Succession creator breaks down decision to end the show this season


O to the M G! Succession is coming to an end.
The Emmy-winning HBO drama's upcoming fourth season will be its last, creator Jesse Armstrong revealed in an interview with The New Yorker.
"You know, there's a promise in the title of Succession," he said. "I've never thought this could go on forever. The end has always been kind of present in my mind. From Season 2, I've been trying to think: Is it the next one, or the one after that, or is it the one after that?"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Armstrong described himself as a "bit tortured" about this "difficult" decision, noting he went into the writing room on the fourth season thinking it would be the last but keeping his options open as long as possible. But he observed that if the show continued trying to mine the "intensity of emotion" that it has been, "eventually you're going to deplete it," and he wanted to make sure to go out "strong" rather than "go on for ages and turn the show into something rather different." Armstrong also noted the "succession story that we were telling is complete" this season, and "it's pretty definitively the end."
Succession's fourth season had not been announced as the last prior to this New Yorker interview. The show, which follows the corporate infighting in the Murdoch-esque Roy family, premiered in 2018 and won the Emmy for best drama series for its second and third seasons.
Speaking to The New Yorker, Armstrong explained he started to know where the show should end around season 2. He added that he feels "conflicted" about wrapping up this year, though he hinted that there could be "another part of this world we could come back to" in the future, joking, "I'll probably be calling you up in about six months asking if people are ready for a reboot."
Succession's final season premieres on HBO on March 26.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
AI hallucinations are getting worse
In the Spotlight And no one knows why it is happening
-
Social media: How ‘content’ replaced friendship
Feature Facebook has shifted from connecting with friends to competing with entertainment companies
-
The Alien Enemies Act
Feature President Trump is using a long-dormant law to deport Venezuelans. How does it work?
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia