‘Succession’ Is Teasing Full-On Roy Family War in Season 3

After a far-too-long wait, it's almost time for us Waystar-Royco shareholders (or, HBO subscribers) to see a bunch of rich people tell each other to Fuck Off again. Season 2 of Succession left us hanging way back in the pre-Covid world of Fall 2019, and we've been eagerly waiting to see how Kendall, Logan, Shiv, Tom, Roman, Greg, and the rest of the gang all react to the aftermath of that explosive finale. Now, finally, we have a release date and information on when we get to once again enter that cutthroat corporate world.

After becoming a sleeper hit when its first season dropped in the late summer of 2018, Season 2 turned Succession into a legitimate juggernaut for HBO. The show dominates conversation on social media, and Season 2 was nominated for a staggering 18 Emmys, winning 7 of them (including Best Drama Series and Best Actor in a Drama for Jeremy Strong).

Now that it's undoubtably one of the biggest shows on TV—and with a hype train awaiting the Season 3 release—it's got a lot of pressure to live up to. Succession has been a hit in part because of it's genre; it's a satire, hilarious at times in its skewering of corporate America and the rich and powerful 1% types, yet it also has all of us on the very edge of our seats eagerly waiting to see what will happen next in this world of Machiavellian maneuvering and scheming for power. How are we rooting for Kendall Roy? Who knows, but we really are.

So, while Succession Season 3 isn't quite here yet, know that it's almost here. Seriously. We're almost there. Close enough to be excited, and far enough away to easily fit your rewatch of Season 1 and 2 in. Perfect.

Is there a Season 3 trailer?

There sure is. But perhaps even more pressing is an exclusive clip from the Season 3 premiere that was released on the HBO Max YouTube channel. In the clip, we see what we must presume is the immediate aftermath of Kendall's press conference outing his father's misdeeds. We see Kendall, Karolina, and Greg (shouting "No comment!" in the most Greg-like fashion possible) exiting amidst a sea of press to a Waystar/Royco-owned vehicle...which Karolina is not even sure Kendall is allowed to be in anymore.

It's a short clip, but if you're anything like us, should only serve to get you more excited for the coming drama of Season 3.

That clip comes a few weeks after the release of the full trailer for Season 3, which teases an all out Succession civil war: Logan Roy vs. Kendall Roy. There's media drama, there's controversy, there's high stakes—could someone end up in prison?—and, of course, there's familial drama. "We'll go full fucking beast," Logan Roy (of course played by Brian Cox) shouts at the end of the trailer. We're ready to be right there with him.

The trailer also gives a first glimpse of new characters played by Adrien Brody and Alexander Skarsgård, both of whom look like they'll fit into the show's energy perfectly.

In early July HBO already released a first teaser for Succession Season 3.

To say we can't wait would be an understatement.

When is Succession Season 3 coming out?

The new season will debut on October 17, a week after HBO's Scenes From a Marriage (starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain) wraps up its own five-week run.

Can we talk about that poster?

Uh, yes, we sure can. The official Succession account revealed that October 17 debut date on a new poster, which was shared on Twitter. It reads: "Make Your Move. October 17."

The poster teases dueling factions: one behind Kendall Roy, and one behind his father, Logan Roy. This poster shows Shiv, Connor, and Greg behind Kendall, while Roman and Tom are seen behind Logan. Interesting Waystar/Royco Civil War alignment! Except...that's not the only version of the poster.

Another version of the poster, released on the Succession Instagram, shows a different alignment.

The caption is the same, but this one shows Roman and Greg behind Kendall, while Shiv, Tom, and Connor are all behind Logan.

There's a third, too! In the third, Tom and Greg are on Kendall's side, while Shiv, Roman, and Connor are all on Logan's side.

These seem to suggest a lot of side-switching and in-fighting, with one exception: Cousin Greg being loyal to Kendall. He did give him those secret documents at the end of Season 2, after all, and has always been more of a shark than he suggested.

But there's one more poster:

In this one, we have our Roy siblings (Shiv, Roman, and Connor) all behind Kendall, going against Papa Logan's team, with Greg and Tom behind him. Who's on who's team? That will likely be a big part of our Season 3 storyline. And hoo boy, we cannot wait.

What is Succession Season 3 going to be about?

As anyone who watched Season 2 of Succession knows, the season ended on a massive cliffhanger. After family patriarch Logan Roy called for a "blood sacrifice"—someone who would be thrown under the bus and potentially sent to prison as a result of Waystar/Royco's various malpractices—the short straw appeared to fall to Kendall Roy, the son who at one point appeared primed to be Logan's successor. It's important to remember that for much of Season 2 Kendall served as Logan's attack dog, doing his dirty bidding because Logan was the only one who knew about Kendall accidentally killing a waiter during a drug-fueled car accident in the Season 1 finale.

But no matter—tired of Logan's manipulations and, really, evil, Kendall went off-script, going public with allegations of various misconduct and ethical and criminal failings against his father. As Season 2 concluded, Logan had a slight smile, perhaps a bit proud that his son finally became a killer—even if it was at his own expense.

The Season 3 trailer hints at a full-scale Kendall vs. Logan Roy family war. Kendall, perhaps now feeling freed from Logan's blackmail, suggests a battle between good and evil. All the meanwhile we see Tom and Greg up to their usual snarky relationship, Shiv plotting yet another takeover, and Roman chiming in from the peanut gallery. As for Connor Roy's political aspirations...we'll have to see what remains there.

Who's going to be in the cast?

All of our key Succession players will be back. That includes Brian Cox as Logan Roy, Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy, Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy, Alan Ruck as Connor Roy, Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy, Nicholas Braun as Cousin Greg Hirsch, Matthew Macfayden as Tom Wambsgans, J. Smith Cameron as Gerri, Peter Friedman as Frank, Dagmara Dominczyk as Karolina, Arian Moayed as Stewy, and Hiam Abbass as Marcia Roy.

We'll also see a number of returning recurring players, including Justine Lupe as Willa, Danny Huston as Laird, Annabelle Dexter-Jones as Naomi Pierce, and Juliana Canfield as Jess Jordan, Kendall's assistant (who gets the hilariously deadpan final line of the trailer).

We'll also see exciting guest stars for Season 3, including HBO alum Alexander Skarsgård (from True Blood and Big Little Lies) and Adrien Brody, as key players in the Roy family drama.

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