After five glorious years, Succession is finishing its run on HBO. Show creator Jesse Armstrong has revealed in an interview that the upcoming fourth season of the satirical comedy-drama will be the final one.
Armstrong has explained that he wanted to end the series on a high note and not drag it for years. So the show’s conclusion is purely a creative decision. However, he also hinted at the possibility of revisiting the project in the future.
Succession to End with Season 4 on HBO
Talking to The New Yorker on Thursday, Armstrong announced, “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 2, I’ve been trying to think: Is it the next one, or the one after that, or is it the one after that?”
He added that he sat with his writing team before the production began on season 4 to decide on the show’s conclusion. “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?’”
“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, Or we could do something a bit more muscular and complete and go out sort of strong. And that was definitely always my preference,” the creator revealed.
Armstrong Hinted at Revisiting the Succession World in the Future
While fans might be disappointed to see the end of their favorite series, there is still some hope that the Roy family could return. In the interview, Armstrong signaled the possibility of the show’s return and said, “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 created 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,” he added.
Succession is a Critical and Commercial Success for HBO
Ever since its premiere in 2018, Succession has received huge critical acclaim along with viewership numbers. The series has also won several awards during its run, making itself a key anchor for HBO after the end of Game of Thrones. Armstrong has now said that the decision to conclude the series was not easy.
“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. 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,” he elaborated.
Succession follows the story of the Roy family, who are struggling to keep control of media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo amid the health issues of Logan Roy, the family’s patriarch. The show stars Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Nicholas Braun, Kieran Culkin, Peter Friedman, Matthew Macfadyen, and Alan Ruck.
Succession season 4 premieres on HBO on March 26. Stay tuned for more news and updates.
