Posted in: HBO, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: HBO, jesse armstrong, King Lear, max, opinion, Succession

Succession Spinoffs, Sequels Would Completely Miss The Show's Point

Succession reached the end of the line, succeeding in relaying its message with its finale, so spinoffs or sequels are unnecessary.

Everyone and their parents are still talking about the end of Succession. Some of the actors are talking about their daydreams of spinoffs and sequels with their characters. Creator and showrunner Jess Armstrong is still being asked why he ended it now. He said he felt it was time. And let's face it: we don't need Succession to continue. It has reached its conclusion. Armstrong has told the story he wanted to tell with a definitive ending.

Succession has told its updated version of King Lear, shown every wrinkle and variant of its themes, explored every avenue the characters could take, and said what it wants to say with its Shakespearean ending. That's the point of endings. They put the final nail in the coffin. They are the final summation, the punchline, and the payoff of the story. The Roy kids fought to succeed their father. After losing every previous battle, they gathered their forces for the final fight and lost. The war is over. Who's in succession? None of them. They were all idiots who fail. They failed one last time, and there is no more fight to fail. They're done.

Succession Reached the End of the Line and Exhausted Its Story

Screenwriting teacher Robert McKee coined the perfect term for a definitive ending: narrative exhaustion. Yes, the characters aren't dead and could continue to do the same things they always did, but that would just be repetition. Succession has the conviction to end the Roy kids' lifelong fight to take the throne from their father, with all of them losing. None of them deserved to win. They can't fight that war anymore. Kendall (Jeremy Strong) has lost everything that matters in his life, including what he thought he was destined for and entitled to. Roman (Kieran Culkin) lost everything and is considered a joke. Shiv (Sarah Snook) resigns herself to being beholden to men in order to have any position at all – she was never a feminist since she never learned to strike out on her own rather than get permission and scraps from a man in power. The irony is they will still end up getting billions of dollars from the sale of Waystar. We don't need to watch these characters anymore. They've told their story and now it's time to find a new story elsewhere.

In this age of franchises where every show is supposed to keep going, Succession is that rare series that got out while it was ahead.

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