Pemilihan dan penciptaan

Shiv Roy dan saudara-saudaranya terinspirasi oleh keturunan dari tokoh bisnis terkemuka di dunia nyata, seperti Ian dan Kevin Maxwell, Shari dan Brent Redstone, dan anak-anak Rupert Murdoch.^[1] Jesse Armstrong, showrunner Succession, ingin anak-anak Roy tinggal di Inggris untuk sementara waktu, sebagai cara untuk menunjukkan bahwa mereka "cukup internasional karena sangat kaya."^[2] Sarah Snook awalnya tidak ingin mengikuti audisi untuk Shiv karena tidak ada hal dalam dirinya yang menurutnya "reflektif atau mudah dipahami" dalam karakter yang "cantik dan kaya".^[3] Dia tetap merekamnya dan akhirnya dipanggil untuk tes layar.^[4] Tim kreatif Succession menerbangkan Snook dari negara asalnya Australia ke Los Angeles untuk audisi terakhirnya, yang dia selesaikan dengan Jeremy Strong, yang memerankan kakak laki-lakinya dan pewaris Kendall Roy.^[4] Sebelum audisi, dia berbicara dengan Armstrong dan produser eksekutif Adam McKay melalui telepon dan mempelajari lebih lanjut tentang minat mereka masing-masing dalam komedi, politik, dan dinamika keluarga.^[4]

Ketika ia ditawari peran tersebut oleh Armstrong, Snook menolaknya karena khawatir serial tersebut akan mengangkat tema seksisme, khususnya di tempat kerja.^[5] "Jika dunia akan tertarik pada sekelompok pria kulit putih yang berbicara tentang bisnis, dan jika saya satu-satunya wanita di sana, maka saya mungkin akan dikesampingkan dan menjadi semacam alat peraga," Snook menjelaskan kepada Variety. "Saya pribadi tidak merasa seperti itu, dan saya juga tidak ingin bersaing untuk itu."^[5] Dia memberikan peran tersebut kesempatan kedua dengan meninjau kembali bagian tersebut melalui perspektif tim kreatif Succession. Dia memiliki keyakinan buta bahwa peran tersebut akan membuka kesempatan baginya untuk memperjuangkan karakter wanita, daripada dikesampingkan sebagai satu-satunya wanita yang terlibat dalam episode percontohan.^[5] "Ada lensa fokus terhadap seksisme semacam itu,” kata Snook. "Hal itu hadir dalam pertunjukan karena memang hadir dalam kehidupan nyata, ada di sana, dan melekat dalam perilaku para tokoh, serta hal-hal yang mereka katakan."^[6]

Kepribadian

Sepanjang cerita, serial ini memperlihatkan Shiv sebagai sosok yang cerdik, kompeten, dan lebih tangguh dibandingkan saudara-saudaranya dalam menentang keinginan ayah mereka. Dia memiliki kehadiran yang "kuat" dengan rasa tekad yang "gigih",^[14] tapi dia juga mengalami gangguan emosional.^[15]

Musim 1

Shiv memulai musim pertama Succession sebagai konsultan politik yang sebagian besar menjauhi urusan Waystar RoyCo. Selama perayaan ulang tahun Logan yang kedelapan puluh, saudara-saudaranya terkejut ketika dia meminta mereka menandatangani dokumen yang akan memberikan istri ketiganya, Marcia, dua kursi di dewan perusahaan. Kendall menawarkan Shiv dan Roman sebuah proposal balasan yang akan menunjuknya sebagai penerus Logan dan menunjuk mereka berdua sebagai co-chief operating officers; keduanya langsung menolak Kendall. Logan tiba-tiba menderita stroke hemoragik dan dilarikan ke rumah sakit saat terjadi pertengkaran dengan anak-anaknya mengenai keterlibatan Marcia dengan yayasan tersebut.^[16]

Setelah Logan tidak mampu lagi bekerja, anak-anak Roy berselisih pendapat tentang siapa yang harus mengambil alih kendali perusahaan. Roman bersikeras agar Shiv menandatangani dokumen perwalian bersamanya, tetapi dia meragukan peran Marcia di perusahaan itu. Dia kemudian menyalahkan Shiv karena menyebabkan Logan terkena stroke dengan taktik kerasnya, yang memicu perkelahian fisik. Tom secara spontan melamar Shiv di rumah sakit; Shiv menerima tetapi berharap agar Tom melamarnya dalam situasi yang lebih baik. Pada akhirnya Shiv dan Roman mendukung Kendall sebagai pelaksana tugas CEO selama Logan tidak mampu bekerja.^[17] Ia curiga pada Marcia dan meminta Nate untuk melakukan pemeriksaan latar belakang padanya. Marcia meyakinkannya bahwa ia bersedia menjawab pertanyaan apa pun yang mungkin diajukannya.^[18]

Roman memberi tahu Shiv bahwa foto telanjang suami kandidat politiknya, Joyce Miller, telah bocor secara daring. Dia mencoba memblokir ATN, outlet berita global Waystar, untuk menayangkan cerita tersebut, tetapi tidak berhasil.^[19] Shiv kemudian berselisih dengan Tom dan ibu pengacaranya mengenai perjanjian pranikah mereka, yang tidak mengandung syarat-syarat yang berhubungan dengan perselingkuhan. Tom bertanya-tanya apakah ketidakhadirannya berarti Shiv tidak setia kepadanya, tetapi Shiv mengelak dari kekhawatirannya.^[20] Shiv kemudian makan malam dengan Nate, yang memberikan kesempatan bagi mereka berdua untuk bekerja untuk kampanye presiden musuh politik Logan. Ia menghabiskan malam bersamanya di apartemennya, meskipun di kamar terpisah. Meskipun mereka berdua telah bertunangan dengan pasangan lain, mereka tetap saling tertarik secara seksual.^[21]

Shiv menghadiri sesi terapi keluarga selama akhir pekan di peternakan Connor di New Mexico, tapi dia keluar lebih awal untuk berbicara dengan Senator AS dan calon presiden kiri Gil Eavis. Logan menegurnya karena bertemu dengan saingannya dan memanggilnya pengecut karena menikahi Tom.^[22] Marcia kemudian memberi tahu Shiv bahwa Logan tidak akan menghadiri pernikahannya dan Tom. Namun, Logan dan Marcia tetap hadir di pernikahan tersebut untuk menghindari publisitas buruk.^[23] Setelah bertemu dengan Nate, Tom mengkonfrontasi Shiv tentang perselingkuhannya, yang dibantah Shiv. Dia kemudian mengumpulkan amunisi politik untuk Gil dan memanfaatkannya untuk memaksa gencatan senjata antara dia dan Logan.^[24] Kendall melakukan upaya yang gagal untuk mengambil alih Waystar selama pernikahan. Setelah mereka dinyatakan sebagai suami istri, Shiv akhirnya mengakui perselingkuhannya kepada Tom dan meminta pernikahan terbuka. Tom memaafkannya dan mengeluarkan Nate dari pernikahan tersebut.^[25]

Season 2

Shiv and Tom decide to cut their honeymoon short to attend to family matters in the wake of Kendall's attempted takeover. They join Logan and the other Roy children at the family's summer home in the Hamptons for lunch. Logan asks his children for their opinion on whether he should sell Waystar. None of them is comfortable openly sharing their thoughts, so Logan meets each individually in the privacy of his office. During their meeting, Logan offers Shiv the role of chief executive officer (CEO). She accepts but chooses to not disclose the news to Tom; she simply informs him that he was promoted to ATN's chair of global broadcast news.^[26]

Gil tells Shiv that if he were to be elected president, he would name her his chief of staff. On the other land, Logan suggests it would take three years for Shiv to fully integrate into her offered role at Waystar. She finally tells Tom the news; he is excited for her but worries about his plans to inherit the company. Shiv reassures him that his ambitions are not in jeopardy before she mocks him and tells Roman in secrecy to not consider him as a threat. After considering her two options, Shiv quits Gil's campaign and informs Logan that she is ready to work for Waystar.^[27]

Shiv vehemently opposes Logan's plans to takeover Waystar's rival Pierce Global Media (PGM). She asks Tom to talk him out of it before he leaves for the Waystar hunting retreat in Hungary; while he is away, she enjoys a one-night stand. Logan later tells Shiv that it is time to bring her into the company.^[28] On her first day, she observes the daily operations of Waystar as everyone is rushed into panic rooms. She is concerned about Kendall's mental health; he tearfully confides to her his belief that the only valuable aspect of him is his loyalty to Logan.^[29] During a weekend trip to the Pierce family estate in Long Island, Shiv abruptly announces that she was chosen to serve as CEO. Nan Pierce, the head of PGM, agrees to sell the company to the Roys on the condition that Shiv would be named as Logan's successor on the day of the merger. Logan refuses and calls off the deal, but receives a call soon after saying the Pierces changed their mind.^[30] Nan ultimately calls off the acquisition after New York Magazine published a sexual misconduct exposé regarding Waystar's cruise line. During a panel discussion, Shiv suggests that Logan should step down from the company.^[31]

As Tom worries about his future with Waystar, Rhea Jarrell offers Shiv her former position as CEO of PGM. Shiv is interested in the offer, despite her growing suspicions that their meeting was a ploy concocted by her father. Logan later confirms Shiv's suspicions and accuses her of conspiring against him.

Season 3

After Kendall delivers a surprise statement naming Logan responsible for overseeing the cover-up of the crimes, Logan decides to step back temporarily as CEO. He names Shiv President of Domestic Operations at Waystar, which she quickly comes to learn is a figurehead title that is earning her little respect from within the company. However, Shiv manages successfully to negotiate the terms of a settlement with Stewy and Sandi at Waystar's shareholder meeting, thereby preserving the Roys' majority ownership in the company. Shiv and Logan remain at odds after she protests against Waystar's backing of controversial far-right Congressman Jeryd Mencken for the presidency.

Shiv's relationship with Tom continues to be strained during this period: she becomes irritated with his paranoia about going to prison for the scandal, and is ambivalent about his desire to have a child with her. However, she changes her mind about the latter after a bitter conversation with her mother at the latter's wedding in Italy, where Caroline says she regrets having children. The siblings learn at the wedding that Logan plans to sell Waystar to tech giant GoJo, effectively leaving them without an inheritance, and they resolve to halt the sale by invoking a clause in Logan's divorce agreement which grants the children power of veto over any change in company control. Shiv informs Tom of her plans, but he realizes she has not considered what his status will be within the siblings' alliance. The siblings discover Logan has already renegotiated the divorce agreement by the time they arrive to confront him, and Shiv discovers it was Tom who betrayed her by tipping off Logan about his children's revolt.

Season 4

Six months later, Shiv and Tom are on a trial separation and seeking a divorce. Shiv is secretly 20 weeks pregnant, which she hides from her family. Shiv and her siblings are estranged from Logan and planning an independent media venture they call "The Hundred". However, on Logan's birthday they learn their father is attempting to buy PGM again; they successfully outbid him. They then partner with Stewy and Sandi - who want to negotiate a price increase for the GoJo sale - spitefully seeking to pressure Logan into renegotiating the deal with GoJo founder Lukas Matsson. However, Logan dies en route to his meeting with Matsson in Sweden; the siblings learn of his death while at Connor's wedding, and Shiv reads a statement to the press announcing their father's passing.

At Logan's wake, the family discovers a document in Logan's safe naming Kendall his successor; Kendall and Roman opt to run the company together as co-CEOs, leaving Shiv uncertain about her position. Shiv attempts to curry favor with Matsson amidst her brothers' attempts to sabotage the GoJo deal, but regrets it once she discovers Matsson has inflated GoJo's subscriber numbers, putting the company's future in jeopardy. She and Tom get into a vicious argument about their marriage during a party which they are hosting on the night before the presidential election, where Tom tells her he regrets marrying her and that she is unfit to be a mother.

Shiv attempts to apologize to Tom the following day during the election, but Tom is unreceptive; she finally tells him she is pregnant with his child, but is hurt when Tom reacts skeptically, believing it to be a manipulation tactic. During the election, Shiv hopes for Democratic candidate Daniel Jiménez to win the presidency, knowing he will allow the GoJo deal to go through, and being deeply concerned about the threat that Mencken's fascist agenda poses to American democracy. Kendall turns on her after learning she is working with Matsson, and she is powerless to stop her brothers from okaying ATN to call the election in Mencken's favor.

The next day she tells Kendall and Roman about her pregnancy in the car on the way to their father's funeral. At the church, the kids reunite with Caroline, who immediately notices that Shiv is pregnant. Both Matsson and Mencken arrive; Shiv meets with Matsson to propose making a deal with Mencken to allow the GoJo sale through in exchange for Matsson's naming an American as Waystar's CEO. Shiv nominates herself, but Matsson is lukewarm, questioning her inexperience and ability to perform effectively while pregnant and thereafter as a new mother. When Roman fails to give his eulogy, his siblings comfort him and give the eulogy in his place. Shiv speaks last, describing the precious rarity of receiving love from her cold father as well as the struggles of being the daughter of a man who did not understand women.

At the funeral reception, Shiv speaks with Mencken and brings him to meet Matsson, where the two pitch for the sale to go through. Mencken remains non-committal until state their proposal to install an American CEO after the GoJo-Waystar acquisition. Tom finally arrives at the reception and shares a moment with Shiv and Caroline. Matsson calls Shiv to report that Mencken has accepted the terms of their deal; Shiv is elated, believing her position as CEO of Waystar is secured. Unbeknownst to her, however, Mattson has begun to look around for other potential CEOs, ultimately settling on Tom. Shiv initially works with her siblings to make Kendall CEO and block the acquisition. But, having the deciding vote, she has a change of heart and ultimately votes to allow the acquisition to proceed and for Tom to become CEO of Waystar. Shiv is last seen leaving the meeting with Tom, the two tentatively holding hands as their car pulls away.