All good things must come to an end. And that extends to one of the most celebrated and acclaimed series in HBO’s storied history, “Succession.” As we approach the beginning of Season 4 next month, it appears folks involved are finally willing to confirm what has been speculated— “Succession” is ending.
In an interview with the New Yorker, series creator and showrunner, Jesse Armstrong, confirmed “Succession” is ending with the upcoming Season 4, which is set to debut in a month. Obviously, he’s not going to spill the beans on what actually happens in the new episodes, but Armstrong has always figured this was how it would end.
READ MORE: HBO Isn’t Planning On Making Any ‘Succession’ Spinoffs After The Series Ends
“You know, there’s a promise in the title of ‘Succession,’” Armstrong said. “I’ve never thought this could go on forever. The end has always been kind of present in my mind.”
As for how it was decided that Season 4 would be the end of this story, Armstrong said that it came about fairly organically in the writers room. The group started to come up with ideas about whether or not the show could continue or should just end, and ultimately, the ending is what was decided on.
“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?’” he explained. “And we played out various scenarios: 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, 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.”
Many fans will, of course, speculate whether or not Armstrong saw the writing on the wall from HBO and knew that now was a good time to end the story, given how Warner Bros. Discovery has been fairly ruthless in canceling shows. However, according to the showrunner, that’s not the case at all.
“And HBO has been generous and would probably have done more seasons, and they have been nice about saying, ‘It’s your decision,’” he said. “That’s nice, but it’s also a responsibility in the end — it feels quite perverse to stop doing it.”
Of course, the idea that Season 4 would be the last for “Succession” isn’t anything too shocking. For years, most assumed the show would run for four or five seasons. And just recently, rumors and speculation were running rampant that this would be the end. Hell, Casey Bloys, the head of HBO, even openly discussed the possibility of spinoffs and sequel series. (That is to say, he didn’t believe it was in the cards.)
So, is this really the end of “Succession” and the story of the Roy family? It sure does seem that way, but Armstrong isn’t fully ready to shut the door on the possibility of revisiting some of these characters in the future.
“I do think that this succession story that we were telling is complete,” Armstrong teased. “This is the muscular season to exhaust all our reserves of interest, and I think there’s some pain in all these characters that’s really strong. But 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 caveated 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.”
We’ll definitely have to wait and see how Season 4 shakes out and if more “Succession,” in some other form, is actually a possibility. But as of now, if you’re a fan of the show, you better savor the remaining hours of story you have left. It appears that the succession is happening, whether you are ready or not.
“Succession” Season 4 debuts on March 26.