The Unlikely Revival of Succession: Why the HBO Drama Won't Return for a Fifth Season

The Unlikelihood of a Succession Revival

After four successful seasons, the HBO drama concluded its run in May 2023 with an ending that was met with widespread acclaim. The Succession series finale sees the completion of the GoJo sale to Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd), with Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) becoming CEO of Waystar as the Roy siblings \\u2013 Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Shiv (Sarah Snook) \\u2013 end up on the outside looking in.

Shiv (Sarah Snook), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) leaning in and talking together on a phone in Succession season 4 episode 4 Honeymoon States.

Now, just six months after the series finale, HBO executive Casey Bloys addressed the chances of a Succession revival. Talking to Variety after the 75th Emmys, where the show won a whopping six awards, the HBO boss said 'the chances of that are pretty unlikely' unless creator Jesse Armstrong gets the 'greatest idea.'

Bloys went on to address what Armstrong, who has a deal at HBO, is going to do next. He mentioned, 'He doesn\u2019t have an idea. I think it\u2019s going to take some time. A little bit of downtime, maybe, take a break, read. Not think about TV for a little while, which is just fine with me. After doing this show for four seasons and doing it at the level he\u2019s done, I would encourage him to take a little break and think about things.'

Why There Won't Be A Succession Revival

Bloys makes it clear that the future of Succession, whether it be a revival or spinoff, is in the hands of its creator, Armstrong. It was his conscious decision to end Succession after 4 seasons, arguing it was the 'natural' conclusion to the story. As indicated by its title, the show's impetus was the conflict concerning the succession of Waystar CEO Logan Roy (Brian Cox), and once his permanent successor was crowned during the series finale, it was fundamentally the end of the story.

Succession is one of the rare shows that ended at its peak and left audiences wanting more. In turn, its finale was praised as one of the greatest in the history of television. Reviving the show would risk undoing its impeccable legacy, or worse, risk joining the long and regrettable list of shows that dragged on past their prime. Succession's ending was perfect, and for now, Armstrong nor anyone else should feel the need for a revival.

Succession seasons 1-4 are streaming on Max.