HBO Exec Shuts Down ‘Succession’ Spinoff, Claims the Jeremy Strong Series is Not Like ‘Game of Thrones’

HBO Exec shared his insights on Succession’s return in the form of a possible spin-off.

HBO’s Succession surely cemented its place among the most celebrated shows in recent television history. Premiering in 2018, the show went on for four seasons before ending in 2023. Throughout the four seasons, it continued to garner attention, receiving critical acclaim and winning multiple awards.

While the stellar show has finally come to an end, many would want to explore the saga further. Although the topic isn’t new for fans, HBO exec has thrown light on the show’s return in the form of a spin-off.

HBO Exec Reflects on Jeremy Strong’s Succession Return

Since the conclusion of Season 4 of the series, many have been wondering about the saga’s future. While another season might not feel appropriate since the last season pretty much gave a solid conclusion, a spin-off can be considered, one that can extend its storyline and even bring back several characters from the show.

However, the main question arises- Will the show return for a spin-off? Well, the answer most likely depends on the show creator, Jesse Armstrong.

In a recent interview with Variety during the premiere of the House of the Dragon in Paris, the CEO of HBO and Max content, Casey Bloys, reflected on the show’s return, sharing,

Just like I was saying with Mike White, if he wants to do it, I would take [creator] Jesse [Armstrong’s] lead on that. If for some reason Jesse called and said, ‘I’ve been thinking about it and I really want to do a spinoff,‘ I would say, ‘Great.‘

Although the CEO noted that the streaming giant is open to a spin-off in the franchise, the show’s trajectory would differ from Game of Thrones. He added,

But there are some shows that lend themselves to a “Game of Thrones” [trajectory]. The universe that George [R.R. Martin] has created has so many different eras and so many different families, and that lends itself to a lot of different takes. I don’t think that “Succession” normally does.

It is quite true as GOT has a vast universe with many different eras that allowed for the creation of multiple interpretations. In contrast, Succession primarily focuses on the Roy family and their media empire. Due to that, Jeremy Strong‘s show has a limited scope in terms of its universe.

Succession Creator, Jesse Armstrong, Holds the Key to its Return

The Succession season 4 ends with Matthew Macfadyen‘s Tom Wambsgans getting appointed as Waystar’s new CEO and Logan Roy’s successor.

After such a dramatic showdown, it is completely on the show creator to choose how he can explore the story forward. Even the HBO exec addressed his influence on the Waystar arc’s future, stating,

But first and foremost, it would be up to Jesse, and I would follow his lead. I think he’s taking some time now to figure out what he wants to do, but we’ll see what he wants to do next. He needs a little time to decompress after the show and think about what he wants to do.

Even Macfadyen commented that the show’s spin-off would be “highly unlikely” via Deadline before adding that it depends on the creator.

I think Jesse’s instincts and our instincts is that we ended just at the right place. We sort of didn’t tie it up, we just left them to carry on in their strange and frightening world.

The series primarily focuses on Brian Cox’s Logan Roy and his four children: Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Connor (Alan Ruck). The plot kickstarts with Logan’s declining health which sparks an intense battle among his children and other key executives to seek control of his company.