Succession (TV series)
Succession is an American satirical black comedy-drama television series created by Jesse Armstrong. It premiered on June 3, 2018, on HBO. The series centers on the Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of Waystar RoyCo, a global media and entertainment conglomerate, who are fighting for control of the company amid uncertainty about the health of the family's patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox). In October 2021, the series was renewed for a fourth season. Among the series's cast are Jeremy Strong as Kendall, Kieran Culkin as Roman, and Sarah Snook as Siobhan ('Shiv'), Logan's children  employed by the company. Matthew Macfadyen stars as Tom Wambsgans, Shiv'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. Peter Friedman, Natalie Gold, and Rob Yang also star, while Dagmara Domińczyk, Arian Moayed, J. Smith-Cameron, Justine Lupe, David Rasche and Fisher Stevens featured in recurring roles before being promoted to the main cast. "Succession" has been widely acclaimed by critics for its writing, acting (particularly Strong and Cox), musical score, production values , and examination of its subject matter. The series has received several awards and nominations, including the British Academy Television Award for Best International Programme, the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Drama, and the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. Both Cox and Strong received the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, with Strong also winning the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Plot. "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 Shiv (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. In the first season, in the aftermath of Logan suffering a stroke, Kendall attempts to take control of the company, first by attempting a vote of no confidence in his father's leadership, and when that fails, staging a hostile takeover. When Kendall's drunk driving kills a waiter at Shiv's wedding, Logan covers up the incident and blackmails  Kendall into withdrawing his support for the takeover bid. Kendall spends the second season doing his father's bidding, as Logan leads Shiv to believe she will succeed him as CEO. When a history of sexual harassment and cover-ups at the company is revealed, Logan orders Kendall to take responsibility for the wrongdoing, but instead Kendall becomes a whistleblower, publicly blaming Logan. During the third season, Kendall attempts to wage a legal and public-opinion campaign against Logan's leadership while maintaining the family's ownership of the company; but his campaign loses momentum as he loses focus and  ignores advice from his lawyers and PR advisors. The season ends with Logan selling the company, as his children unite against him for the first time but are unable to prevent the sale. 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 premiered on October 17, 2021. In June 2021, executive producer Georgia Pritchett commented that the series would not go  beyond five seasons, and possibly would end after season four. On October 26, 2021, HBO renewed the series for a fourth season. 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 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 . In August 2021, it was announced Ella Rumpf would guest star in the third season. Filming. The series is primarily filmed in New York City, and shot on 35 mm film. Director Adam McKay filmed the pilot in late 2016, while principal photography for the rest of the first season of the series began in October 2017. Locations used throughout the series include the American Irish Historical Society on Fifth Avenue as the location for Logan's apartment, 714 Broadway as the location of Shiv's season 1 apartment, and the Downtown Manhattan Heliport on the East River for scenes  of the Roys departing on their helicopters. For scenes depicting the interiors of the Waystar RoyCo offices, the crew uses towers 4 and 7 of the World Trade Center, while 28 Liberty Street is used for exterior shots. Silvercup Studios in Queens houses many of the sets used for the series. Other filming locations for the first season included Bellevue Hospital (where the second episode took place), the Cunard Building on 25 Broadway (which houses Cipriani S.A., the venue for a gala in the fourth episode), the East New York Freight Tunnel (the entrance of a bachelor party in the  eighth episode), and the Financial District of Manhattan. From mid-January 2018 to the end of the month, the production moved from New York to New Mexico for the episode "Austerlitz", which was primarily filmed in Santa Fe. 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, which served as the setting for the last two episodes of the season. The second season saw a significant increase in location shifts. The opening scenes of  the season premiere were shot on location in Iceland, while Henry Ford II's 1960 estate in the Hamptons was used as the Roys' summer home. Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York stood in for the Roys' hunting lodge in Hungary, as depicted in the episode "Hunting". Filming also occurred in Long Island, with a mansion once belonging to Junius Spencer Morgan featuring prominently in the episode "Tern Haven". The estate is one of several in the area used as filming locations for the second season. From April through May 2019, the production recruited extras for filming in Lake Placid , and Lake George, New York, where the episode "Argestes" was shot. Production moved to Dundee, Scotland for the eighth episode, with additional filming taking place in Glasgow and Ayr for the preceding episode (which takes place in England). 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. Filming locations in the city included the Woolworth Building in Tribeca, The Shed in Hudson Yards, and a number of hotels including the Marriott Marquis in Times Square and the Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue. Production also returned to the Hamptons, at locations including Montauk and Wainscott. In May, additional filming for season 3 occurred in Richmond, Virginia, primarily at the Jefferson Hotel. In June, production on the third season moved to Italy for the final two episodes, with filming primarily taking place in the Val d'Orcia region of Tuscany  – where a wedding reception was filmed at the estates La Foce and Villa Cetinale. Additional filming took place in other nearby "comuni" in the province of Siena – including Pienza, Montalcino and Chianciano Terme – as well as in Cortona, Lake Como, Milan, and Florence (the lattermost of which was used for establishing shots in the opening episodes). 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 7.9 out of 10, based on 86 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 Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 97% rating with an average rating of 8.95 out of 10, based on 235 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." Season 3. The third season received widespread critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 9.35 out of 10, based on 136 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Fans already buying what "Succession" is selling will be pleasantly surprised to find its third season in crackling form – even if it gets a little too real from time to time." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 92 out  of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim." Ratings. The series 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. Season 3 premiered to 1.4 million viewers across various platforms and ended with 1.7 million viewers across all viewing platforms, a record high for the show.