Brian Cox Reveals ‘Succession’ Cast Haven’t Renewed Their Contracts — Could the Show Be Ending Soon?

TL;DR:

• Brian Cox revealed that the Succession cast haven’t renewed their contracts.
• Succession Season 4 is in production and aiming for an early 2023 release.
• The HBO show’s writers have admitted they don’t want it to continue too long.

Since its 2018 premiere, Succession has become one of HBO’s most beloved shows — so much so that it took home the prize for Outstanding Drama Series during the 2022 Emmy Awards. Viewers seem content to devour the Roy family drama for as long as it continues. But according to Logan Roy actor Brian Cox, the Succession cast have yet see their contracts renewed. Does that mean Succession is ending soon?

The ‘Succession’ cast haven’t renewed their contracts, according to Brian Cox

That’s right, during an interview with The Times of London, Succession star Brian Cox was asked about the show’s future. On the topic of Succession Season 5, Cox admitted he doesn’t know if it’s happening — but apparently, the cast haven’t renewed their contracts for another go-round.

“I don’t know,” Cox told The Times. “No one’s had their contracts renewed. Who knows how long it will go on?”

The actor added that he doesn’t want the series to continue for too long, noting that he’d prefer to see it go out on a high note. He cited Showtime’s Billions as an example of what Succession won’t do.

“We don’t want it to overstay its welcome, like Billions; that’s past its sell-by date. That will not happen with our show.”

Of course, that doesn’t clear things up for fans hoping for more episodes after Succession Season 4. The good news is, the fourth outing is currently in production — and HBO is aiming for an early 2023 release. If nothing else, we have that to look forward to.

‘Succession’ Season 4 is currently in production and gunning for an early 2023 release

Although Succession‘s future beyond season 4 is unclear, viewers can look forward to at least one more outing. HBO renewed the series for another season back in 2021, and the cast is already hard at work bringing Succession Season 4 to life.

Per Variety, production kicked off in June, and fans can expect the following in terms of plot:

“In the 10-episode season four, the sale of media conglomerate Waystar Royco to tech visionary Lukas Matsson moves ever closer. The prospect of this seismic sale provokes existential angst and familial division among the Roys as they anticipate what their lives will look like once the deal is completed. A power struggle ensues as the family weighs up a future where their cultural and political weight is severely curtailed.”

There’s currently no release date for Succession Season 4, but it sounds like HBO is aiming for an early 2023 premiere. According to Deadline, the network execs believe the season will debut before the eligibility deadline for the 2023 Emmy Awards. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the cut-off is in May.

As for whether Succession will go beyond season 4, that’s anyone’s guess. What do the creators have to say on the matter?

Could ‘Succession’ be ending after season 4?

With Succession Season 4 approaching — and Brian Cox claiming he and his fellow cast members haven’t renewed their contracts — one has to wonder if the next batch of episodes will serve as the show’s last.

HBO hasn’t announced season 4 as the final season, but the creators have expressed that they don’t see the series continuing much longer. In 2021, writer Georgia Pritchett told The Sunday Times, “I think the maximum would be five seasons but possibly more like four. At this point [Jesse Armstrong] is saying only one more [season]. But that happens every time we’ve got a good end in sight.”

And ahead of Succession Season 3, showrunner Jesse Armstrong told Entertainment Weekly that he doesn’t want to keep the series going too long.

“I think it’s not the sort of show which should go on forever, because there’s a question set up in the title of the show and I think it’s a question you eventually want answered,” Armstrong explained.

With that in mind, there may be a reason the cast members’ contracts haven’t been renewed — though we’ll have to wait for more Succession updates to find out.

The first three seasons of Succession are currently streaming on HBO Max.