Claudette Barrios / HBO *
Succession Creator Jesse Armstrong revealed that the upcoming fourth season will be the show’s last, according to an interview with The New Yorker.
When asked why he decided to end the Emmy Award-winning HBO drama, Armstrong replied, “I never thought this could go on forever. The ending has always kind of been on my mind. Since season two, I’ve been trying to think: is it next, or is it It follows him, or is he the next after that?”
The showrunner also said he felt torn about saying goodbye to the show. “I feel deeply conflicted. I’m quite enjoying this period when we’re doing the editing — where the whole season is — but we haven’t published it yet,” he said. “I love the interregnum.”
When describing his process in the writing room, Armstrong said he reached out to his team by “making some kind of suggestion” and is “really open to alternative ways forward.”
“I met with a few of my fellow writers before we started writing Season 4, around November, December, 2021, and I kind of said, ‘Look, I think this should probably be the case. But what do you think? He explained. “And we played different scenarios: we could do two short seasons or two more seasons. Or we could go on for ages and turn the show into something a little bit different, be the kind of fun show that’s so loose and free, where there’s going to be good weeks and bad weeks. Or we can do something a little more powerful and full, and just go strong. And this has definitely always been my favourite.”
The news comes ahead of the fourth season of Successionpremieres March 26 on HBO. Season 4 will feature a handful of new cast members, including Annabeth Gish, Adam Godley, Ellie Harboy, and Johannes Hokur Johansson. The show’s main cast includes Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Matthew Macfadyen, and Nicholas Brown.
The series, which centers on the Roy family and their brutal scheme for patriarch Logan Roy’s media (and love) empire, debuted in 2018 and has since won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Dramatic Series.
When discussing when the show’s finale will be revealed, Armstrong said he didn’t want to wait until the final season had aired. “We don’t hide the ball much in the show,” he said. “I feel a responsibility to the viewers, and I personally don’t like feeling like, ‘Oh, that’s it, guys. That was the end. I don’t like it on the show. I think I would like that Known It’s coming to an end.”