Since season 3 of Succession bowed in December, we’ve been eager to learn about the future of the critically adored HBO drama. And how could we not, after a bombshell ending like that? If you need a (spoiler-filled) refresher, siblings Kendall, Roman, and Shiv Roy finally banded together to stop their father Logan from selling Waystar-Royco to the streaming service GoJo, but their plan failed—partly because of a gutting betrayal by Shiv’s husband, Tom Wambsgans.
With Tom as a surprising underdog and the Roy kids licking their wounds (once again), where could Succession go in season 4? Here’s what we know.
Will there be a season 4?
HBO renewed Succession for a fourth season about a week after season 3 premiered. At the time, network execs voiced their confidence in the hit drama.
“With each season of Succession, [creator] 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,” Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, said in a statement. “This season is undoubtedly no exception, and we couldn’t be more excited for all that’s in store in this next season ahead.”
What will Succession season 4 be about?
HBO shared an official synopsis for the upcoming 10 episodes, which will follow the Roy family facing “existential angst and familial division” as the GoJo deal approaches. (Lovely. What else are we here for?)
“In the ten-episode 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.”
Who is in the cast this season?
Here’s who’s confirmed to return, per HBO: Brian Cox (Logan Roy), Jeremy Strong (Kendall Roy), Sarah Snook (Shiv Roy), Kieran Culkin (Roman Roy), Alan Ruck (Connor Roy), Matthew Macfadyen (Tom Wambsgans), Nicholas Braun (Cousin Greg), J. Smith-Cameron (Gerri), Peter Friedman (Frank), David Rasche (Karl), Fisher Stevens (Hugo), Hiam Abbass (Marcia Roy), Justine Lupe (Willa), Scott Nicholson (Colin, the security guard), Zoë Winters (Kerry, Logan’s assistant), and Jeannie Berlin (Cyd).
Dagmara Domińczyk will also return as Karolina Novotney, Waystar’s head of PR, along with Alexander Skarsgård as Lukas Mattson, Arian Moayed as Stewy, Juliana Canfield as Kendall’s assistant Jess, Annabelle Dexter-Jones as media heiress Naomi Pierce, Hope Davis as Sandy Furness’s daughter Sandi, and Cherry Jones as Nan Pierce, according to Deadline. Justin Kirk will also return as conservative congressman Jeryd Mencken and Stephen Root will be back as Ron Petkus, organizer of the Future Freedom Summit.
There are still more casting announcements to come.
When does filming begin?
Filming is already underway in New York City, HBO announced on June 27. The network shared a behind-the-scenes photo of a clapperboard for season 4, episode 1, which is directed by Mark Mylod, who has previously worked on the series.
Production appears to be right on schedule. Brian Cox previously told GQ UK that it was “roughly the plan” to start shooting in June 2022, after the writers were slated to reconvene in January.
Armstrong had also told Variety on May 8 that the writing stage was almost complete. “We’re almost done with the writing for season 4, here in London, with the American writers coming over,” he told the outlet. “They’re a really great group of people to talk about the nuances of character and the world and what we’re doing on the show.”
Will there be more seasons after that?
If you’re already concerned about where the Roys end up in 2022 and beyond, there’s some good news. It sounds like there’s a chance we could get even more chapters of the HBO hit. Writer and executive producer Georgia Pritchett was interviewed by U.K. newspaper The Times, where she said there could be as many as five seasons because showrunner Jesse Armstrong has “a good end in sight.”
“I think the maximum would be five seasons, but possibly more like four,” said Pritchett.
Armstrong previously told The New Statesman, though, that the show won’t go on for “too long.” “There’s going to be a very definite moment when that story is over,” he said. “And it can’t go on too long. I think there’ll be an end for me in this incarnation of the show in…” He added after a pause, “In a bit.”
And in his brief Variety interview, the showrunner hinted at the future of the series: “I won’t answer that one precisely. I don’t think it should go on forever. But we’re still having fun at the moment,” he said.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.
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