It’s his rambling candidness and boyish charm that makes him oh, so loveable.
HBO award-winning show Succession reminds us a lot of a fanciful Survivor. But instead of regular Joe castaways competing to see who can outwit, outlast, and outplay their competition on a reality show, it’s a fictional trio of rich New York City trust fund kids clamoring against each other to take over their billionaire father’s media conglomeration. So, what could go wrong? Well, a lot. And that’s what makes it so enticing.
As with every cast of riveting characters, there’s bound to be one that feels out of place. Enter: Nicholas Braun, otherwise known as Cousin Greg. He rides the coattails of the potential Roy family successors as their peripheral cousin. And his awkward boyishness and callow banter with Tom, the husband of the potential Waystar Royco heiress, makes him the standout on the show. Trust us: We’re not the only ones to think so.
Ahead of season three dropping on Oct. 17, we’re breaking down a hit list of Cousin Greg’s lovable qualities. (P.S. If you’ve already re-watched seasons one and two, here’s a list of seven other TV shows that remind us of Succession to hold you over.)
Without further ado, here’s why we love good ol’ clumsy Cousin Greg from Succession:
He’s not afraid to speak his mind
Or maybe he doesn’t know how not to speak his mind? Either way, the team behind his rambling multiple-liners deserves an Emmy for his script alone. In season two, Cousin Greg sits down for coffee with the journalist writing a tell-all biography about Logan Roy, the patriarch of the family. But he shows up and exclaims: “This isn’t a meeting. This is a pre-cursor to see if I might be willing to meet because actually meeting you would be a big step. I’m a time-pressed executive.” It’s his childish delivery and mumbling candidness that gets us every time.
His banter with Tom is delectable
These two are the most pinpointable outcasts of the Roy family. Tom is Shiv’s husband (one of the three Roy children, and the only daughter) and Greg is…well, their cousin. The two recognize this (barely) and form a shaky allegiance making for hysterical back-and-forth.
He lives by a set of principles…unlike the rest of his family
He might be the only one with morals. Seeing his principles juxtaposed with those of his family members makes him one of the most redeeming characters currently on TV. Things Cousin Greg doesn’t stand for: toxic workplace culture, racism, Nazis, and “like, don’t lie, if you’re the news.” Bravo, Greg. We can’t wait to find out what else he’s added to his list of non-negotiables in season three.
He normalizes being giddy like a child
Cousin Greg isn’t afraid to let out a little dance when he’s feeling happy — a quality the rest of the Roy family doesn’t indulge in. After searching for a place to live in New York City (an experience that’s not for the faint of heart), his cousin Kendall Roy offers up his vacant multi-million dollar doorman building apartment to him. “You live here now, Greg,” Kendall says to Greg. “Ok, cool, yeah. I can take a lot in terms of psychological pain. Sweet — ‘I live here…'” he responds in disbelief, as he stands in front the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. But when his cousin insists he only uses it for “storage” and it’s really his, Greg lets out his excitement by doing laps around the empty place. Sometime’s it’s OK to embrace your inner-child, and Cousin Greg reminds us of that.
