Grab the Monopoly board and hide the dick pics (if you know, you know)—the Roys are returning for more backstabs and betrayal. From returning cast to when we might be able to expect the next season, here's everything we know about Succession season 4, which started filming in June of 2022 and will premiere on HBO on March 26, 2023. This will be the last season of Succession, creator Jesse Armstrong confirmed in February.
First, HBO's summary of season four: "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."
Second, we have an official trailer:
'Succession' Season 3 Ending
The season 3 finale of Succession shocked viewers—and even the show’s cast—when Tom Wambsgans (and, by extension, Cousin Greg) backstabbed Shiv in an effort to get into Logan’s good graces. Tom’s decision helped Logan secure enough shares of Waystar Royco to sell the company to GoJo, leaving his three kids—who had finally come together to overthrow their dad—out in the cold.
Per Deadline, the finale was watched by 1.7 million viewers, almost 50 percent more than the season 2 finale.
Renewal
Just a week after the season 3 premiere, HBO announced that Succession had been renewed for a fourth season. In a statement, Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, said, “With each season of Succession, Jesse Armstrong has continued to surpass our wildest expectations, pulling us deeper into the Roy family’s inner sanctum with indelible wit, humanity, and precision. This season is undoubtedly no exception, and we couldn’t be more excited for all that’s in store in this next season ahead.”
Speaking to the New Yorker in February, Armstrong said: "I got together with a few of my fellow-writers before we started the writing of season 4, in about November, December, 2021, and I sort of said, 'Look, I think this maybe should be it. But what do you think...And we played out various scenarios: We could do a couple of short seasons, or 2 more seasons. Or we could go on for ages and turn the show into something rather different, and be a more rangy, freewheeling kind of fun show, where there would be good weeks and bad weeks. Or we could do something a bit more muscular and complete, and go out sort of strong. And that was definitely always my preference."
Cast
Brian Cox and his four onscreen children will return for season four, along with stars Matthew Macfadyen, Nicholas Braun, J. Smith-Cameron, Peter Friedman, David Rasche, Fisher Stevens, Hiam Abbass, Justine Lupe, Scott Nicholson, Zoë Winters, and Jeannie Berlin. HBO has also confirmed that Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Hope Davis, Cherry Jones, Karolina Novotney, Alexander Skarsgård, Arian Moayed, Juliana Canfield, Justin Kirk, and Stephen Root will appear in season four. (Filming moved to Norway for part of season four as part of a storyline involving Skarsgård’s character.)
Possible Release Date
There was a two-year gap between seasons 2 and 3 of Succession, but it’s unlikely fans will have to wait that long for more episodes since the lengthy hiatus was due to the pandemic. Star Brian Cox told GQ UK that the show was planning to start shooting again in June 2022, with writers heading back to work in January 2022. “I was surprised because I thought they'd be getting back in November. But I do think they need a break. I mean, I think that they do need space, because they've been working really hard on this [series],” Cox said.
In June, HBO confirmed via Instagram that the fourth season had begun filming.
Plot
In an interview with Deadline, show creator Jesse Armstrong teased out some plot points for future episodes of the HBO drama, hinting that Tom’s decision may come back to bite him in the ass because Logan isn’t one to be loyal or trustworthy. (But Armstrong was largely tight-lipped, saying there are plenty of writers' room discussions to be had before anything can be set in stone.)
And in a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, actress Sarah Snook suggested that Shiv has "a lot of soul-searching to do," next season. "My mom's abandoned me. My dad's been revealed to be the devil, and my husband has signed a pact with him. So I've got nowhere to turn. And really, will I run to my brothers?...Where's the safest port?"
Armstrong also spoke to IndieWire about Greg's decision to side with Tom in the finale and how that may factor in his character development: "I think we’ve seen that Greg is not uninterested in wielding power and gaining capital. It’s just that he’s had quite small amounts of it in the past."
And while Jeremy Strong was tight-lipped about what's in store for the next season in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, he did note that his character was in "some fresh hell." He added: "I can’t really tell you anything. HBO would take me to a secret prison somehow.”