Movies

Succession Trivia | 100 facts about the drama series

“Succession” is satirical black comedy – drama series. The series gained the most nominations at the 74th Emmy Awards.

So let’s find out some trivia and facts about the series.

Succession is an American satirical black comedy-drama television series
The series is created by Jesse Armstrong
It premiered on June 3, 2018, on HBO
The series centers on the Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of Waystar RoyCo, a global media and entertainment conglomerate
They are fighting for control of the company amid uncertainty about the health of the family’s patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox)
The series has been renewed for a fourth season
Among the series’s cast are Jeremy Strong as Kendall, Kieran Culkin as Roman, and Sarah Snook as Siobhan (‘Shiv’), Logan’s children employed by the company
Matthew Macfadyen stars as Tom Wambsgans, Shiv’s husband and Waystar executive, Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch, Logan’s grandnephew also employed by the company, Alan Ruck as Connor, Logan’s eldest child, and Hiam Abbass as Marcia Roy, Logan’s third and current wife. Peter Friedman, Natalie Gold, and Rob Yang also star
While Dagmara Domińczyk, Arian Moayed, J. Smith-Cameron, Justine Lupe, David Rasche, and Fisher Stevens featured in recurring roles before being promoted to the main cast
Succession has been widely acclaimed by critics for its writing, acting (particularly Strong and Cox), musical score, production values, and examination of its subject matter
The series has received several awards and nominations
Including the British Academy Television Award for Best International Programme, the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Drama, and the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series
Both Cox and Strong received the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Television Series Drama
With Strong also winning the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Showrunner Jesse Armstrong initially conceived the series as a feature film about the Murdoch family, but the script never went into production
Armstrong eventually expanded the scope of the story to include the larger landscape of Wall Street, which he felt better suited for a television format
Armstrong wrote a new script centered on original characters loosely inspired by various powerful media families such as the Murdochs, the Redstones and the Sulzbergers
On June 6, 2016, it was announced that HBO had given the production a pilot order
The episode was written by Armstrong and directed by Adam McKay
Executive producers for the pilot include Armstrong, McKay, Will Ferrell, Frank Rich, and Kevin Messick
On May 16, 2017, it was announced that HBO had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes
The previously announced creative team continued their involvement as the series entered into production
On November 17, 2017, it was reported that Nicholas Britell would serve as the series’ composer
On April 26, 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on June 3, 2018
On June 11, 2018, HBO renewed the series for a second season
On May 23, 2019, it was announced that the second season would premiere on August 11, 2019
On August 20, 2019, HBO renewed the series for a third season
On March 28, 2020, HBO announced the third season’s production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The third season premiered on October 17, 2021
In June 2021, executive producer Georgia Pritchett commented that the series would not go beyond five seasons, and possibly would end after season four
On October 26, 2021, HBO renewed the series for a fourth season
On October 6, 2016, it was announced that Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Nicholas Braun, and Matthew Macfadyen had been cast in lead roles in the series’ pilot
On November 4, 2016, it was announced that Hiam Abbass, Alan Ruck, Rob Yang, Parker Sawyers, and Peter Friedman had also joined the main cast of the pilot
On January 24, 2018, it was reported that Ashley Zukerman had joined the series in a recurring role
On May 21, 2019, Holly Hunter joined the cast in a recurring role in the second 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, 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
The series is primarily filmed in New York City, and shot on 35 mm film
Director Adam McKay filmed the pilot in late 2016
While principal photography for the rest of the first season of the series began in October 2017
Locations used throughout the series include the American Irish Historical Society on Fifth Avenue as the location for Logan’s apartment, 714 Broadway as the location of Shiv’s season 1 apartment, and the Downtown Manhattan Heliport on the East River for scenes of the Roys departing on their helicopters
For scenes depicting the interiors of the Waystar RoyCo offices, the crew uses towers 4 and 7 of the World Trade Center, while 28 Liberty Street is used for exterior shots
Silvercup Studios in Queens houses many of the sets used for the series
Other filming locations for the first season included Bellevue Hospital (where the second episode took place), the Cunard Building on 25 Broadway (which houses Cipriani S.A., the venue for a gala in the fourth episode), the East New York Freight Tunnel (the entrance of a bachelor party in the eighth episode), and the Financial District of Manhattan
From mid-January 2018 to the end of the month, the production moved from New York to New Mexico for the episode “Austerlitz”, which was primarily filmed in Santa Fe
On February 22, 2018, filming took place in New Jersey which required the closing of the Atlantic City-Brigantine tunnel
On February 25, 2018, filming took place at Eastnor Castle near Ledbury in Herefordshire, England
It served as the setting for the last two episodes of the season
The second season saw a significant increase in location shift
The opening scenes of the season premiere were shot on location in Iceland
While Henry Ford II’s 1960 estate in the Hamptons was used as the Roys’ summer home
Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York stood in for the Roys’ hunting lodge in Hungary, as depicted in the episode “Hunting”
Filming also occurred in Long Island, with a mansion once belonging to Junius Spencer Morgan featuring prominently in the episode “Tern Haven”
The estate is one of several in the area used as filming locations for the second season
From April through May 2019, the production recruited extras for filming in Lake Placid, and Lake George, New York, where the episode “Argestes” was shot
Production moved to Dundee, Scotland for the eighth episode, with additional filming taking place in Glasgow and Ayr for the preceding episode (which takes place in England)
Starting from July 17, 2019, the crew filmed in Korčula, Croatia, for the second-season finale, including extensive scenes on a yacht
Filming for season 3, 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 season 3 occurred 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
There 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)
Production on the 10-episode fourth season began in New York City on June 27, 2022
With Mark Mylod directing the first episode
The first season was met with a positive response from critics
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds an approval rating of 88%
With an average rating of 7.9 out of 10
Based on 86 reviews
The website’s critical consensus reads, “Peppering its pathos with acid wit, Succession is a divine comedy of absolute power and dysfunction – brought to vivid life by a ferocious ensemble”
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 70 out of 100
Based on 29 critics
Indicating “generally favorable reviews”
The second season received critical acclaim
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 97% rating
With an average rating of 8.95 out of 10
Based on 235 reviews
The website’s critical consensus reads, “Succession returns in darkly funny form, with sharp writing, exceptional performances, and a surprising new level of sympathy for some of television’s least likable characters”
On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100
Based on 19 critics
Indicating “universal acclaim”
The third season received widespread critical acclaim
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 97% approval rating
With an average rating of 9.35 out of 10
Based on 136 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”
The series premiere episode drew 582,000 live viewers, down from the 1.39 million viewers that watched its lead-in, Westworld
The season 2 finale drew 1.1 million viewers across all viewing platforms
Season 3 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 show