It’s been about 15 months since Logan Roy, aided by a last-minute betrayal by his son-in-law Tom, stabbed his own children in the stomach. We’ve since learned that the upcoming fourth season of Succession will also be its last. Along with the thrill of seeing what happens to the most dysfunctional family on TV comes the sadness of knowing they will soon be gone forever and wondering if the show did the right thing by ending after just 39 episodes . But days before Season 4 premieres, now is the time for hype and predictions, so like Dr. Alon Parfit headfirst back into the fucked up world of the Roys.
1. First things first, how do you feel about Season 4 being the final season of Succession?
Jomi Adeniran:
Alyssa Beresnak: Emotionally I will miss it very much. But in terms of what’s best for the story, I’m all for ending in the middle of the winning lap. Historically, prestige TV degrades significantly when it becomes too popular and runs too long (see: Game of Thrones). And if we’re using the aging Murdoch empire as our starting material, it’s only a matter of time before that well runs dry.
Miles Surrey: I won’t lie, it’s bittersweet. I was hoping they would make it to five seasons, but if that’s all that’s left to tell, at least Succession won’t outlive its reception like some other Emmy-winning prestige dramas. (No offense, but when was the last time you thought about The Handmaid’s Tale?)
Austin Gayles: Great! The world of Succession is as awesome as any other, but how many times can we swing when the king misses before we get bored of the crown never falling? Sign me the fuck up for what Jesse Armstrong is up to next.
Alan Siegel: Sad but excited. Great TV shows should be able to act out like great athletes on their own terms. If Armstrong and company think this is the right place to end the show, then I certainly have faith in them.
Khal Davenport: Personal? I prefer brevity on my Peak TV. Something about creators knowing the story they want to tell and being able to set a date for when it’s going to be finished I always find fascinating. Also, Season 3 was a blast. I’m ready for the final showdown.
2. What are you most looking forward to going into this season?
Seal: To see what new and exciting ways the show finds to portray the misery of being disgustingly rich. (When I describe the Roy family, I’m running out of adjectives to stick before “wealthy.”)
Surrey: I say this with the understanding that the characters’ allegiances are constantly shifting: the Roy siblings (excluding Connor) are finally working together against their father. We spent so much time with Kendall, Roman and Shiv trying to undermine each other; It’ll be really interesting to see what it’s like when they all play for the same team. At least until one of them goes rogue; If that happens, my money is on Roman.
Gayle: What the hell is Tom doing? Forging an alliance with cousin Greg, he set Logan on the children’s plan to overthrow him in an unprecedented betrayal of Shiv. It used to be an afterthought, but it definitely isn’t anymore. And even though the guy is way above his skis, I kinda love it?!
Bereznak: I’m so excited to see how Tom’s power play will change the dynamic of his marriage. Will Shiv divorce him? Or will she stay and try to milk him at her father’s? Perhaps he’s earned a new level of respect from her, since “bitter betrayal” is her family’s love language? No matter what, don’t expect Shiv to wade back into the waters of emotionally destructive sex talk anytime soon!
khal: Oddly enough, where Cousin Greg fits in. Towards the end of Season 3 it looked like he was finally grasping the art of finesse; I can only hope that he still fails at the top.
adenirane: I have to see who lands on top. That’s why we invested in the first place: Who will sit on the throne when all is said and done?
3. Who will be Season 4’s Most Valuable Player?
Surrey: I buy all available Tom Wambsgans shares. This Fly Guy takes off.
adenirane: It’s Kendall’s time to shine. I need our No. 1 boy to remind everyone why he’s the best this season.
Gayle: I was able to see a redemption arc for Kendall in which he swallows a grenade that eventually kills both him and his father in a sacrifice that keeps Shiv or Roman company. How the hell would he pull this off? I have no idea. By killing his mother? Another waiter? Everything is on the table for Little Lord Fuckleroy.
khal: I doubt I’m right, but now is Tom’s time to really shine — or hilariously screw up everything he’s been working towards. It’s always cool to see someone finally get the toy they think they wanted; Will he be able to get the job done, or is this another step to inflate his power trip?
Seal: logan I’ve never seen him get fucked. Not once.
4. Choose an IRL story about the handovers of the last two years that you hope will make the headlines.
Bereznak: That’s too easy.
Seal: Like Jared Kushner, Tom brokers a shady billion-dollar deal with a foreign government.
Surrey: It wouldn’t be the most pressing subplot, but I’d love to see Kendall dabble in the NFT space. Maybe we can play an episode in an art gallery in the metaverse?
adenirane: I want to say “Elon Musk bought Twitter and then realized it was a terrible idea,” but I just threw up a little in the mouth.
khal: I hate sounding like the guy who edits the pro wrestling content on Ringer dot com, but with everything that’s happened to Vince McMahon in the second half of 2022, I imagine something out of this chaos could find its way into this series. Brian Cox can headlock, right?
Gayle: Dan Snyder is basically Logan Roy Lite, right?
5. What random, seemingly meaningless ending do you want the show to wrap up before it ends?
Bereznak: The verdict in Hirsch v. Greenpeace.
Gayle: Where’s Ratfucker Sam?! Did he ever find out about the Waystar leaks? Despite Tom’s comments about Greg, is he a nice guy? I need to see Ratfucker Sam in action.
adenirane: I want Gerri and Roman to kiss and ride into the sunset together. Forget the company, forget the billions — they have each other and that’s what matters.
khal: Vaulter’s remaining verticals need a swan song.
Surrey: I don’t care how, please bring back this legend:
6. Is Succession’s status already solid? What’s at stake for the show in terms of its legacy?
Gayle: Of course, Succession’s status will be solidified. His legacy is the Scriptures. The dialogue between the characters and their relationships is what makes the show so amazing, and Armstrong just can’t screw that up in Season 4. Unless the ending is completely hideous — either too big a joke or too happily ever after — the show will go down in history as one of the best HBOs of all time.
adenirane: It needs to land the plane in a logically meaningful way. It will remain one of the best TV shows as long as Shiv doesn’t accidentally burn down ATN with a kite in the penultimate episode.
Surrey: After Better Call Saul ended its run last year, Succession is currently the best drama on TV. A final season that survives the landing would put it on the table with The Sopranos and The Wire as one of the greatest HBO series of all time. So, uh, no pressure.
khal: Yes, Succession is already one of the greats – and I’m not just talking “The Greatest HBO Series, Rated” or whatever; it’s so damn good. That means you have to land the plane. Even if there’s a little turbulence, the end result should be a satisfying finish (whatever that means to you).
Seal: It’s already one of the best TV dramas of all time. I’m mostly curious to see how/if one of the main characters surprises me by redeeming themselves at least a little bit. It may not be possible, but I’m dying to find out if it is.
7. Forecast time: how will the succession end?
Surrey: I feel like we bring this up every season, but: Logan has to die, right?
Bereznak: It will end as it began: Logan has another health crisis, but this time he dies. That would round it out to three weddings (Willow + Connor wedding, God willing) and one funeral in the entire series. Imagine the surprises in the will! The ATN chyrons! The eulogies!
adenirane: how will it end With Logan dead and none of the Roys in power because none of them deserve it and they’re too stupid to understand.
Gayle: Logan dies. Kendall too. Shiv and Tom rekindle their marriage as Wambsgans finally shows evidence of a backbone. Roman gets the keys to the lock only to blow it up immediately. Gerri, Karl and Frank are all victims in the rubble. Stewy moves on to the next thing. Greg quietly gets his $250 million from Uncle Ewan and rides off into the sunset.
khal: Logan Roy’s death brings with it a kumite-style penultimate episode in which the Roy kids fight to the death. Whoever wins at fucking deserves to win.
Seal: Whoever makes it out alive will be very, very unlucky.