Succession season 4: Release date, plot, trailer and cast list revealed for final season of critically-acclaimed comedy drama series

There’s critically-acclaimed TV shows, and then there’s Succession.

Jesse Armstrong’s comedy-drama returned to HBO and Sky Atlantic in October 2021 for its highly-anticipated third season - following long delays due to Covid - and fans and critics lapped up every episode. 

The season 3 premiere drew record viewers to HBO, a string of Golden Globe awards followed, and it received a whole host of 4 and 5-star reviews. "The best show on TV is back... and it was worth the wait." wrote The Times.

But following the jaw-dropping season 3 finale, what’s in store for the show's fourth and final season? From the season 4 plot and release date, to who’s in the cast, the full trailer, and more, we reveal everything we know so far about Succession season 4.

When is season 4 of Succession coming out?

Succession season 4, the show's final season, will air weekly on Sky Atlantic with NOW from Monday 27 March.

It will consist of 10 episodes.

Each episode will be available at the same time as the US premiere each week at 2am, and on demand thereafter. 

The final episode is on Monday 29 May.

The show was renewed for a fourth season in October 2021.

In a statement announcing season 4, HBO’s Executive Vice President Francesca Orsi said: “With each season of Succession, 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.

“This season [the third] is undoubtedly no exception, and we couldn’t be more excited for all that’s in store in this next season ahead.”

Industry website Deadline confirmed that filming kicked off in New York City in June 2022.

Succession season 4 cast

The Succession season 4 cast was confirmed by HBO in August 2022. Considering all the main characters ended season 3 alive and well (well, alive, but perhaps not well), we can expect to see all the main players back for season 4.

The cast list for Succession season 4 is as follows:

• Brian Cox (Logan Roy)
• Jeremy Strong (Kendall Roy)
• Sarah Snook (Siobhan ‘Shiv’ Roy)
• Kieran Culkin (Roman Roy)
• Alan Ruck (Connor Roy)
• Matthew Macfadyen (Tom Wambsgans)
• Nicholas Braun (cousin Greg Hirsch)
• J. Smith-Cameron (Gerri Kellman)
• Peter Friedman (Frank Vernon)
• David Rasche (Karl Muller)
• Fisher Stevens (Hugo Baker)
• Hiam Abbass (Marcia Roy)
• Justine Lupe (Willa Ferreyra)
• Scott Nicholson (Colin)
• Zoë Winters (Kerry ) 
• Jeannie Berlin (Cyd Peach)
• Dagmara Domińczyk (Karolina Novotney)
• Alexander Skarsgård (Lukas Mattson)
• Arian Moayed (Stewy Hosseini)
• Juliana Canfield (Jess Jordan)
• Annabelle Dexter-Jones (Naomi Pierce)
• Hope Davis (Sandi Furness)
• Cherry Jones (Nan)
• Justin Kirk (Jeryd Mencken)
• Stephen Root (Ron Petkus)

What’s the plot of Succession season 4?

The Succession season 4 plot was announced in June 2022, and teased a 'power struggle' in the new series. It reads as follows:

Season 4 plot synopsis:

“The sale of media conglomerate Waystar Royco to tech visionary Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) 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.”

The show’s creator Jesse Armstrong confirmed at the TV BAFTAs in May 2022 that the script for the series was nearly finished.

“We are just almost wrapping up the season,” he told a group of journalists at the awards, where Matthew Macfadyen won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Tom Wambsgans, below.

“We write and we do it here in London, so the American writers come over. I always have some ideas to go into it with but they are really good people to talk about the nuances of a character and the world watching the show.”

Is there a trailer for Succession season 4?

Yes, you can watch the full Succession season 4 trailer at the top of this page.

You can also cast your mind back to last season with a video explaining the Succession season 3 finale episode, below:

Succession season 3 ending explained: What happened?

*WARNING: Spoilers ahead*

The epic conclusion of Succession season 3 came with a massive plot twist as Tom turned on Shiv and the rest of the Roy siblings to side with Logan instead.

The kids were left reeling, with Shiv in particular completely blindsided by her husband’s betrayal. Expect the couple's marriage to get even rockier in season 4.

Fans called the ending 'shocking' and 'amazing', and it certainly raised questions about what's in store next season, as Logan and Tom team up together against the others.

So what about Kendall? His siblings completely turned against him in season 3, as he attempted to wage a legal and PR campaign against Logan's leadership.

But it didn't exactly go to plan and his mental health deteriorated throughout the series. By the end, he nearly drowned in his swimming pool, and Roman and Shiv witnessed his full-scale emotional breakdown.

In lighter news, Connor and Willa (Justine Lupe) got engaged in Tuscany, so could the couple's wedding take place in season 4 - the finale, perhaps?

 It wouldn't be the first time Succession has ended the season with a wedding, as the Succession season 2 finale took place against the background of Tom and Shiv's nuptials.

Who created Succession?

Succession is created by British writer Jesse Armstrong. Prior to Succession, he co-created the Channel 4 comedy shows Peep Show and Fresh Meat.

He’s also the showrunner for Succession, meaning he’s in charge of the show and has full control over any creative and management decisions relating to it.

Other writers on Succession include I Hate Suzie's Lucy Prebble and Veep’s Tony Roche.

Will Ferrell (Step Brothers, Anchorman) and Adam McKay (The Big Short, Don’t Look Up) are executive producers, alongside Armstrong, Prebble, Frank Rich, Kevin Messick, Jane Tranter, Mark Mylod, Tony Roche, Scott Ferguson, Jon Brown, and Will Tracy. 

Who is Succession based on?

Although the series is generally considered to be barbed satire at the expense of the Murdoch family, the show's creater Jesse Armstrong has denied the rumours.

“We had a lot of places to steal from in terms of dynastic politics and family dysfunction,” he told The Guardian, as it was pointed out there are a number of wealthy and influential families who control media empires in the US.

"It’s not bullsh*t to say it really isn’t the Murdochs," said Armstrong. "It could be a parochial view - that because it’s a media family, it must be the Murdochs."

Alongside the Murdochs, the Roys and Waystar are inspired by powerful media groups and individuals such as Sumner Redstone, Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Roberts family who run Comcast.

Will there be a Succession season 5?

HBO has confirmed that Succession will be ending with season 4.

In an interview with Variety before the third season started, Jesse Armstrong talked about how long the show might last. “I don’t want to say. All I know is there’s a promise in the Succession title, and it can’t go on forever.”

He said he had ideas about how the show will end. “It’s important for me, I think, as a showrunner to have a pitch for my fellow collaborators, especially the writers,” he said.

“But it’s not immutable. That’s up for discussion. But I do have a pitch for how I think it goes.”

Will there be Succession spin-off series?

Jesse Armstrong has revealed that he's open to the idea of spin-off series featuring the characters from Succession.

In an interview with The New Yorker, he said: "The feeling that there could be something else in an allied world, or allied characters, or some of the same characters - that’s also strong in me.

"I have caveated the end of the show, when I’ve talked to some of my collaborators, like: 'Maybe there’s another part of this world we could come back to, if there was an appetite?

"Maybe there’s something else that could be done, that harnessed what’s been good about the way we’ve worked on this?'". 

Stream Succession Season 4 weekly on Sky Atlantic with NOW from 27 March.

Stream Succession Seasons 1-3 now.

Images:  © 2023 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved.