‘Succession’ viewers react to “incredible” season premiere

Succession fans have reacted to the fourth and final season’s first episode following its premiere.

The series returned yesterday evening (March 26) in the US, which picks up months after the events of the season three finale.

In the episode, Kendall, Shiv and Roman Roy manage to persuade the Pierces to sell PGM after launching a rival bid to their father, Logan. Elsewhere, Shiv and Tom are going through a trial separation following his betrayal of her in season three, and Shiv tells him that she wants a divorce.

Fans have heaped praise on the episode, particularly the scene between Shiv and Tom, with one saying they “will never recover from” the moment.

“This scene is pure art,” another added. “Sarah Snook & Matthew Macfadyen’s performances are so beautifully devastating. I’ll never get this frame out of my head.”

A third suggested star Sarah Snook was “giving her best performance of the series in the premiere, with 9 more eps to go”.

Here’s what others have been saying about the episode:

#Succession It’s only episode 1 and I already will never recover from this pic.twitter.com/40D4c0qs9q

— Nyrotike (@nyrotike) March 27, 2023

This scene is pure art. Sarah Snook & Matthew Macfadyen’s performances are so beautifully devastating. I’ll never get this frame out of my head. #Succession pic.twitter.com/Y0vq3muOJV

— Avery Thompson (@avery__thompson) March 27, 2023

Sarah Snook giving her best performance of the series in the premiere, with 9 more eps to go. HBO needs to stop playing and run her as Lead Actress. I’m sick of her being snubbed as Supporting. She’s going to kill this season and deserves the push. #SuccessionHBO #Succession pic.twitter.com/RgSKRTpswR

— Brandon Lewis (@blewis1103) March 27, 2023

So many feelings about that incredible #Succession season premiere but that shot of Shiv and Tom on the bed was so beautifully heartbreaking and perfectly composed. Mark Mylod, you genius. Sometimes you see a scene that is blocked and shot and lit so precisely that it hurts. Wow.

— Jace Lacob (@televisionary) March 27, 2023

Every time I want to hop on the Kieran Culkin Emmy train, Matthew Macfadyen does something like this. Damn it. #SuccessionHBO #Succession pic.twitter.com/jU3KpNrs4T

— Brandon Lewis (@blewis1103) March 27, 2023

What a great first episode of #Succession.

Love the direction of the storyline already off the top. Writing remains insane in both the drama and comedy. Acting is top notch. Cinematography amazing. Music elite.

All-time show. So happy it’s back. pic.twitter.com/m4wcNNCBrf

— Jeff D. Lowe (@JeffDLowe) March 27, 2023

joke per minute rate of the succession premiere is 30 rock levels

— E. Alex Jung (probably) (@e_alexjung) March 27, 2023

a whole episode of shiv kendall and roman getting along and being part of the same team #succession pic.twitter.com/7qmn5GW3rw

— succession lockdown (@JOELSMILLRR) March 27, 2023

Succession‘s fourth season will be the show’s last, though creator Jesse Armstrong recently admitted that he hoped he would be talked out of ending the show by HBO.

“The word that comes to mind for me is ‘natural.’ I hope people, when they see this season, will feel that it has a natural shape to it,” he told Variety.

“That’s how I pitched it to my writers’ room, kind of hoping I’d get argued out of it so we’d see a way to do more seasons, because I love working with these people. I think there’s a feeling of completeness and rightness to the shape of the show.”

He added: “I had the last scene pretty early. We talked about how the show would end a lot, and I never wavered from that. I wavered on what were the best lines, the best way to express it — but that ending from the first draft is the one you’ll see when the episode comes out.”