Jesse Armstrong’s HBO drama “Succession” hit a series ratings high of 2.5 million viewers on Sunday night for the third episode of the fourth and final season.
That’s up 7% from the season premiere’s 2.3 million viewers and 22% from the second episode. That fourth season premiere episode has reached close to 7 million viewers across platforms in the three weeks since it first aired.
The third episode number combines Nielsen’s measurement of the audience that watched the live broadcast, along with Warner Bros. Discovery’s own data regarding streams via HBO Max.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The ratings bump was helped by the episode’s major twist, which is set to impact the remainder of the season. That event was the death of family patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), who collapsed whilst onboard an airplane. At the same time, his adult children are on a boat for a wedding and rush to say their goodbyes and figure out what’s next.
Speaking with Deadline, Cox revealed the network staged a funeral scene at a church with Cox showing up as Roy in an effort to draw paparazzi off the scent.
Cox adds that he doesn’t think the show will get a spin-off as Armstrong wants to move on.
