Claudette Barius/HBO*
Succession creator Jesse Armstrong has revealed that the upcoming fourth season will be the show’s final run, according to an interview with the New Yorker.
When asked what led to his decision to end the Emmy-winning HBO drama, Armstrong replied, “I never thought it could go on forever. The ending has always been kinda present in my mind. Since season 2, I’ve been trying to think, is this the next one, or the one after that, or is this the one after that?”
The showrunner also said he felt torn about saying goodbye to the series. “I feel deeply conflicted. I’m quite enjoying this period where we’re reviewing — where the whole season is there — but we haven’t released it yet,” he said. “I love the interregnum.”
Describing his process in the writing room, Armstrong said he approached his team by “coming up with some sort of proposal” and being “genuinely open to other ways of doing it.”
“I got together with a couple of my fellow writers before I started writing Season 4, around November, December 2021, and I kind of said, ‘Look, I think maybe this should be that. But what do you think? “, he explained. “And we played different scenarios: we could do a few short seasons, or two more seasons. Or we could go on for hours and turn the show into something quite different, and be a longer, freer kind of fun show, where there are good weeks and bad weeks. Or we could do something a little more muscular and full, and kind of come out strong. And that has always been my preference.
The news comes ahead of season four of Succession, premiering March 26 on HBO. Season four will feature a handful of new cast members, including Annabeth Gish, Adam Godley, Eili Harboe, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson. The main cast of the series includes Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Matthew Macfadyen and Nicholas Braun.
The series, which focuses on the Roy family and their wild scheming for the media empire (and love) of patriarch Logan Roy, debuted in 2018 and has since won two Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series.
When discussing when to reveal the show’s ending, Armstrong said he didn’t want to wait for the final season to air. “We don’t hide the ball much on the show,” he said. “I feel a responsibility to the audience, and personally, I 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 that I would like know it’s coming to an end. »