Succession, the Emmy winner HBO drama that helped redefine the premium cable network after the end of Game of Thronesis ending.
Creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong revealed that the upcoming fourth season will indeed be the final run on the Warner Bros. Discovery supported premium cable network. New Yorker that “there is a promise in the title of it Succession. I never thought this could go on forever. The ending has always been a bit present in my mind. From season two I’ve been trying to think, is it next, or the one after that, or is it the one after that?”
“I got together with some of my fellow writers before we started writing season four, around November, December 2021, and I kind of said, ‘Look, I think maybe this should be it. But what do you think?’ And we played out different scenarios: we could do a few short seasons, or two more seasons. Or we could go on for ages and turn the show into something completely different, becoming a more lean, freewheeling kind of fun show, with good weeks and bad weeks. Or we can do something more muscular and complete, and go out a little bit strong. And that was definitely always my preference.”
HBO representatives declined to comment except to confirm that the New Yorker’s story is accurate. Season four of Succession premieres returns March 26 on HBO.
The news puts an end to speculation about whether Succession would end with the fourth or fifth season, something that has plagued Armstrong ever since the satirical drama broke out as an awards season darling.
“I feel deeply confused. I quite enjoy this period where we are editing – where the whole season is present – but we haven’t released it yet. I like the interregnum,” Armstrong said. “And I also really loved the period when me and my close associates knew that this was probably it, or this was it, but hadn’t had to face it from the world. It’s been a tough decision because the collaborations – with the cast, with my fellow writers, with Nick Britell and Mark Mylod and the other directors – have just been so good. And I feel like I’ve done the best job I can do, working with them. And HBO has been generous and probably would have done more seasons, and they were nice to say, it’s your call. That’s fun, but it’s ultimately also a responsibility – it feels kind of perverse to quit.”
Succession broke out in its first season and earned the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for its second run and then followed up with another win for its third season. The show’s overwhelming cast, which includes stars Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Nicholas Braun, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen and Sarah Snook, have become regulars each season and have had numerous wins among them. Showrunner Armstrong took home the Emmy for writing for a drama series, while other guest stars and directors also earned figurines for their work on Succession.
Created by Armstrong, who earned an overall deal with HBO for his work on the series, Succession is also produced by Adam McKay, Frank Rich, Kevin Messick, Jane Tranter, Mark Mylod, Tony Roche, Scott Ferguson, Jon Brown, Lucy Prebble, Will Tracy and Will Ferrell.
Succession has become a major anchor show for HBO after closing such award winning hits including Game of Thrones And Veep. It’s part of a series of originals at the Casey Bloys-led cable company 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 creatives deciding what’s best for the story. Bloys has also maintained that Succession is unlikely to receive spinoff treatment, which goes against the franchise strategy most conglomerates have followed in the Peak TV era. Still, Armstrong told the New Yorker that the door remains open to revisit the Roys’ power-hungry world: “I really think this succession story that we were telling is complete,” he said. “This is the muscular season to exhaust all of our reserves of interest, and I think there is some pain in all these characters that are really strong. But the feeling that there could be something different in an allied world, or allied characters, or some of the same characters – that’s also strong in me. I held reservations at the end of the show, when I 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 can be done that takes advantage of the good of the way we’ve been working on this. So that’s still a real feeling.”