The third season of the American satirical comedy-drama television series Succession premiered on HBO on October 17, 2021. Series creator Jesse Armstrong serves as the showrunner for the season. The series centers on the Roy family, the owners of global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, and their fight for control of the company amidst uncertainty about the health of the family's patriarch.
The season features an ensemble cast of Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Dagmara Domińczyk, Peter Friedman, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck, J. Smith-Cameron, Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong, who all return from the previous season, with Hiam Abbass and Arian Moayed only returning in a recurring capacity. Justine Lupe, David Rasche and Fisher Stevens were promoted to the main cast for the season after featuring in recurring roles in the previous season.
In August 2019, HBO renewed Succession for a third season, which had begun filming by December 2020 in New York City. In June 2021, filming for the final two episodes took place in Tuscany. The season consists of nine episodes, a decrease from the previous season, which had ten, and the lowest episode count in the series. The season received critical acclaim. It was nominated for 25 Primetime Emmy Awards, and received four wins, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Macfadyen, and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Armstrong. The season broke the record for the most acting nominations in a single year, with 14.
On August 20, 2019, following the premiere of the second season, HBO renewed Succession for a third season. The season consists of nine episodes, a decrease from the previous season. On March 28, 2020, HBO announced the third season's production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All main cast members return from the previous season, excluding Rob Yang, with Hiam Abbass and Arian Moayed only appears in a recurring capacity. Justine Lupe, David Rasche and Fisher Stevens, who previously starred in recurring roles, were promoted to the main cast for the season. In January 2021, it was announced Sanaa Lathan, Linda Emond and Jihae had joined the cast of the series in recurring roles in the third season. In February 2021, it was reported that Hope Davis was cast in a recurring role in the third season. In March 2021, Dasha Nekrasova was reported to have a recurring role in the third season. In May 2021, Alexander Skarsgård was cast in a recurring role while Adrien Brody was cast to guest star for the third season. In August 2021, it was announced Ella Rumpf would guest star in the third season.
Filming for the third season, which was slated to begin in April 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In early November 2020, star Alan Ruck announced that filming would begin in mid-November in New York City. The season had begun filming in New York as of December 2020. Filming locations in the city included the Woolworth Building in Tribeca, The Shed in Hudson Yards, and a number of hotels including the Marriott Marquis in Times Square and the Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue. Production also returned to the Hamptons, at locations including Montauk and Wainscott. In May, additional filming for the season took place in Richmond, Virginia, primarily at the Jefferson Hotel. In June, production on the third season moved to Italy for the final two episodes, with filming primarily taking place in the Val d'Orcia region of Tuscany – where a wedding reception was filmed at the estates La Foce and Villa Cetinale. Additional filming took place in other nearby comuni in the province of Siena – including Pienza, Montalcino and Chianciano Terme – as well as in Cortona, Lake Como, Milan, and Florence (the lattermost of which was used for establishing shots in the opening episodes).
The season premiered on HBO on October 17, 2021, with episodes releasing weekly until the finale on December 12, 2021.
HBO released the third season on DVD on May 17, 2022.
The third season premiered to 1.4 million viewers across various platforms and ended with 1.7 million viewers across all viewing platforms, a record high for the series.
The third season received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 9.3/10, based on 146 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Fans already buying what Succession is selling will be pleasantly surprised to find its third season in crackling form – even if it gets a little too real from time to time." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 92 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Its third season received a leading 25 nominations with four wins at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards; including Outstanding Drama Series, Matthew Macfadyen for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and Jesse Armstrong for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (for the episode "All the Bells Say"). Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun, Sarah Snook, James Cromwell, and Harriet Walter all received repeat nominations, while J. Smith-Cameron, Adrien Brody, Arian Moayed, Alexander Skarsgård, Hope Davis, and Sanaa Lathan all received acting nominations as well. The series also received three nominations for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. The season broke the record for the most acting nominations in a single year, with 14.
- ^ Credited as guest starring in the opening titles, unlike other guest stars.
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