In a new interview with the New Yorker, Succession creator Jesse Armstrong has confirmed that the beloved HBO series will end after Season 4.
Succession Season 4 is just weeks away now, with its premiere date set for March 27, 2023 in Australia.
In the interview, Armstrong explained his decision to announce the news ahead of the Season 4 premiere, noting that there were “a few different aspects” he took into consideration.
Succession is one of HBO’s critical darlings — the first two seasons of the series had over 23 Emmy nominations and 9 wins, including Outstanding Drama Series for the second season. This year, Succession added to its haul of wins, winning Outstanding Drama Series once again. Matthew Macfadyen also won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his work as Tom Wambsgans, and Jesse Armstrong also got a nod for writing the episode “All The Bells Say”, which, yes, was that finale episode.
Why Jesse Armstrong Is Ending Succession
“One, we could have said it as soon as I sort of decided, almost when we were writing it, which I think would be weird and perverse,” he said.
Alternatively, Armstrong considered not announcing the news until after the season ended.
“I quite like that idea, creatively, because then the audience is just able to enjoy everything as it comes, without trying to figure things out, or perceiving things in a certain way once they know it’s the final season,” he said. “But, also, the countervailing thought is that we don’t hide the ball very much on the show. I feel a responsibility to the viewership, and I personally wouldn’t like the feeling of, “Oh, that’s it, guys. That was the end.” I wouldn’t like that in a show. I think I would like to know it is coming to an end.”
Ultimately, Armstrong said that there were “a bunch of prosaic things” to take into account, like the press cycle for the show.
“It might be weird for me and the cast as we do interviews,” he said. “It’s pretty definitively the end, so then it just might be uncomfortable having to sort of dissemble like a politician for ages about it.
“Hopefully, the show is against bullshit, and I wouldn’t like to be bullshitting anyone when I was talking about it.”
What Will Succession Season 4 Be About?
The official logline for Succession Season 4 is as follows: “The sale of media conglomerate Waystar Royco to tech visionary Lukas Matsson moves ever closer. The prospect of this seismic sale provokes existential angst and familial division among the Roys as they anticipate what their lives will look like once the deal is completed. A power struggle ensues as the family weighs up a future where their cultural and political weight is severely curtailed.”
Succession Season 4 Will Feature the “Rebel Alliance” of Roy Siblings
It’s been many, many long months since Succession aired its Season 3 finale, which ended with a breathtaking betrayal for the ages.
We watched with jaws agape as Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) finally got on the same page, only to have their plans thwarted by a well-timed tip-off from Shiv’s very own husband, Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen)
The first Succession Season 4 trailer features Logan Roy (Brian Cox) going up against Kendall, Roman and Shiv, who have been coined “the rebel alliance” by their older half-sibling Connor (Alan Ruck).
It also teases a showdown between Shiv and husband Tom.
“Do you wanna talk about what happened?” Tom asks, as Shiv delivers a glare so icy the Titanic is turning in its watery grave.
As we move into Season 4, the siblings will have to figure out their next move as Logan prepares to sell Waystar Royco and leave them out in the cold.
Part of Succession Season 4 Will Take Place in Norway
Cameras began rolling on Season 4 back in late June 2022, with parts of the season filmed in Norway. There, the Roys will be meeting with Lukas Matsson, the tech mogul played by Alexander Skarsgård.
Per Variety, “As the sale of media conglomerate Waystar Royco to Matsson moves ever closer — and the Roys question what their future will look like — the family is invited to visit the GoJo founder’s homeland.”
Succession producer Scott Ferguson told Variety that everyone was “really excited” for Skarsgård to join the series.
“From the beginning, [showrunner Jesse Armstrong’s] idea was that the tech company was going to be led by someone from a Scandinavian country,” Ferguson said. “In the writer’s room, around February, Jesse had an idea for an episode they wanted to be in [Matsson’s] part of the world.”
Calling Norway “a glorious, natural setting” for the Roys’ high-stakes drama, Fergusen said that “it immediately seemed like a perfect place for a family gathering in the series”.
“We studied different countries, but we realised Norway just has this exceptional landscape — like nowhere else in the world,” he said.
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Related: In a Very Unexpected Crossover, ‘And Just Like That’ Featured a ‘Succession’ Easter Egg
How Many Episodes Will Succession Season 4 Have?
HBO has confirmed that Succession Season 4 will have 10 episodes. This is back in line with Season 1 and 2 of the series, which also had 10 episodes. Season 3 is an outlier here, with only nine episodes.
Who Will Star In Succession Season 4?
The whole gang’s back, baby!
Brian Cox will be reprising his role as patriarch Logan Roy. Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Alan Ruck all back to play the Roy siblings.
Also rejoining the series for Season 4 are:
- Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch
- Peter Friedman as Frank Vernon
- Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans
- J. Smith-Cameron as Gerri Kellman
- Scott Nicholson as Colin
- Hiam Abbass as Marcia Roy
- Dagmara Dominczyk as Karolina Novotney
- Justine Lupe as Willa Ferreyra
- Alexander Skarsgård as Lukas Matsson
The Succession Season 4 Release Date
Succession Season 4 will premiere on March 27, 2023 in Australia. New episodes will be dropping every Monday.
Where Can I Watch Succession Season 4?
From March 27, you’ll be able to watch Succession Season 4 on BINGE and Foxtel. If you missed the first three seasons, they’re all available to stream now.
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