played by Alexander Skarsgård, was one of the most mentioned characters by fans.

Besides Logan and Lukas, Ken, Rom and Shiv's mother Caroline (Harriet Walter) was also brought up. She is a narcissistic woman who doesn't know how to show affection to her children properly and is more concerned with her new spouse. And yet, unlike her ex-husband, she is much better at proving that she still has parental instincts.