‘Succession’ Creator Jesse Armstrong Talks Series Finale: ‘It Feels Very Perverse to End It’

Succession fans have shared a bunch of references to Peep Show from the HBO series.Peep Show was co-created by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, who also collaborated together on Channel 4 comedy Fresh Meat. Armstrong later went on to create HBO’s Succession, which recently wrapped its fourth and final season.Throughout Succession’s run, fans have highlighted various references to Peep Show, which starred David Mitchell and Robert Webb as dysfunctional flatmates Mark and Jeremy.A number of these references have been listed by Twitter user @PodcastPharoahs, including a character called Stefan Strauss on the investigation committee in Succession season two.

Editor’s note: Deadline’s It Starts on the Page features 10 standout drama series scripts in 2023 Emmy contention. It showcases the critical role writer’s work plays in a show’s success. All arrangements were made before the WGA strike began on May 2.

pulled off an unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series.While Wambsgans did indeed emerge as head of Waystar Royco in the series’ final episode, “Succession” executive producer Frank Rich threw water on the idea that there was a long-plotted baseball Easter egg.“I hate to spoil the internet’s fun, but it’s false,” Rich told Slate. “Tom’s family name was picked before we had shot a first season, let alone mapped out precise story twists that would culminate 39 episodes later! Not to mention that many of the key writers on the show, starting with its creator, Jesse [Armstrong], are British, live in London, and are devoted to British football.”Do the names on Succession reveal the show’s ending? #succession #hbomax #tomwambsgans #billwambsganss #shivroy #successionhbo #successiontok #successionfinale #babynames #nameberry Semantically, Wambsgans did not pull off an unassisted triple play — he needed the help of his wife, Shiv Roy, whom he had already bested in the competition for the U.S.

Katcy Stephan SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers from “With Open Eyes,” the series finale of HBO’s “Succession,” now streaming on Max. Connor Roy was interested in politics at an early age — but Alan Ruck isn’t convinced. “He can say anything he wants to say, but just because he was interested doesn’t mean he’s knowledgeable.” Still, in his mid-50s, Connor’s interest is finally becoming a reality — with a catch. In the finale of HBO’s acclaimed drama “Succession,” from creator Jesse Armstrong, Ruck’s character is poised to become the next ambassador to Slovenia, provided that Jeryd Mencken actually becomes president. But his new wife Willa (Justine Lupe) drops a bombshell: She will be staying in New York (in Logan’s old apartment) while Connor carries out his duties abroad.

HBO series Succession.Jeremy Strong has revealed that he attempted to jump into the river during his final scene in Succession, but was stopped by another cast member.The popular drama series came to its bitter conclusion last week (May 28), with the last episode of the fourth and final season drawing to a close with the Roy children finally losing control of their family’s media empire, and Tom Wambsgans named new CEO following the company’s acquisition by GoJo.In the last moments of the episode, the final scene shows Jeremy Strong’s character, Kendall Roy, alone in New York’s Battery Park contemplating the events that have just unfolded — and seemingly stripped of his life’s purpose.According to a new interview with Vanity Fair, however, the actor admitted that he tried to choose an alternate ending for his character, and attempted to jump into the Hudson River when filming.“To me, what happens at the board vote is an extinction level event for this character. There’s no coming back from that,” he explained, adding that he was stopped from climbing the railing by Scott Nicholson, who played Colin.“I tried to go into the water after we cut — I got up from that bench and went as fast as I could over the barrier and onto the pilings, and the actor playing Colin raced over,” he said.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from “With Open Eyes,” the series finale of HBO’s “Succession,” now streaming on Max. Kendall Roy finds himself alone in Battery Park during the last shot of HBO’s “Succession.” He’s officially lost control of his family’s media empire, as Tom Wambsgans has been named the new Waystar CEO following the company’s purchase to GoJo. Kendall has been stripped of his life’s purpose. The show cuts to black with Kendall starring blankly at the river ahead, but that’s not where actor Jeremy Strong was ready to leave Kendall during filming. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair following the “Succession” series finale, Strong revealed he attempted to jump into the river as Kendall during one take of filming the show’s final moment.

This article contains major spoilers for the ‘Succession’ finale.Succession star Matthew Macfadyen has shared his thoughts on the HBO show’s dramatic finale, which aired earlier this week.After a power struggle between the Roy siblings after the death of their father Logan, the finale ended with Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) backtracking on her pact with brothers Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) to betray them and cast the deciding vote to sell Waystar Royco to Lukas Matsson’s (Alexander Skarsgård) GoJo company.This meant that Shiv’s husband and ATN boss Tom Wambsgans (Macfadyen) became boss of the company in a major twist after Matsson betrayed Shiv, who was initially in line for the CEO job.Speaking about the plot twist, Macfadyen told the New York Times: “Maybe she doesn’t choose Tom over her brothers. Maybe she just can’t stomach her big brother. It’s not a binary choice.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Succession finaleIf you’re feeling dead inside after watching the last ever episode of Succession, it’s since emerged things could’ve been even more bleak.Season 4, episode 10 heralded the end of HBO’s multi-award winning drama, arguably, the best small screen storytelling of the past decade.And that ending … It was right. Dreary, but right.Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) was the character to close out the series, after losing Waystar at the very last second courtesy of his sister Shiv (Sarah Snook), who ultimately helped bolster Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) to the top job.For Kendall, everything is gone – the company, his family, his dream.

Ballin’ on a budget! Kieran Culkin’s Succession character shocked fans with an affordable fashion statement during the series finale. 

A different ending. Jeremy Strong tried to improvise a much darker conclusion for Kendall Roy on the series finale of Succession.

“AI ain’t gonna write Succession, or Chinatown or The Godfather,” says Jeremy Strong of what’s at stake with the writers’ strike. “It’s just not going to,” the actor who brought Jesse Armstrong’s words for Kendall Roy to life bluntly adds.

Ethan Shanfeld SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers from “With Open Eyes,” the series finale of HBO’s “Succession,” now streaming on Max. The end of “Succession” was filmed on the coldest day of the year. “The windchill was minus-something in Fahrenheit, and it was absolute purgatory to shoot,” says Mark Mylod, the director and executive producer who has steered many of “Succession’s” greatest episodes. “Jeremy initially was feeling nothing but cold.” Mylod, who has now helmed all four season finales of the HBO juggernaut, was worried that the last scene — with Jeremy Strong’s Kendall hopelessly walking through Battery Park, and Logan’s leftover bodyguard Colin trailing behind — didn’t feel “weighty enough.”

Selome Hailu There was no real winner at the end of “Succession,” if you ask series star Matthew Macfadyen. But HBO might be able to claim that title for itself. 2.9 million people tuned into “Succession” on Sunday night, when HBO and Max debuted the series finale after four seasons. This marks marking the show’s largest audience ever, a 5% improvement from its previous record of 2.75 million viewers set by Episode 6 of Season 4, which aired on April 30. The new series high is an unsurprising cap on what has been the most watched season of “Succession,” which is now averaging 8.7 million viewers per episode when accounting for delayed viewing. (Season 3 averaged 7.2 million viewers.) Season 4 opened with a then-series high of 2.3 million viewers, up 33% from the Season 3 finale’s 1.7 million. Episode 2 was watched by 2 million, followed by 2.5 million with Episode 3, 2.6 million with Episode 4 and and 2.6 million again with Episode 5. Variety understands that after hitting 2.75 million with Episode 7, viewership remained mostly steady through Episode 9.

fans were delighted to discover that in the show's series finale on Sunday, Roman Roy, played by Kieran Culkin, was wearing an affordable brand.In a scene filmed between Roman and his siblings, Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) and Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook), the middle sibling is wearing a blue T-shirt with three multi-colored stripes on it.Eagle-eyed fans were quick to note that the top is part of a two-pack of boys-sized T-shirts sold at Walmart that retail for $13.96.Of course, Roman's specific look quickly sold out after the connection was made, and fans online were delighted in the revelation.One viewer shared a screenshot of Roman's look and the Walmart Wonder Nation product, noting that Kendall was wearing $750 Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses and Shiv had on a $3,000 Alexander McQueen power suit.Kendall Roy: $750 Jacques Marie Mage sunnies Shiv Roy: $3000 Alexander McQueen power suit Roman Roy: pic.twitter.com/I1vXUc9LB3One commenter wrote, «This is so middle-child coded

Warning: Spoilers for the Succession series finale below!Plenty of that the series would end with Tom Wambsgans taking the title of CEO of Waystar-Royco over the three Roy siblings. But it was how the baby naming site Nameberry came to this accurate conclusion that has fans freaking out. In a TikTok, Nameberry editor-in-chief Sophie Kihm laid out how the may have been in the Wambsgans name all along. This content can also be viewed on the site it from.First, Kihm notes that many of the character names in *Succession—*like “Roy,” meaning “king” or “Shiv” meaning, well, “shiv”—have double-meanings hinting at the characters' personality traits.

HBO‘s Succession will not be getting a spin-off series, per the network’s Head of Drama Francesca Orsi.The news comes after the show’s final episode aired, bringing the hit series to a close. Speaking to Deadline, Orsi shared: “I know there was some talk about spinoffs, but no, not at all”.Orsi added: “I’ll never say never but my instinct and based on a number of conversations about the evolution of Succession and these characters, at this stage, there is no intention of spinning any one character off”.The HBO exec also said that while she doesn’t know what Succession creator Jesse Armstrong is planning to do next, she thinks “it will be entirely original.

Warning: The following contains spoilers regarding Sunday’s series finale of “Succession.”It seems Tom Wambsgans’ fate on “Succession” may have been hiding in somewhat plain sight all along.Leading up to Sunday’s series finale of the critically acclaimed HBO series, in which the character played by actor Matthew Macfadyen is anointed the new CEO of Waystar Royco, a theory began circulating on the internet relating to the name Wambsgans and its connection to the baseball history.Do the names on Succession reveal the show’s ending? #succession #hbomax #tomwambsgans #billwambsganss #shivroy #successionhbo #successiontok #successionfinale #babynames #nameberry As explained in a now-viral video by Nameberry.com’s editor-in-chief, Sophie Kihm, the names featured in “Succession” are “very intentional” — for instance, the surname Roy meaning “king” — and if a moniker appears unusual, there’s likely a reason behind it.This is where Wambsgans comes in, as it’s the same last name of former Cleveland Guardians second baseman Bill Wambsganss, who completed the only unassisted triple play in World Series history in 1920.“It’s no coincidence that Tom shares a surname with Bill Wambsganss.

Succession,” you know that things didn’t exactly play out like Kendall Roy (played masterfully by Jeremy Strong) had hoped. And now the actor is shedding light on how things could have been even darker than what ended up in the episode, telling Kara Swisher on the official “Succession” podcast: “It always to me felt like there’s no coming back from this.”Spoilers for the “Succession” series finale follow.In the final moments of the episode, Kendall, having lost the bid to block the sale to tech weirdo Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) and all chances of leading the company that his father had once promised him, sits alone, dejected, in a public park, looking out against the slate grey water. The only person with him is Colin (Scott Nicholson), his father’s former driver and now his employee.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The profanity-riddled dialogue and whip smart writing of “Succession” finally came to a close on Sunday night with one last extremely dramatic finale episode, ending with the highly anticipated answer to the series-long question over who will take over the Roy empire.

Succession.In the finale titled With Open Eyes, Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) prepare a smoothie for their brother Kendall (Strong) after agreeing to support his bid to become the new CEO of Waystar Royco.The smoothie, described as “a meal fit for a king”, contains milk, Tabasco hot sauce, bread crusts, Branston pickle, raw eggs, cocoa powder and Shiv’s spit.Kendall takes a large gulp of the smoothie, and after he refuses to drink the rest, Roman tips the leftovers over his brother’s head.Speaking on the official Succession podcast to host Kara Swisher, Strong said the smoothie contained “all those things” seen on screen, which he actually consumed for the scene.“We did it only a few times and I went outside and retched, and jumped in the ocean, and washed it off my hair,” the actor said. “Yeah, I did drink it, yeah.”After Swisher remarked that he “really was a method actor”, Strong replied: “I wouldn’t know how not to drink it.

This article contains major spoilers for the ‘Succession’ finale.Succession fans are all pointing to one scene in the show’s second season to explain the outcome of the HBO show’s dramatic finale, which aired last night (May 28).After a power struggle between the Roy siblings after the death of their father Logan, the finale ended with Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) backtracking on her pact with brothers Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) to betray them and cast the deciding vote to sell Waystar Royco to Lukas Matsson’s (Alexander Skarsgård) GoJo company.This meant that Shiv’s husband and ATN boss Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) became boss of the company in a major twist after Matsson betrayed Shiv, who was initially in line for the CEO job.Online after the finale aired, fans are calling back to the last episode of the show’s second season, when Wambsgans ate a piece of chicken off Logan’s plate during a summit meeting on a yacht without asking.For many, it symbolised Tom being able to stand up to Logan in a way that none of his children were able to.“Tom became the heir/CEO when he ate Logan’s chicken,” one said, with another adding: “So the chicken scene was key to how everything unfolded.”Tom became the heir/CEO when he ate Logan's chicken. Ken, Shiv, and Roman, “the kids”, were always “not serious people”.

This article contains major spoilers for the ‘Succession’ finale.Succession creator Jesse Armstrong has shared his thoughts on the outcome of the lauded HBO show’s dramatic finale, which aired last night (May 28).After a power struggle between the Roy siblings after the death of their father Logan, the finale ended with Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) backtracking on her pact with brothers Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) to betray them and cast the deciding vote to sell Waystar Royco to Lukas Matsson’s (Alexander Skarsgård) GoJo company.This meant that Shiv’s husband and ATN boss Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) became boss of the company in a major twist after Matsson betrayed Shiv, who was initially in line for the CEO job.Speaking as part of a ‘Controlling The Narrative’ featurette on streaming service Max, Armstrong said he knew what he wanted the outcome of the finale to be for a good while.“The idea of Tom being the eventual successor, that had been something that I thought was the right ending for quite a while now,” Armstrong said.“Even though he’s not exactly the most powerful monarch you’ll ever meet — his power comes from Matsson. Those figures that drift upwards and make themselves amenable to powerful people are around.”Of the future of the Roy siblings, Armstrong added: “I thought about all their stories.

Succession fans were waiting with bated breath for the final episode of series four to air.

This article contains major spoilers for the ‘Succession’ finale.Succession fans have reacted to the HBO show’s dramatic finale after the last episode of its fourth and final season aired overnight.After a power struggle between the Roy siblings after the death of their father Logan, the finale ended with Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) backtracking on her pact with brothers Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) to betray them and cast the deciding vote to sell Waystar Royco to Lukas Matsson’s (Alexander Skarsgård) GoJo company.This meant that Shiv’s husband and ATN boss Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) became boss of the company in a major twist after Matsson betrayed Shiv, who was initially in line for the CEO job.Reacting to the final episode and dramatic twist, fans have been reacting to the show’s ending online.Jesse Armstrong and co. have perfected giving audiences a sense of false hope with #Succession that I don’t think we’ll see again,” one wrote on Twitter.“You give us what’s possibly the last moments of the siblings in good terms, only to tear them apart and leave them in the mud.

Alison Herman TV Critic SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers from “With Open Eyes,” the series finale of HBO’s “,” now streaming on Max. “Succession” ends in a place it’s been countless times before: with Kendall Roy, alone and adrift by a body of water. “With Open Eyes,” the feature-length conclusion to the Roy family saga, has many such full-circle moments. Some series finales radically break from their show’s typical rhythm, flashing forward to show us the full span of the characters’ lives (“Six Feet Under”) or transforming into a different concept altogether (“Girls”). But despite its length, “With Open Eyes” is the distilled, concentrated essence of “Succession,” even as it builds to a decisive break between the Roys and the company that’s no longer theirs — a union that’s otherwise informed every second of the series’ events.

Note: This story contains spoilers from the series finale of “Succession.”“Succession” wrapped up the story of Waystar Royco and the Roy family, and social media had many feelings about where things stood after the show’s swan song. The episode, titled “With Open Eyes,” followed the aftermath of Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) emotionally charged funeral and crowned a new CEO for his company in Tom Wambsgans (Matthew MacFadyen). With a tense finale following the Roy siblings’ negotiating efforts to decide the fate of Waystar Royco’s acquisition by GoJo, the episode also gave a satisfying and biting conclusion to the central characters’ story. Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) came together at their mother’s beachside home on the eve of the board meeting, as Shiv and Kendall tried to get their younger brother on their respective sides.

This article contains spoilers from the series finale of “Succession.”“This show has always been a tragedy,” said director Mark Mylod of “Succession” in a segment that aired after the series finale of the Emmy-winning HBO series Sunday night.Mylod, who has directed 16 episodes of the series, called the finale “perfectly painful,” as the Roys literally came to blows before completely losing control of their father’s company. He praised series creator Jesse Armstrong, saying, “Jesse stuck the landing with this climactic showdown between the three siblings,” referring to the brutal scene where Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook), lashed out physically and verbally over the decision to sell the company. “The final ripping off of the bandage to expose that terrible, terrible truth put so simply by Roman,” he said of the scene in which Roman proclaims, “We are bulls—t.

[WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for the series finale of “Succession.”]After four seasons, “Succession” has come to an end — and Waystar RoyCo has a new CEO.In the 90-minute series finale, creator Jesse Armstrong wrapped up a string of conflicts, but ultimately had the goal of answering the question everyone has been asking since Season 1 premiered in 2018: Who will succeed Logan Roy (Brian Cox) as CEO?There were many ways the ending could’ve gone: Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) could’ve filled his father’s shoes — as Logan may or may not have wanted from the looks of the underline/cross-out on his official document, Kendall and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) could’ve stayed on as co-CEOs, GoJo could have acquired Waystar with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) coming out on top and naming Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) as CEO, as well as many other possibilities.In the end, the hole left by the death of Logan Roy could only be filled by one person.Spoilers for Season 4, Episode 10, “With Open Eyes” are below, so stop scrolling now if you don’t want to know who got the crown.While it was always presumed that Logan Roy’s successor would be in the family bloodline, it didn’t exactly turn out that way.Neither Kendall, Roman, Shiv — or Connor (Alan Ruck), for that matter — ended up being the heir to the media mogul’s throne.After Matsson decided he wasn’t going to name Shiv as the CEO of the company, an unsuspecting person filled her in on who it would be.“Shiv, you should probably know: it’s me,” Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) told his wife.As noted above, Greg found out by translating a conversation in Swedish that Matsson was not actually planning on giving the CEO title to Shiv, as he promised he would.Upon finding

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains spoilers for the series finale of HBO’s Succession.

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains details of tonight’s Succession series finale.

Note: This story contains spoilers from the series finale of “Succession.”The series finale of ‘Succession” brought the story of the Roy family and the fate of their company to an end, placing a new and surprising heir at the helm of Waystar Royco. The episode, titled “With Open Eyes” dropped a shocking and satisfying twist on viewers after Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) partnered with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) to become CEO of the company.

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from “With Open Eyes,” the series finale of HBO’s “Succession,” now streaming on Max. After four riveting, profane seasons and two best drama Emmys (so far!), “Succession” — the story of the Roy dynasty — came to an end on Sunday night. Creator Jesse Armstrong, who conceived the story of the Roys loosely around the mythology of the Murdochs, announced in February that Season 4 would be its last.  The death of patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) in Episode 3 provided the engine for the rest of the season, and once again divided the adult Roy siblings — Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) — who have an interest in running Waystar Royco, the family’s mega-corporation that was about to be sold to tech giant GoJo. As the three of them fell back into their old feuds and reopened childhood wounds, the deal solidified and dissipated as the season went on. Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), Shiv’s on-and-off husband; his sidekick Greg (Nicholas Braun); GoJo founder Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård), and a trifecta of Waystar executives, Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), Karl (David Rasche) and Frank (Peter Friedman) were also players in the high-stakes, often confused chess game among the siblings. Only Logan’s hapless oldest son Connor (Alan Ruck) remained on the sidelines of the family back-stabbings, and well… front-stabbings.

William Earl SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from “With Open Eyes,” the series finale of HBO’s “Succession,” now streaming on Max. “Succession” has ended, and the finale answered the central question of the show: Who will take over Waystar Royco? Thanks to a last-minute change of heart from Shiv (Sarah Snook) during the tense boardroom vote, GoJo now owns the media company, and GoJo CEO Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) has anointed Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) as its American CEO. While in practice the deal will likely involve, by Matsson’s own admissions, a lot of dirty work with very little input, Tom is thrilled to take the crown. According to series creator Jesse Armstrong, it was a natural choice.

, the Emmy-winning HBO family saga, about the Roys and their in-fighting for control of the media conglomerate, Waystar Royco, came to an end after four seasons — and in the process, finally revealed who would have a seat at the table as the company determined who would become CEO once and for all. This comes after season 4 of kicked off the Roy siblings — Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and the secretly pregnant Shiv (Sarah Snook) — determined to start their own media company following their failed coup to take out their father, Logan (Brian Cox), in the season 3 finale, when they were betrayed by Shiv's husband, Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), and their cousin, Greg Hirsch (Nicholas Braun). Since then, the series took an unexpected turn by killing off Logan during eldest son (and flailing presidential candidate) Connor's (Alan Ruck) wedding to Willa (Justine Lupe) just three episodes into the final season. This, in turn, sent the future of the entire family and Waystar Royco into a spiral as the remaining executives — including legal counsel Gerri Kellman (J.

Spoiler warning: Here is a recap of the Succession season 4 AND series finale, “With Open Eyes,” directed by Mark Mylod and written by creator Jesse Armstrong.

Amid the HBO Max rebrand, Succession is ending after four seasons on the premium cable network. The Roy family is at odds with each other and the drama is set to start at 9 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. PT on HBO.