Succession to end with season four

By Mikaela Russell, Staff Writer

Show Creator and Showrunner of “Succession” Jesse Armstrong revealed that the upcoming fourth season will be the show’s final run on the popular subscription platform HBO Max. 

Armstrong expressed his thoughts on the natural progression of the show in an article published by the New Yorker in February.

 “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?” he said.

Succession, since premiering in June 2018, has been a massive success. Raking in millions of viewers, and being distinguished as one of the top ranked programs on the HBO platform, second only to the notoriously watched series, “Game of Thrones.” 

With the immense success of the series, viewers and TV theorists have found comparisons between the business mogul character Logan Roy and Australian billionaire Rupert Murdoch, who owns newspapers such as The Sun, The Times, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post, as well as Sky, 21st Century Fox,and the News of the World. Murdoch’s children – Lachlan, James, Elisabeth and Prudence, are believed to possess certain characteristics with Logan Roy’s ambitious children Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Connor (Alan Ruck). 

Amidst these theories, Armstrong stated that the Murdochs aren’t the only inspiration for the Roys, and that he draws inspiration from other media mogul families such as the Redstones and the Mercers.

With the highly anticipated season premiering mid March, writers of the show have left beloved fans spiraling to see what chaos will unfold in season four. 

Fans of the show on campus have also expressed their eagerness to watch the new season.

“Season four is gonna be the most interesting season,” senior business major Issac Richards said. “Last season was already intense but this is it, Kendall really knows how to push buttons, and I think he really put himself and his siblings in a tough position.” 

Another “Succession” fan on campus, junior accounting major Jessica Olrich, shared her thoughts on the show ending and offered a prediction.

“I don’t think there will be a happy ending to this show, I think a lot of people think that a TVshow needs a happy ending for the fans but in most cases like the show “Breaking Bad” there is no silver lining,”she said. “I don’t see any of the siblings getting the upper hand, because of how they handled their dad’s intentions on selling the company.” 

Olrich believes fans may be in for a surprise this season.

 “I think Logan probably [will be killed off]….I think there’s a big big shock coming this season and I’m really curious to see if that’s true,” she said.

Junior economics major Drew Garrison shared his thoughts on the legacy of the series. 

“This show obviously carries a lot of drama, but I feel like the general message the writers are conveying is that these big family businesses in reality have a lot more drama behind closed doors, and this show only highlights some of it,” he said.

Garrison elaborated on the impact the show has had on viewers.

 “I feel like the show has given viewers an insight to what it’s like being a part of a family at that high power. …The legacy of this show will definitely carry on throughout the next few decades with all these newer generations. The show is dramatic but also funny,” he added.

HBO reported that the season three premiere episode, which aired back in October 2021, had nearly 7 million viewers. What’s in store for the Roy family this season will be unveiled on March 23, as fans continue to anxiously wait.