Everything We Know About 'Succession' Season 3
Who will get a kiss from daddy next?
It's been a long time since fans have felt the warm embrace of the cold-hearted corporate jerks of the Roy family on HBO's Succession. The show, created by Jesse Armstrong and executive produced by Adam McKay about the internal politics and machinations of the Fox-like massive media corporation Waystar Royco, is one of the best dramas on TV—even taking home the prize for Best Drama Series at the 2020 Emmys, among seven other wins—but it hasn't been on air since the second season wrapped up in summer 2019.
After many delays due to the pandemic, it looks like we'll finally get to check on one of the most messed-up families on TV soon. Before the show returns and we get the opportunity to obsess over every insult and conniving move the characters make, we're breaking down what to expect from the long-awaited Season 3 of Succession.
When will Succession Season 3 premiere?
HBO announced in August 2021 that the show is set to premiere in October, and in mid-September, the network confirmed that Succession Season 3 will premiere on Sunday, October 17. It's been more than two years since Season 2 aired and nearly a year since the show resumed filming in fall 2020; prepare accordingly by purchasing a new wardrobe of cashmere sweaters and Burberry scarves so you can cozy right up to the upcoming fall installment.
Is there a trailer for Succession Season 3?
A month out from the Season 3 premiere date, HBO dropped the official trailer for the upcoming season—and it goes "full fucking beast." Well, Logan does because of how ticked off he is at Kendall for betraying daddy and the company, causing the entire Roy family to go to war with each other, the public, the FBI, etc., etc. Just about everybody is preparing for battle, with Kendall staying on the offense (and teaming up with new cast member Sanaa Lathan as his legal representation), and his awful siblings are conniving in their own way. The trailer is everything fans could have hoped for and more—with previews of newbies Adrien Brody and Alexander Skarsgård in their roles, and some great zingers. Roman is "hugely looking forward" to his father dying, and Tom makes a joke to Greg about taking cyanide pills (JK, they're mints). This season, it looks like chaos reigns.
If that wasn't enough of the Roys for you, HBO dropped another teaser back in July. Although it's not as long as the recent, full-length trailer, it's still got bountiful insults, some shocking physical altercations, and more of Greg and Tom's bickering.
Who will return for Succession Season 3?
Succession wouldn't be anything without the Roys. That means the series' main cast will return for the third season, so we'll be seeing more of the Roys, including Logan (Brian Cox), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Marcia (Hiam Abbass), and Connor (Alan Ruck). We can also expect Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) and Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) to return for Season 3 as well. And of course, Succession could always use some good old Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun).
We'll also be seeing a bit more of some familiar faces. In December 2020, Deadline reported that cast members Justine Lupe, David Rasche, and Fisher Stevens, who play Willa Ferreya, Karl Muller, and Hugo Baker, respectively, have been upped to series regulars. You'll remember Willa as Connor's aspiring playwright girlfriend, Karl as Waystar RoyCo's chief financial officer, and Hugo as the company's senior communications executive. Might that mean we'll see Connor in a full-fledged presidential campaign? It's possible! Regardless, it'll be satisfying to see even more of this crop of corporate slime balls.
Are there any new cast members in Succession Season 3?
Succession is rounding out its elite Manhattanite world even more in Season 3 with a handful of new faces. On May 3, it was announced that Alexander Skarsgård, who earned an Emmy for his role on HBO's Big Little Lies, will be joining the cast in a recurring role. He'll be playing Lukas Matsson, described as "a successful, confrontational tech founder and CEO."
On May 5, the casting news continued to roll out with the announcement that Oscar-winner Adrien Brody, who was also cast in HBO's upcoming '80s Los Angeles Lakers series as Pat Riley, will also be entering the boardroom for Season 3. He'll play Josh Aaronson, described as "a billionaire activist investor who becomes pivotal in the battle for the ownership of Waystar." Lots of battling and confronting going on with all these billionaires and CEOs!
When the series began production in early 2021, a handful of additions to the cast were announced, as reported by Variety. Sanaa Lathan (Love & Basketball, The Affair), Linda Emond (Lodge 49), and Korean recording artist Jihae (Mortal Engines) are all taking on roles. Lathan is said to play high-profile lawyer Lisa Arthur, who appears to be advising Kendall in the trailer, Emond will play (the greatly named) Michelle-Anne Vanderhoven, a senior White House aide, and Jihae is portraying "leading public relations consultant" Berry Schneider. Based on those casting announcements, sounds like we're in for even more publicity blunders and potentially some image clean-up before Conor's ridiculous presidential run.
In February, Deadline revealed that Hope Davis, who recently starred in Showtime's legal drama Your Honor, will also join Succession for Season 3 to play Sandi Furness, the daughter of Roy family nemesis Sandy Furness (Larry Pine). Sandy appeared in the first two seasons, plotting against Logan Roy, so expect more conflict (and perhaps some alliances) between the families in the new episodes.
What will Succession Season 3 be about?
After a killer Season 1 finale, Season 2 promised to be even more drama-filled for the Roy family, and boy, did it deliver. The Season 2 finale concluded with Kendall choosing to accuse his father of gross misconduct in front of a televised audience rather than taking the fall for Waystar Royco's cruise ship scandal, which is far from the first time Kendall has stabbed the Roy patriarch in the back. When Logan told Kendall in the season finale that he didn't have the killer drive necessary to take over the company, though, you knew it was in the cards for Ken to drop another bomb on his dad. Season 3 will certainly tackle the fallout from the second time Kendall betrayed Logan—surely he can't survive this blow? Based on the preview of the season we've gotten so far, it looks like things will pick up right after Kendall's televised bombshell; Logan is pissed at his son and the two are definitely going head-to-head.
In the wake of Kendall growing a spine again and facing off with his father, all of the Roy children seem like viable players to helm Waystar Royco. That is, perhaps depending on who they side with in the literal war unfolding within their bloodline. Could Shiv go totally cutthroat and be "the one?" With Conor attempting to go into politics going forward, though always keeping a foot in the family's messy buisness, one of the theories floating around is that Roman, who seems to be aligning himself with Skarsgård's acerbic tech entrepreneur, will step up in Season 3. Entertainment Weekly asked actor Kieran Culkin about the theory, to which he responded, "Well if you look in the first season, [it seemed] that Kendall was going to be [Logan's] guy, and then he wasn't. Then this year, it seems like Shiv is going to be the guy and now it's starting to look like she's not… So, maybe next year is Roman's turn."
In a virtual cast reunion hosted by Variety in June 2020, Cox said that creator Jesse Armstrong had already revealed his plans for the third season, and that, "It's jolly exciting, that's all I can say. It's very, very surprising what's going to happen."
There are plenty of questions begging resolution in Season 3. Is Logan going to finally be held accountable? Will Roman receive more of the show's attention? Will Gerri call him "slime puppy" again? Will Tom have to break some more Greggs? For Succession, the future is wide open.