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[DKehoe]

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Succession, the Emmy-winning HBO drama that helped redefine the premium cable network following the end of Game of Thrones, is ending.

Creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong revealed that the upcoming fourth season will indeed be its final run on the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed premium cable network, telling the New Yorker that “there’s a promise in the title of Succession. I’ve never thought this could go on forever. The end has always been kind of present in my mind. From season two, I’ve been trying to think: Is it the next one, or the one after that, or is it the one after that?”

“I got together with a few of my fellow writers before we started the writing of season four, in about November, December, 2021, and I sort of said, ‘Look, I think this maybe should be it. But what do you think?’ And we played out various scenarios: We could do a couple of short seasons, or two more seasons. Or we could go on for ages and turn the show into something rather different, and be a more rangy, freewheeling kind of fun show, where there would be good weeks and bad weeks. Or we could do something a bit more muscular and complete, and go out sort of strong. And that was definitely always my preference.”

Reps for HBO declined to comment outside of confirming the New Yorker story is accurate. Season four of Succession returns March 26 on HBO.

The news ends speculation on whether Succession would sign off with either its fourth or fifth season, something Armstrong has teased since the satirical drama broke out as an awards season darling.

“I feel deeply conflicted. I quite enjoy this period when we’re editing — where the whole season is there — but we haven’t put it out yet. I like the interregnum,” Armstrong said. “And I also quite liked the period where me and my close collaborators knew that this was probably it, or this was it, but hadn’t had to face up to it in the world. It’s been a difficult decision, because the collaborations — with the cast, with my fellow writers, with Nick Britell and Mark Mylod and the other directors — they’ve just been so good. And I feel like I’ve done the best work I can do, working with them. And HBO has been generous and would probably have done more seasons, and they have been nice about saying, ‘It’s your decision.’ That’s nice, but it’s also a responsibility in the end — it feels quite perverse to stop doing it.”

Succession broke out in its first season and earned the Emmy for best drama series for its sophomore run and followed that up with another win for its third season. The show’s sweeping cast, including stars Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Nicholas Braun, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen and Sarah Snook, have all become regular names each and every awards season and have collected numerous wins among them. Armstrong took home the Emmy for writing for a drama series, with other guest stars and directors also earning statuettes for their work on Succession.

Created by Armstrong, who earned an overall deal with HBO for his work on the series, Succession is also exec produced by Adam McKay, Frank Rich, Kevin Messick, Jane Tranter, Mylod, Tony Roche, Scott Ferguson, Jon Brown, Lucy Prebble, Will Tracy and Will Ferrell.

Succession has become a key anchor show for HBO following the conclusion of such award-winning hits as Game of Thrones and Veep. It’s part of a roster of originals at the Casey Bloys-led cabler that also includes The White Lotus, Barry, Euphoria, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Industry, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us and Game of Thrones offshoot House of the Dragon.

Bloys has maintained for some time that the decision to end Succession would be entirely up to Armstrong as the executive has a history of letting creatives determine what’s best for the story. Bloys has also maintained that Succession is unlikely to get a spinoff treatment, which goes against the franchise strategy that most conglomerates have taken to in the Peak TV era. Still, Armstrong told the New Yorker that the door remains open to revisiting the power-hungry world of the Roys: “I do think that this succession story that we were telling is complete,” he said. “This is the muscular season to exhaust all our reserves of interest, and I think there’s some pain in all these characters that’s really strong. But the feeling that there could be something else in an allied world, or allied characters, or some of the same characters — that’s also strong in me. I have caveated the end of the show, when I’ve talked to some of my collaborators, like: Maybe there’s another part of this world we could come back to, if there was an appetite? Maybe there’s something else that could be done, that harnessed what’s been good about the way we’ve worked on this. So that is another true feeling.”

Assuming season 4 keeps up the quality of the past seasons then it's probably best to end rather than finding excuses to drag it out. With the way things are heading this next season had already felt like it could be the last.

 

[Billbofet]

Love this show, but glad to hear it's going out before it gets stale.

 

[DKehoe]

Love this show, but glad to hear it's going out before it gets stale.

Yeh, like Armstrong says in the article it's always been a show with an end point. So making it carry on indefinitely would have gotten old after a while.

 

[remember_spinal]

Its probably good that the show is a critical darling while not having a huge viewership draw, they probably would have stretched it for one more season if so.

 

[AJUMP23]

Good. It was starting to drag.

 

[CYRU5_DA_GR34T]

Yeah, worst part about shows this good is that they have to end and you'll have to go somewhere else. Hats off to the team on this one,best cast and script I've seen in years.

 

[diffusionx]

It's a good show and could have easily fallen into the trap of just recycling conflicts for the main characters to deftly handle, a la Billions. Smart move.

 

[DKehoe]

 

[reksveks]

What a great episode

 

[AJUMP23]

I fast forward through about 10 minutes of this episode. Even though it is the most pivotal.

 

[DKehoe]

I fast forward through about 10 minutes of this episode. Even though it is the most pivotal.

Why?

 

[AJUMP23]

Why?

I got bored.

 

[DKehoe]

I got bored.

Huh, really? I thought the episode was incredible. What about it didn't work for you?

 

[AJUMP23]

Huh, really? I thought the episode was incredible. What about it didn't work for you?

the dialog of the kids on the phone and the people on the plane was just not working. I just wanted to get through it. so I skipped about 5 minutes until they made thee statement and the episode ended.

 

[DKehoe]

the dialog of the kids on the phone and the people on the plane was just not working. I just wanted to get through it. so I skipped about 5 minutes until they made thee statement and the episode ended.

Fair enough, but I thought that was so well done. Kendall blurting out that he doesn't forgive Logan, Roman trying to remember whether or not he said he loved him, all these little moments where you could see them all working through their incredibly complicated relationships with their father. The show is about the relationships between the family members but it's so often got this layer of the business over the top of it. With that episode you had that peeled away so it's just the raw emotion underneath.

 

[AJUMP23]

Fair enough, but I thought that was so well done. Kendall blurting out that he doesn't forgive Logan, Roman trying to remember whether or not he said he loved him, all these little moments where you could see them all working through their incredibly complicated relationships with their father. The show is about the relationships between the family members but it's so often got this layer of the business over the top of it. With that episode you had that peeled away so it's just the raw emotion underneath.

Well acted but I had no empathy.

 

[DKehoe]

 

[AlphaMale]

Did Brian Cox (Logan Roy) have a dispute with HBO or something?
The way ep3 was filmed suggests an abrupt departure. The entire scene on the plane with chest compressions didn't even show Logan's face directly.
No wonder Season 4 is its last. Not sure the kids will be able to carry the show for the rest of the season...

 

[reksveks]

Did Brian Cox (Logan Roy) have a dispute with HBO or something?
The way ep3 was filmed suggests an abrupt departure. The entire scene on the plane with chest compressions didn't even show Logan's face directly.
No wonder Season 4 is its last. Not sure the kids will be able to carry the show for the rest of the season...

Nope, there is going to be a couple of flashbacks of Logan coming up but think it's just them running out of road so ending it whilst it's good.

Also fucking Kendall at the end of yesterday/today's episode

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Did Brian Cox (Logan Roy) have a dispute with HBO or something?
The way ep3 was filmed suggests an abrupt departure. The entire scene on the plane with chest compressions didn't even show Logan's face directly.
No wonder Season 4 is its last. Not sure the kids will be able to carry the show for the rest of the season...

No, this was communicated awhile back to Cox.

He also showed up in character for the funeral episode just to throw off paparazzi.

 

[DKehoe]

 

[AJUMP23]

I liked the episode this week. Lots of business going on. Negotiating at the retreat.

 

[DKehoe]

I liked the episode this week. Lots of business going on. Negotiating at the retreat.

Roman getting to tell Mattson to fuck off was nice.

 

[AJUMP23]

Roman getting to tell Mattson to fuck off was nice.

Mattson got what he wanted in the end though. At a premium.

 

[DKehoe]

So with tonight/tomorrow (depending on where you are) being the last episode what are people's predictions for the end?

 

[MisterFalcon]

-Kendall becomes the new Logan, successfully running the business at the cost of all human connections
-Shiv goes to help the lawsuits contesting the election
-Roman goes into some form of psychiatric treatment
-Connor and Willa live an empty but somewhat happy ultra rich peoples life
-Tom leaves ATN to be with Shiv
-Greg promoted to something senior in ATN
-Geri is made CEO by Mattson and she was in the car with him at the end of the last episode
-The Old Crew continues to work for Waystar
-Last shot is Jess sitting down with the FBI to reveal all the shit she got on the Roys

 

[DKehoe]

-Kendall becomes the new Logan, successfully running the business at the cost of all human connections
-Shiv goes to help the lawsuits contesting the election
-Roman goes into some form of psychiatric treatment
-Connor and Willa live an empty but somewhat happy ultra rich peoples life
-Tom leaves ATN to be with Shiv
-Greg promoted to something senior in ATN
-Geri is made CEO by Mattson and she was in the car with him at the end of the last episode
-The Old Crew continues to work for Waystar
-Last shot is Jess sitting down with the FBI to reveal all the shit she got on the Roys

Feel like these all make a lot of sense. Kendall finally getting what he wants and it leaving him alone and empty inside works for an ending. I've also wondered if he ends up killing himself. There's been a few nods to it over the course of the show with him looking over the edge of a building or out to sea.

 

[KrazyKrelian]

Feel like these all make a lot of sense. Kendall finally getting what he wants and it leaving him alone and empty inside works for an ending. I've also wondered if he ends up killing himself. There's been a few nods to it over the course of the show with him looking over the edge of a building or out to sea.

Ken has almost died or posed like a dead man in water every season so far.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

I went through the entire series over the past few weeks.

Season 1: "I hate these characters. I want to see them suffer. Some of them ARE kind of funny, though"

Seasons 2-3: "Actually, I'm ashamed to admit how much I relate to these people. Who's to say I wouldn't be like them, given the circumstances?"

Season 4: "I hate these people, and they did not suffer enough."

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

Great show… and shiv ultimately lacking the ability to do something good for his brother after a lifetime of mutual sibling sabotage is an embodiment of poisoned family relationships.

In the end, the only people who get what they want are the ones from outside the family (except Greg, who remains in the company at the cost of being Tom’s bitch).

Also MisterFalcon I don’t think Kendall could ever successfully run the business: through the show he has been shown multiple times to be unable to convince people into giving him what he wants without paying them somehow. He generates no loyalty and doesn’t know how to press people. He has to pay for that, everytime.

 

[Toons]

Watched the entire series over the course of 2 months. Fantastic show. Didnt want it to end.

 

[KrazyKrelian]

I love this show so much. It's in my top 5.

1. The Sopranos
2. The Wire
3. Succession
4. Breaking Bad
5. Better Call Saul

Bonus kudos to Nicholas Britell for the best soundtrack I ever heard for TV.