Succession (TV series)

Succession is an American satirical drama television series created by Jesse Armstrong. It premiered on June 3, 2018, on HBO, and has been renewed for a third season. The series centers on the Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of Waystar RoyCo, a global media and hospitality empire, who are fighting for control of the company amid uncertainty about the health of the family's patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox).
Among the series ensemble cast are Jeremy Strong as Kendall, Kieran Culkin as Roman, and Sarah Snook as Siobhan, Logan's children employed by the company. Matthew Macfadyen stars as Tom Wambsgans, Siobhan's husband and Waystar executive; Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch, Logan's grandnephew also employed by the company; Alan Ruck as Connor, Logan's eldest child; and Hiam Abbass as Marcia Roy, Logan's wife. The series also features Peter Friedman, Natalie Gold, and Rob Yang, with Dagmara Domińczyk, Arian Moayed, and J. Smith-Cameron in recurring roles, before they were promoted to the main cast.
"Succession" has received critical acclaim, particularly for its writing, acting, and production values. It received many awards and nominations, including the British Academy Television Award for Best International Programme, the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama, and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. Cox received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, while Strong won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Premise.
"Succession" follows the Roy family, owners of media conglomerate Waystar RoyCo. The family patriarch, Logan Roy (Cox), has experienced a decline in health. His four children – removed oldest son Connor (Ruck), power-hungry Kendall (Strong), irreverent Roman (Culkin), and politically savvy Siobhan (Snook) – all with varying degrees of connection to the company, begin to prepare for a future without their father, and each begins vying for prominence within the company.
Production.
Development.
Showrunner Jesse Armstrong initially conceived the series as a feature film about the Murdoch family, but the script never went into production. Armstrong eventually expanded the scope of the story to include the larger landscape of Wall Street, which he felt better suited for a television format. Armstrong wrote a new script centered on original characters loosely inspired by various powerful media families such as the Murdochs, the Redstones and the Sulzbergers. On June 6, 2016, it was announced that HBO had given the production a pilot order. The episode was written by Armstrong and directed by Adam McKay. Executive producers for the pilot include Armstrong, McKay, Will Ferrell, Frank Rich, and Kevin Messick. On May 16, 2017, it was announced that HBO had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The previously announced creative team continued their involvement as the series entered into production.
On November 17, 2017, it was reported that Nicholas Britell would serve as the series' composer. On April 26, 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on June 3, 2018. On June 11, 2018, HBO renewed the series for a second season. On May 23, 2019, it was announced that the second season would premiere on August 11, 2019.
On August 20, 2019, HBO renewed the series for a third season. On March 28, 2020, HBO announced the third season's production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The third season is confirmed to premiere in late 2021.
Casting.
On October 6, 2016, it was announced that Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Nicholas Braun, and Matthew Macfadyen had been cast in lead roles in the series' pilot. On November 4, 2016, it was announced that Hiam Abbass, Alan Ruck, Rob Yang, Parker Sawyers, and Peter Friedman had also joined the main cast of the pilot. On January 24, 2018, it was reported that Ashley Zukerman had joined the series in a recurring role. On March 7, 2018, it was reported that Jake Choi had been cast in a recurring role. On May 21, 2019, Holly Hunter joined the cast in a recurring role in the second season.
In January 2021, it was announced Sanaa Lathan, Linda Emond and Jihae had joined the cast of the series in recurring roles in the third season. In February 2021, it was reported that Hope Davis was cast in a recurring role in the third season. In March, Dasha Nekrasova was reported to have a recurring role in the third season. In May 2021, Alexander Skarsgård was cast in a recurring role while Adrien Brody was cast to guest star for the third season.
Filming.
Principal photography for the first season of the series began in October 2017 in New York City at locations including Lexington Avenue and East 75th Street. During the week of November 20, 2017, production took place in the Financial District of Manhattan. In December 2017, the series was reportedly in production on the sixth episode. From mid-January 2018 to the end of the month, the production moved from New York to New Mexico. Filming reportedly took place around the Santa Fe area of the state. On February 22, 2018, filming took place in New Jersey which required the closing of the Atlantic City-Brigantine tunnel. On February 25, 2018, filming took place at Eastnor Castle near Ledbury in Herefordshire, England. 
For the second season, in April and May 2019, casting directors recruited for extras to film scenes in Lake Placid, New York, and Lake George, New York, respectively. Starting from July 17, 2019, the crew filmed in Korčula, Croatia, for the second-season finale, including extensive scenes on a yacht. 
Filming for season 3, which was slated to begin in April 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In early November 2020, star Alan Ruck announced that filming would begin in mid-November in New York City. The season had begun filming in New York as of December 2020. In May, additional filming for season 3 occurred in Richmond, Virginia. Cathy Yan and Lorene Scafaria will each direct an episode in the third season.
Release.
Marketing.
On January 18, 2018, HBO released the first teaser trailer for the series. On March 27, 2018, a second teaser trailer was released. On April 26, 2018, the first full trailer was released.
Premiere.
On April 27, 2018, the series held its official world premiere during the Series Mania Festival in Lille, France in which the pilot episode was screened. On May 22, 2018, the series held its official US premiere at the Time Warner Center in New York City.
Reception.
Critical response.
Season 1.
The first season was met with a positive response from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds an approval rating of 88% with an average rating of 7.78 out of 10, based on 80 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Peppering its pathos with acid wit, "Succession" is a divine comedy of absolute power and dysfunction – brought to vivid life by a ferocious ensemble." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 70 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
Season 2.
The second season received critical acclaim. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 97% rating with an average rating of 8.99 out of 10, based on 68 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, ""Succession" returns in darkly funny form, with sharp writing, exceptional performances, and a surprising new level of sympathy for some of television's least likable characters." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."
Ratings.
The premiere episode drew 582,000 live viewers, down from the 1.39 million viewers that watched its lead-in, "Westworld". The season 2 finale drew 1.1 million viewers across all viewing platforms.