HBO’s Succession Season 3 premiered October 17, 2021, delivering ruthless corporate drama, devastating character arcs, and some of the most quotable television of the year — while sparking endless discourse about wealth, power, and family dysfunction.
The Season
9 episodes (October 17 - December 12, 2021)
The setup: Season 2 ended with Kendall Roy publicly accusing his father Logan of covering up crimes. Season 3 dealt with the fallout.
Key storylines:
- Kendall vs. Logan: The war for control of Waystar Royco
- Shiv’s power play: Navigating pregnancy and betrayal
- Tom and Greg: The most dysfunctional workplace relationship on TV
- Roman’s arc: From punchline to competent (ish)
- Connor’s presidential campaign: Delusion at its finest
The Finale (December 12, 2021)
“All the Bells Say” — one of the most gut-wrenching finales in recent TV history.
The wedding + the deal: Connor’s wedding in Tuscany became the backdrop for Logan selling Waystar to GoJo (tech giant), cutting his kids out of power.
The moment: Kendall, Shiv, and Roman unite against Logan — but it’s too late. They’re powerless. Logan wins.
The image: The siblings sitting together in defeat, realizing they never had a chance.
The Discourse
“Succession is the best show on TV.”
The debate: Who are you rooting for? (Answer: No one. They’re all terrible. That’s the point.)
Team Kendall: Tragic antihero trying to escape his father’s shadow
Team Shiv: Brilliant but constantly undermined by sexism (and her own choices)
Team Roman: Surprisingly competent when not self-sabotaging
Team Logan: Ruthless, brilliant, monstrous
Team Tom: The ultimate survivor (everyone underestimates him)
Team Greg: The failson who stumbles upward
The Memes
“Can’t make a Tomelette without breaking some Greggs” — Tom’s classic line
“You can’t make a Tomlette without breaking some eggs” became a meme format
“I’m Kendall fucking Roy” — Kendall’s tragic delusion
Logan’s insults: “You’re not serious people,” “Fuck off,” “You are a fucking idiot”
Greg’s malapropisms: “I wonder if the sad I’d be without you would be less than the sad I get from being with you”
The Cultural Impact
Succession became appointment TV in 2021. Sunday nights = live-tweeting the episode.
Fashion influence: “Quiet luxury” aesthetic (Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, The Row)
Corporate America watched: The show’s depiction of M&A, shareholder fights, and corporate intrigue felt real to people in that world.
Wealth critique: The show eviscerated the ultra-wealthy while making them compelling to watch.
The Performances
Jeremy Strong (Kendall): Intense, method, heartbreaking
Brian Cox (Logan): Dominating, terrifying, magnetic
Sarah Snook (Shiv): Brilliant, tragic, underestimated
Kieran Culkin (Roman): Scene-stealer, surprisingly complex
Matthew Macfadyen (Tom): Perfectly pathetic and calculating
Nicholas Braun (Greg): Lovable disaster
The Soundtrack
Nicholas Britell’s score: Orchestral, haunting, iconic (the intro theme is legendary)
The music cues: Kendall’s birthday rap, Connor’s campaign song, the wedding music
The Emmys (2022)
Season 3 dominated:
- Best Drama Series
- Best Actor (Jeremy Strong? No, snubbed)
- Best Writing, Directing
- Multiple nominations across categories
Legacy
Season 3 cemented Succession as one of the greatest dramas of the 2020s.
The finale left fans desperate for Season 4 (which arrived in 2023 and concluded the series).
The hashtag became a weekly ritual: watching, reacting, analyzing, and quoting the most quotable show on television.
Sources
- HBO Succession Season 3 episode guide
- Rotten Tomatoes reviews (97% Tomatometer)
- Twitter hashtag analytics #SuccessionS3
- Emmy nominations and wins (2022)
- Vulture, The Ringer, AV Club episode recaps