A big round of TV cancellations is no doubt on the way ahead of broadcast finales in May, with many creative teams and acting ensembles unwittingly bound for disappointing news from network execs. Meanwhile, the small screen’s biggest awards magnet — HBO’s financial family warzone Succession — is now heading toward its own endgame with its fourth and final season, as show creator Jesse Armstrong revealed a month ahead of its premiere that the Roy family would be saying farewell after this ten-episode stretch. It was a gobsmacking announcement at the time, and that sting hasn’t entirely gone away even after the first episode aired. Of course, for all the feelings that fans have about Succession concluding, the actors themselves obviously also have a few thoughts.
And it should surprise no one that the stars behind some of television’s most outspoken and verbally dexterous characters have been vocal about the show coming to an end all of a sudden, since Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook and the rest were all unaware of Armstrong’s plans until a wrap on production was nigh. Let’s take a look at how Succession’s various cast members have reacted to Season 4 being the final batch of episodes, starting with the aforementioned Australian actress.
Having portrayed the equally complicated and captivating role of Shiv Roy for 39 episodes, Sarah Snook has various awards to show for her efforts, as well as a no doubt sizable feeling of pride. Speaking with the L.A. Times, Snook confirmed that the cast weren't officially told about the ending decision until the table read for the finale that took place in January. The way that played out had an impact on her immediate reaction, but she says she understood later why things were handled as they were. In her words:
I was very upset. I felt a huge sense of loss, disappointment and sadness. It would have been nice to know at the beginning of the season, but I also understand not being told until the end because there was still a potential that maybe this wasn’t going to be the end. Emotionally, all of us weren’t necessarily ready to be done with the show because we love each other so much. But everything has to come to an end, and it’s smart not to let something become a parody of itself.
By all means, even after creator Jesse Armstrong went public with the idea that Succession would be capping its run at four seasons, it still took a few beats for that to sink in with the fanbase. But Snook will certainly be busy as ever in the coming months, as she revealed during the premiere's red carpet event that she and husband Dave Lawson are expecting their first child. It's interesting to think about how the actress' pregnancy could have factored into one of several potential Season 5 storylines, but it's best not to go too far down that rabbit hole.
Jeremy Strong
Jeremy Strong knows a thing or two about going down metaphorical rabbit holes, with his purposefully distanced method-acting approach to the role of Kendall Roy (and an interview detailing such things) earning a massive amount of attention and judgment from both fans and co-stars. With his final year as the addiction-hindered middle son behind him, the Emmy-winning actor has said that leaving the role will be akin to a death, but told Newsweek that he's at the same time relieved to be done with the emotionally slammed role.
I think it felt inevitable to me. I feel ready to be done, I think similarly to Jesse. I feel that the arc of this character in particular had run its course, and I didn't wish to try and extend that for the sake of making more seasons. It feels like the right time. I feel relieved to be free of it, and I'm also going to miss so much about it. I mean, it's hard for me to wrap my head around the magnitude of what this journey has been.
Considering how relatively rarely Kendall Roy gets to fully exist in happy moments — his "L to the O.G." rap being a fabba-dabba example — it's entirely understandable why Jeremy Strong would feel a sense of gratitude to leave behind a character who hits new moral lows as quickly as he hits joints.
Kieran Culkin
Having made an art out of appearing to misunderstand how chairs work, Kieran Culkin's Roman Roy has come a long way since the show's start, even if his penchant for speaking his perverse mind way too often remains as concrete as ever. And it's perhaps not a surprise that Culkin himself slipped an F-bomb into his thoughts on saying goodbye to Succession, even if it was just to say those thoughts maybe haven't been fully constructed yet. Here's how he put it in an interview with Esquire:
I haven’t had a fucking moment to think about how I feel about it. All I know is I feel kind of down. It’s hard to sort of accept. What are the stages of grief? I don’t know which one I’m in right now. Maybe depression or denial. Maybe a little bit of both.
Even though I have my suspicions about Roman's doomed fate in Season 4, I know I wouldn't be alone in celebrating the idea of a spinoff centered on his brainy and twisted businessman in some way. And if the actor is feeling all the stages of grief, as opposed to Strong's relief, then maybe he'd be down with such a plan as well. Maybe even with Alan Ruck's Connor in the White Hou...in a White Castle restaurant.
Brian Cox
Of all the Succession stars who share things in common with their characters, it's hard to deny the similarities between Logan Roy yelling at someone and portrayer Brian Cox yelling at someone. The Scottish actor is not one known for spending a lot of time in recent years mired in small talk, and he similarly favored brevity when reacting to the show ending on Season 4 rather than sticking with HBO for one or more after this year. Speaking with Variety, Cox credited Jesse Armstrong's UK-ness for ending the series before it could sour, saying:
[Jesse’s] very disciplined in that way, and also he’s very British in that way. The American inclination is to milk it for all it’s worth. . . . I’ll miss the cast, I’ll miss the atmosphere, I’ll miss the bonhomie. Logan, probably, I’ll miss a bit. But upward and onwards.
In case anyone wonders, he likely won't have to formally "miss" the act of saying Logan Roy's signature line — "Fuck off!" — as he revealed that fans are known to approach with requests for him to yell the line at them, which he's quite happy to do. So I'd imagine he'll be dealing with that for quite a few years to come.
Alan Ruck and Justine Lupe
Weird and depressing as it may be to consider, Alan Ruck's Connor and Justine Lupe's Willa possibly have the healthiest relationship of any two characters in Succession, despite its myriad red flags. It sort of stands apart from the rest of the characters' stories, even when being woven into the core narrative. Similar to their characters, Ruck's big-picture response to the show's imminent ending (shared with Empire) was in contrast with Lupe's more emotionally driven reaction to learning the news (from an interview with The Independent)
- Alan Ruck: The truth is, we’ve all known on the show since June. And I think it’s the right time to end it in terms of the struggle to see who’s going to take command of this empire. A fifth season would have been drawn out, and if it just faded away, that would have been a disgrace.
- Justine Lupe: I’m a crier anyway. And it was just, like, waves and waves of grief. I remember at one point looking around and just sobbing and just being like, this is a nightmare, everyone’s just watching me just lose it to this level of hyperventilation-kind-of-crying. Whatever, it’s just an indication of how much I care.
As far as that "June" reference goes, it's presumed that Alan Ruck is talking about when the idea was first floated that Season 4 might be the end. Given his take on Season 5 being a possible disgrace, I'd say he wasn't holding out with baited breath for Armstrong to change course and declare his intention to write five more seasons. Meanwhile, Justine Lupe likely has lots of thoughts about saying goodbye to the HBO hit, but many of them would likely be stained with sobbed-out tears.
Nicholas Braun and Matthew MacFadyen
I would no doubt love to see many more seasons focusing on the so-called Disgusting Brothers, with Nicholas Braun's Cousin Greg heading things up alongside Matthew MacFadyen's possibly single Tom, Season 4 will probably make things to complicated for that to be a feasible reality. And a similarly complex feeling was spoken of by both of the actors when reflecting on this being the end. Braun spoke with THR, while MacFadyen talked to The Wire, saying:
- Nicholas Braun: We're all pretty bummed. I was sad as hell [on] my last day. I finished a couple of weeks ago, and it was a really tough day, you know, saying goodbye to everybody. It's been the greatest working experience in my life. So, saying goodbye to those people is really tough.
- Matthew MacFadyen: It was a really lovely bunch of actors. It’s a weird thing, the grief when you finish a job. It’s sort of awful and heartbreaking, but at the same time, there’s a slight relief — a complicated mélange of feelings.
I couldn't love Braun more for saying this was the best gig of his life, considering Greg has dealt with as many uncomfortable situations as any character in the show, despite not outwardly causing very many of them. It's good to know he had such a good time being Tom's target for all these years, since that might have created some issues behind the scenes at some point, probably around the time of "Boar on the Floor" rearing its furry, controversial head.
Enjoy all the time we have left with Succession, which airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET.
