Every Succession Season, Ranked Worst to Best

Few shows in recent memory have managed to turn the rich into great dramatic subjects for television like HBO’s Succession. Jesse Armstrong’s Emmy-winning show follows the Roy family, a ruthless dynasty built on media and entertainment. The children of the family jockey for control of their father’s empire. But the father, Logan, has a fearsome grip on power that his children’s scheming is rarely able to penetrate.

The story of Logan, Kendall, Roman, Shiv, Tom, and others was played out over 4 seasons, with each season establishing the show as prestige television. The show isn’t just a boardroom warfare, but it gets under the skin of these rich people and explores their humanity. The writing just gets great over time, and the performances become magnetic.

It is hard to rank such a great show season-by-season. This ranked list had to nitpick points to rank one season over the other. Here are all the seasons of the show, ranked from worst (a relative term here) to best.

4 Succession Season 1

Airing Date: June 3-August 5, 2018

No. of episodes: 10

The season with the least number of Emmy nominations had to be the lowest on this list, i.e., the worst. But the first season of Succession is far from bad television. The show won an Emmy for writing, proving that it was a fine show from the beginning.

However, the problem with the first season is that you need to have some patience to get through the pilot and the first few episodes. Thrown into the messy business world of the Roy family, the viewers take some time to adjust to all the business talk between the characters.

The season takes its sweet time developing each character and their intentions. And the Roy family isn’t a likeable bunch, making it even harder for some fans to sit through the first half of the season. However, once the season establishes the characters and the tone, it picks up momentum.

Best episode: Nobody Is Ever Missing

It was a close call between Episode 6, “Which Side Are You On?”, and this season’s finale episode. While the former pulled everyone into the world of Succession, the latter was the one that established the show as a must-watch. The world of Kendall turns upside down just as he was about to force his father for the Stewy and Sandy takeover. After the accident, Kendall apologizes to his father, who saves him, but it comes with a cost. The episode is rated 9.3/10 on IMDb, as of April 19, 2026.

3 Succession Season 2

Airing Date: August 11-October 13, 2019

No. of episodes: 10

After picking up the pace in the second half of Season 1, Succession was able to take it to the next level in Season 2. It had many great episodes and portrayed Logan Roy at his menacing best in the show. It was also the season where the series doubled down on its satirical black comedy genre.

Jeremy Strong put in an Emmy-winning performance portraying his mental breakdown after the events of the last season’s finale episode. Despite featuring strong performances and some of the best episodes of the show, this season sadly falls behind seasons 3 and 4 in terms of its dramatic quality. Setting aside Kendall’s betrayal of Logan in the finale, the season largely lacked big dramatic moments like its next two seasons.

This season grabbed Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing for its final episode, and Outstanding Directing for Andrij Parekh for the episode Hunting. All of its major stars were nominated for acting Emmys, with Strong carrying home the Outstanding Lead Actor award.

Best episode: This Is Not for Tears

This season finale goes big, with Kendall breaking the shackles that his father had him tied up in. Throughout the season, his father blackmailed him with the waiter incident from last season. In the press conference in the final scene, he was supposed to admit guilt. But Kendall exposes his father, setting up a potential face-off with him. The episode was rated 9.7/10 on IMDb (as of April 19, 2026) and is one of the highest-rated episodes of the show.

2 Succession Season 3

Airing Date: October 17-December 12, 2021

No. of episodes: 9

Season 3 establishes a major conflict between the father and his children. Everyone on the show gets amazing character development, and the season even introduces new players like Alexander Skarsgård’s Lukas Mattson, Justin Kirk’s Jeryd Mencken, and Adrien Brody’s Josh Aaronson.

The writing peaks as we approach the final few episodes, establishing ideas for the final season of the show. This season edged out the second season in this ranking because of its shocking twist in the final episode. We came to know more about Tom’s intentions, with Matthew Macfadyen delivering his best performance yet in the final episode (for which he won an Emmy).

Best episode: All the Bells Say

One of the highest-rated episodes of the show (9.7/10 on IMDb as of April 19, 2026), All the Bells Say is the ninth and final episode of the season. The season finale saw the siblings band together against their father. But it is the ailing Logan who gets the upper hand after a brutal power play, which saw Tom betray Shiv.

1 Succession Season 4

Airing Date: March 26-May 28, 2023

No. of episodes: 10

The series couldn’t have asked for a more perfect finale. The fourth season had everything at its peak. The writing, characters, acting, pacing, and everything. Logan’s death came early in the season, and we were just happy that the show surprised us with one of the most predictable outcomes.

Following his death, we see a clear power struggle. But it wasn’t the Godfather-esque one that we saw in the earlier seasons. Alongside their ambitious aspirations, the season also showed us how each one of the Roy siblings dealt with their father’s death.

Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook finally won their deserved Emmys for their roles. This season won the most Emmys (six), including the Outstanding Drama Series win, which isn’t surprising after the beautiful season finale. Mark Mylod finally won a directing Emmy for Connor’s Wedding, as he missed out on the Emmys for some great episodes earlier.

Best episode: Connor’s Wedding (Episode 3)

According to IMDb, Connor’s Wedding is the highest-rated episode of the show, with a 9.8/10 rating (as of April 19, 2026). While we expected Logan’s death in the final season, the show went above and beyond to make it tragic for the characters as well as the audience. It happens during Connor Roy’s wedding, and the suddenness of it adds to the chaos surrounding the characters. Some fans worried for the rest of the season due to the absence of the show’s central character, but the season was able to give a fitting goodbye to Logan.

Which season and episode is at the top of your list for Succession? Let us know in the comments below!

Succession is now available for streaming on HBO Max.