Following an explosive third season, which ended in epic fashion, Succession is back with season 4. And based on the first teasers, it looks like creator Jesse Armstrong’s series starring Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen, Nicholas Braun and Alan Ruck shows no signs of calming down, especially as the family feud continues to heat up. Ahead of the Emmy-winning HBO family drama’s return on Sunday, March 26, ET is rounding up everything we know about the Roy family’s battle for control of the media conglomerate Waystar Royco as well as what’s to come in the new episodes.
How Season 3 Ended
After the Roy siblings spent most of season 3 forming a loose alliance, with Kendall (Strong) struggling at times to convince Roman (Culkin) or Shiv (Snook) to align with him, they finally came together to lead a coup against their father, Logan (Cox), and stop the sell of Waystar Royco to GoJo founder Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). Amid the fallout of their failed plan, it was revealed that Tom (Macfadyen), who convinced Greg (Braun) to make a deal with the devil, was the one that tipped off Logan. Even Roman couldn’t convince Gerri Kellman (J. Smith-Cameron) to turn against his father.
Elsewhere, Cameron, who was initially in on the coup, backed out and, instead, got engaged to Willa Ferrerya (Justine Lupe), who gave his proposal an unexpected “f**k it.” Though, with his political ambitions seemingly squashed by Logan’s alternate choice for the next Republican presidential candidate, he also seems to be on the outs like the rest of his siblings.
“It is an astonishing ending… And it shows where the power lies in the family — and it’s not necessarily where you think it lies either,” Cox told ET about the finale, with Snook adding that “it [was] an exciting shift.”
What Season 4 Is About
As Ruck told ET, following the season 3 finale, “the gloves are off now. Like, this is a full-on world war.” And when the series returns with season 4, the family looks to be split among the battle lines, with Logan, Tom, Greg as well as other longtime employees, like Gerri, on one side and the four Roy siblings on the other.
According to HBO, in the upcoming 10-episode season, “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.”
While speaking with ET, Snook suggested the dynamics between Logan and his four kids – particularly the verbal lashings and public put downs that they’re willing to take – is “something that will probably be explored” more in the coming episodes. “They’ve got to come to a head and whether they go back to the same old, traditional way of how they’ve been relating to each other or whether they bust up and change, that’s where the conflict lies,” she offered.
The series, meanwhile, will head overseas as it focuses on the impending GoJo and Waystar merger. “We were just in Norway,” Strong told ET about shooting on location in Europe, revealing that in October, they “were about halfway through the fourth season.”
One thing is for sure, Kendall is “in some fresh hell, as you can imagine,” the actor quipped.
Trailer and Premiere Date
In January, HBO revealed that Succession is set to return on Sunday, March 26, at 9 p.m. PT/ET.
The network also started debuting new footage of season 4, giving audiences a glimpse of Logan seemingly getting ready for war. “This is not the end,” an ecstatic Logan says, while speaking to Waystar employees. “We’re killing the opposition.” He then adds, much to the bewilderment reactions of his kids, “I am going to build something better, faster, leaner, wilder. I love it here. I f**king love it!”
In another clip, the patriarch was seen taking an even more aggressive stance, showing that he’s fully recovered from his previous health scares. “Everything I try to do, people turn against me,” Logan says, clearly still angry about having to constantly face down challengers for his position at the top of his company. “I’m a hundred feet tall… These people are pygmies.”
The teaser then also showed the four siblings trying to figure out where the stand with each other, as they seemingly prepare to face off with their father. “Here they are, the rebel alliance,” Connor quips, with Kendall teasing that they’re the “new gen Roys.”
Even though the family battle is front and center, there’s still some underlying tension that needs to be dealt with – and that is where things stand with Shiv and Tom. “Do you want to talk about what happened?” he asks, getting nothing but a glare from his wife.
Possibility of More Seasons
While season 4 isn’t even out yet, the cast has already started talking about the possibility of even more to come. Culkin recently revealed to ET that “as a fan of the show, I would like to see more, I would like to see two more seasons.”
“If he decides there’s more to be got out of it, then we’ll do a fifth season,” Cox offered. He then added, “I don’t think we’ll do much more than that.” It’s a sentiment Culkin also agreed with. “I also trust Jesse and if he feels it’s time to stop, he’s right,” the actor added.
Succession season 4 debuts in spring 2023 on HBO and HBO Max. Seasons 1-3 are now streaming on HBO Max.