The Roy family drama will continue to amuse and disturb us all when Succession returns to HBO for a third season. Following the jaw-dropping final moments of the show’s second season, there’s no doubt that anticipation for the next power shuffle at Waystar Royco is still at a fever pitch.
Season 2 ended with Kendall (Jeremy Strong) proving that Logan Roy (Brian Cox) isn’t the only “killer” in the family — even if he’s still an embarrassingly bad rapper. But we may have to wait a while to find out what happens next. While HBO has yet to set a premiere date for Season 3, and the cast of the series has stayed mum about what’s ahead, TV Guide has cobbled together some key details about what to expect as the series continues. Read on to find out everything we know about Succession Season 3 so far.
Why Logan Roy May Have Been Behind That Succession Finale Twist
Production was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Like most of Hollywood’s productions, work on Succession Season 3 was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 12. In a statement provided to Variety, an HBO spokesperson said, “We are looking forward to resuming preproduction when it is safe and healthy for everyone working on our shows to do so. Where possible, our writers are continuing to write remotely.”
In July, series star Matthew Macfadyen told The Hollywood Reporter, Season 3 is now expected to begin production this fall in New York, but that may change again based on safety needs.
Showrunner and creator Jesse Armstrong has since told Variety that the show is aiming to begin shooting “before Christmas,” though he noted that the plans were not concrete. “Who knows if that’ll come about, but that’s the plan at the moment,” Armstrong added. It is unknown at this time how the production delay may impact Succession‘s Season 3 premiere plans.
The episode count may be different. Brian Cox told The New York Times in late July that while production is currently on hold, the scripts for Succession Season 3 are well underway, and there may be fewer episodes in the new season than the first two. While Seasons 1 and 2 ran for 10 episodes apiece, Cox said Season 3’s episode count “could be eight, it could be nine. We’re in that ballpark.”
Expect the scope of the show to expand. Lucy Prebble, who writes and co-executive produces Succession, told Deadline late last year that fans can expect the landscape of the show to expand in Season 3. “There are … a lot of talks about going more international than we’ve gone before, which is to do with the relationship between the media industry and international countries,” she explained. “The way international countries input, control, and fund the media in ways that aren’t talked about as clearly as they should be …. There are big conversations about how countries and media intersect at the moment.”
Speaking of scope, the show’s budget is certainly going to be even bigger in Season 3. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cast secured big raises that put them among the highest-paid actors per episode on television.
Prepare for some more father-son feuding ahead. Cox told Deadline that there are “a lot of fireworks to come” between Logan and Kendall in Season 3. Considering the fact that Kendall decided to implicate his father in the cruise line scandal in front of the global media, that’s to be expected. But according to Cox, Logan might not have been as surprised as the rest of us by what happened during the briefing scene. “Logan’s always known that Kendall was a treacherous sh–,” he said. “In a way, he isn’t judging him. There’s some validation of what’s happened. Logan accepts that.”
Logan and Kendall might not be the only “killers.” Although Kieran Culkin is quick to downplay any suggestion that his character Roman Roy is as savvy as the others, Cox thinks fans should also watch that space for drama ahead in Season 3. The actor told Deadline that he’s “fascinated” to see where Roman’s story proceeds from here because “he showed his mettle at the end of Season 2.” Cox then added that he thinks Roman is “the hidden gun under the table.” For his part, Culkin did predict in a chat with Vulture that the focus of Season 3 might turn to him, since Season 1 primarily focused on Kendall, and Season 2 was all about Shiv (Sarah Snook). “Maybe next year is Roman’s turn,” he said.
Surprises are definitely in store. During a virtual Succession cast reunion hosted by Variety, Cox revealed that show creator Jesse Armstrong had revealed the plans for Season 3 to him and teased his fellow co-stars with, “It’s jolly exciting, that’s all I can say … and it’s very, very surprising what’s going to happen. “
Succession Seasons 1 and 2 are available on HBO.
Brian Cox, Succession