Shiv Roy

At the start of HBO’s Succession, Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook), the hyper-ambitious sole female scion of the Roy media dynasty, is seen in a knit sweater in a New York City hospital, sick with worry over her father Logan (Brian Cox), who’s just suffered a stroke. That less-than-glamorous introduction eventually gives way to a character who, over the course of four seasons, proves themselves to quite possibly be the most evil character in TV history — but with her revolving wardrobe of cream-colored designer pantsuits and sheaths, never fails to serve in the process. 

Though Shiv starts out the series ostensibly serving the public good by working for a progressive politician, it becomes clear pretty quickly that her moral compass is about as stable as her brother Kendall’s sobriety. Even though she’s engaged to the toadying Tom Wambsgans (Matthew MacFayden), she’s still sleeping with a curly-haired Democratic operative, and not feeling particularly bad about it, either. And when Logan floats the prospect of her inheriting her family’s media dynasty, she’s quick to jump at the prospect, undercutting her brothers and selling out her progressive bona fides in the process. And we haven’t even mentioned the part where she successfully intimidates a sexual assault survivor by showing up at the park where her daughter is playing. 

By the end of the fourth and final season, Shiv’s jockeying for power turns out successful, albeit to a limited degree. In the last scene of the show, she’s seen gripping the hand of her estranged, newly-installed CEO husband in the back of a limo after he’s screwed her over to get that position, both of them looking absolutely miserable. It’s clear she’s going to assume power behind the scenes in some way — but at what cost? That’s the eternal question posed by Shiv’s trajectory, and by that of Succession in general. — E.J. Dickson