Brian Cox says the end of the 'succession' was 'obvious'
Brian Cox.
Borja B. Hojas/WireImageThe end of HBOs Succession was a surprise to many fans, but star Brian Cox saw it coming.
During a post-Emmys panel moderated by Seth MeijersThe 77-year-old actor, who played Waystar Royco CEO Logan Roy, said it was “clear” the series' fourth season would be its last – although other cast members disagreed.
“We didn't know 100 percent,” star Matthew Macfadyenwho played Waystar director Tom Wambsgans, said during the panel on Tuesday, January 16, per People.
Cox playfully replied, “I don't understand what you didn't know. F-king dead or something. Christ, it was so damn obvious.
“We're going to end and I say, 'Oh, we didn't know that,'” the Scottish actor added. “We went to the last lecture and thought, 'Oh, maybe there is still life.' It is ridiculous.”
After Logan's shocking death midway through Season 4, the remaining episodes saw the Roy siblings battle their grief while simultaneously competing for the family business. In the May 2023 finale episode, Waystar Royco was finally sold to another media conglomerate, GoJo.
Plotting their next move. Fans were left on the edge of their seats after Season 3 of Succession wrapped with a familiar face shaking things up for the Roy siblings and their future with Waystar Royco. The third season finale aired in December 2021 and ended with Shiv Roy (played by Sarah Snook) realizing […]
“We rewrite and rewrite all the time [and we thought] that we could leave that escape door,” writer and creator Jesse Armstrong said about the decision to end the series. “And maybe that was psychological, because it was really, really hard to actually end it.”
He continued, “It was like we needed the possibility of escape, almost to keep us committed until the end.”
After a dramatic season 3 finale in which Logan's children and potential successors Shiv Roy (Sara Snoek), Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) failed to stop their father from selling his media empire, Succession fans wondered how much longer the series could continue.
In February 2023, the month before Season 4 premiered, Armstrong, 53, confirmed that the fourth season would be the show's last.
“It's been a bit tortured and I felt unexpectedly nervous talking to you because it's all theoretical so far,” he shared. The New Yorker at the time. “You know, there's a promise in the title of it Succession. I never thought this could go on forever.”
Succession received widespread critical acclaim and won several top categories at the 2023 Emmy Awards. The show earned 27 nominations and six wins, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Culkin, 41, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Snook , 36, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Macfadyen, 49 .