'Succession' is to end after its upcoming fourth season.
Succession star Brian Cox
Creator Jesse Armstrong has admitted the end of the HBO comedy-drama - which stars Brian Cox, Matthew Macfadyen, and Sarah Snook - has always been "present" in his mind, and from the second series he has been actively considering when to finish the show.
He said: "You know, there’s a promise in the title of 'Succession'. I’ve never thought this could go on forever.
"The end has always been kind of present in my mind. From season two, I’ve been trying to think: Is it the next one, or the one after that, or is it the one after that?"
Jesse proposed the end of the show - which focuses on media mogul Logan Roy (Brian) and his family's fight over his legacy - before he and his fellow scribes started writing season four.
He said: "I got together with a few of my fellow-writers before we started the writing of season four, in about November, December, 2021, and I sort of said, 'Look, I think this maybe should be it. But what do you think?'
"And we played out various scenarios: We could do a couple of short seasons, or two more seasons. Or we could go on for ages and turn the show into something rather different, and be a more rangy, freewheeling kind of fun show, where there would be good weeks and bad weeks.
"Or we could do something a bit more muscular and complete, and go out sort of strong. And that was definitely always my preference. I went into the writing room for season four sort of saying, 'I think this is what we’re doing, but let’s also keep it open.' "
Jesse admits that even when they started filming season four he was "not 100 per cent sure" that was it, and says it has been a "difficult decision" to end 'Succession'.
He added to The New Yorker magazine: "I feel deeply conflicted. I quite enjoy this period when we’re editing - where the whole season is there - but we haven’t put it out yet. I like the interregnum.
"And I also quite liked the period when my close collaborators and I knew that this was probably it, or this was it, but hadn’t had to face up to it in the world."
Last year, Brian described Jesse as "an absolute genius", but admitted he often only receives his 'Succession' scripts two days before shooting.
He said: "Getting a script is like getting gold. I like to learn the lines."
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